February 11, 2026, 11:50 am | Read time: 4 minutes
For six decades, Rod Stewart has been rocking stages worldwide. At 81, the British rock legend still isn’t thinking about stopping—in 2026, he’ll be seen and, more importantly, heard in Europe again. His body seems to handle it easily: “I’m damn fit!” Stewart likes to describe himself this way. FITBOOK looked into how the musician trains at his advanced age. Spoiler: It’s more than just a bit of running and weightlifting. Rod Stewart does underwater training and is training for a sprint world record!
The Pursuit of the Sprint World Record
Over 80—and still competitive like a lion? More like a gazelle, as Rod Stewart has set his sights on breaking the sprint world record (100 meters) in the 80+ age category. He’s already reduced his time to 19 seconds—according to him, mainly because he’s optimized his “push-off” technique.
But Stewart is already thinking ahead. With the confidence of a lion, he reports to “AARP“: “I’m going to try to achieve 17 seconds, which I believe would be a world record for an 80-year-old.” However, the reality is even more ambitious, as the current world record held by American Kenton Brown is 14.21 seconds.1 To further improve his performance, Stewart also trains professionally on the treadmill—under medical supervision and with a precisely defined maximum heart rate, so he might get closer to Brown.
Rod Stewart’s Intense Underwater Training
When the 81-year-old isn’t traveling the world, performing on stage, or training for the sprint record, he regularly does special underwater training in his private swimming pool. Due to a knee injury, Stewart trains in the water, which is easy on the joints but still involves maximum effort. This training is modeled after what members of the British Special Air Service (SAS) undergo. “You have a large rubber block that you swim with across the entire length of the pool. You push it along the bottom of the pool,” the rock star revealed in an interview with the U.S. magazine “People.”
The underwater training described by Rod Stewart has also gained recognition under the name “Deep End Fitness.” It involves movement and strength training underwater in a swimming pool. As in Stewart’s case, it is often inspired by military training exercises.2
Here’s what underwater training with weights can look like:
How Emily Armstrong and Mike Shinoda Stay Fit and Healthy on the Linkin Park Tour
29 Minutes Without a Breath Underwater! How Is That Possible?
This Is What the Workout Routine Looks Like During the Tour
Rod Stewart’s training secret boils down to the realization that consistency is everything. He has been working with his personal trainer, former professional soccer player Gary O’Connor, for 38 years; since 2002, O’Connor has even been on the payroll. It’s no surprise the duo works so well together—both share a soccer background. Stewart explained why it fits in a conversation with “AARP”: “I’ve played soccer all my life—not as much now because I have an artificial knee.”
Because joint-friendly underwater training is impractical on tour, the musician adapts his training during these phases. Between concerts and flights to the next locations, the 81-year-old trains four days a week, keeping his workouts flexible and varied. Sometimes he plays soccer, sometimes he goes running. The musician often does endurance training for 45 minutes with the “highest maximum heart rate I can reach at my age.”
“I train extensively. But I’m generally very fit,” the musician described himself during his 2023 tour. “I’ve played soccer all my life, and I don’t smoke. It’s funny that critics on this tour keep saying, ‘Oh, he left the stage to rest.’ No, I didn’t. I left the stage because I’m soaking wet. I’m so damn fit, you wouldn’t believe it.”
Changes in the Rocker’s Lifestyle
That Rod Stewart pays attention to getting enough exercise and doesn’t smoke isn’t the only thing that makes up his healthy lifestyle. The 81-year-old has left the extreme rock star party life behind—at least mostly. “I don’t party as much as I used to, but Friday and Saturday nights I’m still a little boy. I have to rest on Sundays,” he explained in an interview. He added: “I enjoy a glass of wine every evening, and I just had my liver checked, and everything is fine.”
And when even your trainer says he aspires to be as fit as his client at that age, you know you’re doing a lot right.3