How the "Father of Aerobics" Stays Fit
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10/06/2009
At age 78 and having logged more than 38-thousand miles running, Dr. Kenneth Cooper has shown that you can be fit at any age. He’s as vibrant today as he was 40 years ago when he founded Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas. Practicing what he preaches, Dr. Cooper lives a balanced life of equal parts proper nutrition, proper exercise, proper weight and proper supplementation. The result is an excellent quality of life.
People often ask what he does to stay in shape. Here are a few insights into his work out routing for him and you.
Dr. Cooper recommends a balanced workout consisting of both cardiovascular and strength training. At age 55, he discovered that while cardiovascular training conditions the heart, it doesn’t replace a strength training program. For example, Dr. Cooper was able to run 5 miles in 40 minutes or less, but couldn’t ski for longer than two hours without significant burning in his quadriceps. To build his strength, he started doing leg lifts on a regular basis interspersed with stationary cycling and stair climbing. On his next ski trip, he was able to ski four to five hours without his muscles burning.
Here are Dr. Cooper’s recommendations on how your workout should change over time:
| Age |
Cardiovascular Exercise |
Strength Training |
| 30s |
80% |
20% |
| 40s |
70% |
30% |
| 50s |
60% |
40% |
| Over 60 |
55% |
45% |
Dr. Cooper’s personal exercise routine has changed over the years. Originally jogging was his preference for exercise, but after a snow skiing accident in 2004 he stopped jogging and focused on rehabilitation. After months of rehabilitation and two surgical procedures, he transitioned to cycling—using a Schwinn AirDyne bicycle to exercise his arms and left leg—and later transitioned to walking.
To balance his cardiovascular training, Dr. Cooper’s strength training routine is always low weights/high repetitions. When he reached his 70s, muscle toning became more important than muscle building. Low weights/high repetitions, allows adequate muscle toning without major muscle building.
Today he walks 5 to 6 days per week averaging 2 to 3 miles at a speed that puts him at about 15-minutes per mile. This regimen has enabled Dr. Cooper to maintain a high level of cardiovascular fitness, ranking him in at least the top 20 percentile for men 75-79 years of age.