Physical strength and flexibility in 2026
From AGING with STRENGTH® by Paul von Zielbauer
January 16, 2026 · 6 min · Season 2 · Episode 4
About this episode
In this episode, Paul von Zielbauer discusses his goals for physical strength and flexibility in 2026, emphasizing the importance of daily purposeful movement.
Last January, I published an audio & text essay, Physical strength and flexibility in 2025 . The thesis was that our bodies are meant to move and that, for healthy aging, some form of strength training —which need not be intense or include more than your own bodyweight—is non-negotiable. My goal, I wrote, was to “ get both stronger and faster, and leaner and more flexible .” (Oh, is that all?) I also said I wasn’t after bigger muscles but greater neuromuscular efficiency . Looking back, my 2025 goals bring to mind a childhood admonishment from my grandpa, when I failed to eat what I’d put on my dinner plate: “Your eyes were bigger than your stomach.” In 2026, I’m organizing around a simple mantra: Move your body. Every day. With purpose. The simplicity of this 11-syllable mantra is intentional. A year ago, I wrote about jumping rope, bar squats and box jumps as means to achieve my personal physical strength and flexibility goals. The jumping rope habit stuck, thankfully, but bar squats—one of my oldest and most reliable weighted exercises—no longer work for me, I realized after one too many “uh-oh” setbacks. (If you’re interested in a fuller explanation of my break up with heavy…
People in this episode
Host: Paul von Zielbauer
Topics covered
- physical strength
- flexibility
- healthy aging
- strength training
- neuromuscular efficiency
- daily movement
Keywords
- strength training
- flexibility
- healthy aging
- neuromuscular efficiency
- daily movement
- jumping rope
- bar squats
- box jumps
More episodes of AGING with STRENGTH®
- Avoiding (and recovering from) athletic injuries: Strategies, tips & stories from the trenches · June 6, 2026 · 53 min
- "Strategically Tuning Out," with Gwendolyn Bounds · May 8, 2026 · 1h 5m
- Unconventional strength workout #1: Rings · February 15, 2026 · 3 min
- Menopause for men with Dr. Annie Fenn · January 24, 2026 · 35 min
- The question to ask your younger self · December 21, 2025 · 7 min
- Is print the new vinyl? Meet the editors of Geezer · December 16, 2025 · 57 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the AGING with STRENGTH® podcast page.