David Beckham is MEN’S HEALTH’s “Fit at Any Age” Issue Cover Star!

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This is 50! Soccer and style icon David Beckham is entering life’s second half, and he’s still in elite shape—physically and mentally. How does he do it? Working out daily (preferably with his wife, Victoria), tending to his garden, and feasting on jellied eels. Living proof that you can be fit at any age, the global megastar now fronts 10 editions of MEN’S HEALTH around the world, opening up in his MEN’S HEALTH (US) cover profile about getting older, getting stronger and creating his new supplement line. Plus, in an episode of the MEN’S HEALTH “Train Like” video series, he shares the approach to training and nutrition that has helped him stayed forever fit.

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On how his body is holding up these days: “My body’s actually feeling better than it has done for a long time. People ask where I feel it the most—is it my knees or my ankles? My Achilles was a bad injury toward the end of my playing career, but it never troubles me now, despite rupturing it. It’s actually the lower left side of my back and my left hip that give me the most grief. I’ve had it all X-rayed, MRI’d— it’s just wear and tear. I’m better at looking after myself now.”

On why he launched the supplement brand IM8: “There were so many supplements, so many tablets, and so many powders. One person saying one thing is the best and others would disagree. IM8 works for me. Gut health, energy, focus—all of it is improved.”

On what his workouts look like now: “The strength work that I do for my core and upper body helps with the backaches that I’ve got. When I was playing, the only strength work I did was on my legs. It was never really upper body. I never had pecs until I met [personal trainer] Bob [Rich]. You could say I’ve gone up a couple of cup sizes as a result. I’ve never had a chest. I never really had a desire to, either. I was determined to be as lean as I could be. But since I’ve retired, I’ve put a bit of meat on my pecs. I hated pullups with a passion. I could literally only do two or three—three at most. Bob decided to focus on press-ups and pullups. I hated both, and now we do them most days.”

On working out with his wife, Victoria: “I’ve been trying to get Victoria to work out with Bob for years, and she finally agreed to adjust her workout. Now we do five days a week, sometimes six, together….I love training with Victoria. I give her a lot of sh*t. We both give each other plenty of sh*t. She’s not very good at listening to Bob. Well, she’s good at listening, then she does her own thing. She’s not great at taking a rest. He’ll get her to have 90 seconds’ rest, and she’ll be ready to go after 25 seconds. But when it’s good in the gym and we’re both in a good mood, it doesn’t get any better than that, I suppose.”

On how he feels to be turning 50 in May: “It doesn’t bother me one bit. People are asking me about it gently, like it should be a big issue. It’s not something that I’m worried about—as long as I’m fit and healthy and my family is healthy, that’s all I care about. For my 50th, I’m going to keep it really simple. I want good food, good wine—that’s it. All my closest friends.”

On how his approach to eating has changed: “I’m very lucky….I eat virtually everything. My diet hasn’t changed over the last 20, 30, 40 years, in all honesty. Even throughout my career, I was able to eat what I wanted. Obviously, it was more strict throughout the time where I played professionally, but really, I’ve been able to eat whatever I want whenever I want. But I’m still quite strict on how I eat. There’s not many things I don’t like, so you can always have your cheat day. There’s nothing wrong with that. You’re allowed to do that. If you want a burger, if you want some chocolate, if you want some crisps—it’s all in moderation.”

On spending time in the kitchen: “My love of cooking came from my mum. I always used to cook with my mum at home…. Cooking is a real passion for me now. We were in Miami for a few weeks, and I really fancied a Spanish omelet. I set myself the challenge of mastering a Spanish omelet—and I did. I’m not a baker, baking bread eludes me, but I make a decent lemon drizzle cake. But I would love to be a great baker at some stage.”

On his goals with the Inter Miami soccer team: “This was a real opportunity, not just to create a franchise but to create one of the best sports franchises in America. It all comes from me trying to help the future of kids in America, giving them the opportunity to play the sport we love. That’s ultimately what it all boils down to and what I’ve always wanted to bring to America….It’s also really exciting to see the new stadium happening, too. I won’t feel completely happy until we win an MLS Cup.”

On snowboarding: “I love snow, so not being able to go skiing my whole life up until I finished playing [because of insurance constraints] was painful. I always used to see friends going, and I’d feel I was missing out. A couple of my boys were snowboarders, and I knew that I wanted to be a snowboarder. I wanted the cool clothes. I wanted to look good. It took me three or four days to learn, three or four painful days—it was horrendous. But the moment you get it, there’s no better feeling. It’s my favorite holiday. I can have a bit of anonymity. I like feeling healthy, like being out in the open air. You’re up early and you’re in bed early. The best part is having those chats on the lifts or in the gondolas. You get into them. The kids can’t go on their phones, they’re just sat there, and we’re all chatting—it’s amazing. I’m pretty sure I’ll still be trying to go down the slope at 70—hopefully.”

The March/April “Fit at Any Age” issue of MEN’S HEALTH (US) hits newsstands nationwide on March 4.

[Photo Credit: Scott Trindle for Men’s Health Magazine]

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