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 The High Performance Journal - November 11th, 2025

When I became a dad at 40, everything changed. Before that, health was about performance, lifting heavier, looking leaner, chasing numbers.

But the moment I held my daughters, it became about time and how much I could buy back.

This led me to studying about lifespan, which is how long you live, and healthspan, which is the quality of those years.

I don't simply want to just be alive when my kids grow up. I want to sprint beside them, carry them on my shoulders, and walk them down the aisle without a cane.

So in today's newsletter, you’ll learn seven science-backed exercises that help you move, feel, and perform like you’re twenty years younger.

You ready? Let's go 🔥

7 Science-Backed Exercises I'm Using To Reverse Aging

1. Fast Walking: Your Daily Life Extender

The world’s longest-living populations all walk...a lot.

A large study showed that people taking around 7,000 steps a day had a 47 percent lower risk of early death. Even more interesting: every 0.1 m/s increase in walking speed cuts mortality risk by 4 percent.

In Japan, researchers created Interval Walking Training: three minutes fast, three minutes easy, for 30 minutes. This improves cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, and mitochondrial function, especially after 50.

Walk fast every day for 30 minutes. It’s the most accessible anti-aging protocol on the planet.

When combined with the next exercise, it gives you a 1-2 punch for extending lifespan.

2. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): The Mitochondrial Reset

HIIT teaches your body how to get young again at the cellular level. Short bursts of effort followed by rest force your cells to adapt and rebuild mitochondria (your body’s tiny power plants).

A study in Aging Cell found that just four weeks of HIIT reversed biological age by three to four years. In older adults, training the Norwegian 4x4 boosted their VO₂ max, making their hearts and lungs up to 20 years younger.

Start simple: one or two sessions a week. Try six rounds on a stationary bike of 30 seconds hard with 90 seconds rest, or the four-minute Tabata protocol (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off).

HIIT is your weekly shock to the system. Do enough to wake up your biology, not burn it out.

While the first two exercises were for lifespan, the next five are for your healthspan.

3. Bar Hangs: Your Upper Body Reset

At my desk at home, I have a bar, and between work sessions, I hang from it for good reason.

If you sit at a desk, this one can literally undo the damage.

Hanging from a bar decompresses the spine, opens the shoulders, improves posture, and builds grip strength, which is one of the strongest predictors of longevity.

A 2018 study of half a million people found those with stronger grips had a 50 percent lower risk of early death, independent of weight or activity level.

Start with 10-second hangs, working up over time. Once you hit 1-2 minutes, you're crushing it.

Make this a part of your routine to get better posture, stronger hands, and healthier shoulders, all in one move.

4. Squats: The Foundation Of Function

The squat is a foundational movement for life.

If you can’t squat, you can’t rise from a chair, from the floor, or even walk upstairs.

Squats build the leg power that keeps you independent and mentally sharp. One 10-year twin study found that greater lower-body strength predicted slower cognitive decline and better brain health.

Regular squatting triples leg strength, improves blood sugar, and increases bone density.

You don’t need heavy barbells either. Use goblet, machine, or body-weight variations that fit your body.

Strong legs equal a healthy brain and a long life.

5. Trap Bar Deadlifts: Whole-Body Strength Without Pain

If the squats are for getting off the ground, the deadlifts are for picking things up off the ground.

The deadlift is the blueprint for real-world power, hips, legs, core, grip, everything working together.

I prefer the trap-bar version, which engages more muscle with less stress on the spine, making it safer as you age. Studies show it rapidly increases lean mass and bone density, two major shields against aging.

Muscle is your metabolic armor. Trap bar deadlifts build it safely.

6. Farmer Carries: Balance, Core, and Real-World Power

 If there’s one movement that carries over to life, it’s literally carrying.

Farmer carries train posture, balance, grip, and coordination in one go. Research shows people who can carry half to full body weight for 60 seconds have dramatically lower risks of falls and frailty.

Grab dumbbells, kettlebells, or even grocery bags. Walk 40–60 seconds, rest, repeat. Every step teaches your body to stay strong under stress, which is the essence of resilience.

7. The World’s Greatest Stretch: Mobility That Lasts 

This is the best stretch on the planet and it's not even close:

It's called the World's Greatest Stretch.

Move #1 - The forearm to instep exercise stretches out your hips and adductors.

Move #2 - The thoracic windmill helps open up your chest and activate your upper back.… pic.twitter.com/7WBzvoz4Xo

— Dan Go (@FitFounder) November 19, 2024 

Mobility keeps you moving freely. Lose it, and every task becomes a struggle.

Dynamic hip stretches like the World’s Greatest Stretch improve flexibility, reduce injury risk, and keep joints healthy well into old age.

In Japan, many older adults can still rise from a cross-legged position without using their hands, which is a sign of lifelong hip strength that protects independence.

Three minutes of daily mobility, before workouts or before sleep, is enough to keep your joints young. Think of it as oiling the hinges before they rust.

The Final Word

Most people think aging means slowing down, losing strength, and eventually giving up independence.

That’s a lie.

Aging disgracefully is a reflection of how deconditioned someone has allowed their body to become.

The great news? The right kind of movement doesn’t just slow aging, it can actually reverse it.

I'm not only training to be there for my daughters, I'm training myself to be there for their children too.

Add these seven exercises to your routine and watch how much younger your body looks and feels.

Onward and upward. 🚀

- Dan

When you're ready, here are 2 ways I can help:

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References

Walking 7000 Steps Reduces All-Cause Mortality

Paluch AE, Gabriel KP, Fulton JE, Lewis CE, Schreiner PJ, Sternfeld B, Sidney S, Siddique J, Whitaker KM, Carnethon MR. Steps per Day and All-Cause Mortality in Middle-aged Adults in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Sep 1;4(9):e2124516. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen 2021.24516. PMID: 34477847; PMCID: PMC8417757.

Walking speed and mortality: Studenski S, et al. Gait speed and survival in older adults. JAMA. 2011 Jan 5;305(1):50-8. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.1923. PMID: 21205966; PMCID: PMC3080181.

Interval Walking Training Improves Cardiometabolic Health

Nemoto K, Gen-no H, Masuki S, Okazaki K, Nose H. Effects of Interval Walking Training on Physical Fitness and Glycemic Control in Middle-aged and Older People. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2007 Aug;77 Suppl 1:S119-25. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2007.01.046. PMID: 17467931.

Murakami H, Tanigawa T, Ito R, Kito K, Ohkuma H, Yokoyama M. Interval walking training improves autonomic nervous system function in middle-aged and older people. Int J Cardiol. 2015 Oct 1;197:161-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2015.06.104. PMID: 26189143.

HIIT Rejuvenates Mitochondrial Function and VO₂ Max

Robinson MM, et al. Enhanced Protein Translation Underlies Improved Metabolic and Physical Adaptations to Different Exercise Training Modes in Young and Old Humans. Cell Metab. 2017 Sep 5;26(3):644-657.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2017.08.009. PMID: 28918952; PMCID: PMC5706682.

Hiyama Y, et al. Effects of Interval Walking Training on VO₂max in Older Adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2012 Jul;12(3):508-14. doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0594.2012.00896.x. PMID: 22376208.

Grip Strength Predicts Longevity

Celis-Morales CA, et al. Associations of grip strength with cardiovascular, respiratory, and cancer outcomes and all cause mortality: Prospective cohort study of half a million UK Biobank participants. BMJ. 2018 Jun 13;361:k1651. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k1651. PMID: 29898512; PMCID: PMC6018069.

Squats: Lower Body Strength and Brain Aging

Prado-Cabrero A, et al. Lower-limb strength in midlife predicts cognitive function in later life: A 10-year longitudinal twin study. Gerontology. 2017;63(6):502-510. doi: 10.1159/000479072. PMID: 28693420.

Deadlifts: Lean Mass and Bone Density

Bemben DA, et al. Effects of resistance training on bone mineral density in older adults. Sports Med. 2012;42(3):271-86. doi: 10.2165/11597670-000000000-00000. PMID: 22360659.

Von Stengel S, Kemmler W, Engelke K, Kalender WA. Effect of whole-body vibration and exercise on bone mineral density and lean body mass: A randomized controlled trial. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact. 2011 Sep;11(3):180-6. PMID: 21959698; PMCID: PMC3316320.

Farmer Carries: Grip, Fall Risks, and Frailty

Liu HW, et al. Handgrip strength predicts incident falls in older adults: A longitudinal study. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2020 Oct;32(10):2007-2014. doi: 10.1007/s40520-019-01337-6. PMID: 31997331.

Dynamic Hip Stretches for Mobility

Nishimura S, et al. Ability to rise from the cross-legged sitting position predicts mobility and independence in older Japanese adults. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2017 Mar-Apr;69:133-139. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2017.01.004. PMID: 28188050.

Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.