LIFTS Episode 110 - Strength, Sleep, and Longevity: What Most Men Get Wrong About Aging Well with Jeff Zweifel

0:00Mohammed Iqbal:I think it's important to recognize right in the front end of this discussion nothing probably moves the needle in a more dramatic way than those two components. I mean when you think about resistance training 60 minutes a week associated with 25 to 30 percent lower all-cause mortality. I mean of course undeniably you know sleep is so closely associated with all-cause mortality. and getting at least seven hours. Sleep quality, as we know, erodes testosterone levels, insulin sensitivity, mood, and of course, recovery.

0:48Matthew Januszek:Well, we're live. Welcome to this week's episode of LIFS. I'm Matthew Januszek. We're here today to talk about a very interesting subject, something that's more relevant probably to me and the men listening in today, or maybe the wives that are listening on men's behalf. But yeah, I'm here with my co-host, Mo Iqbal. Mo, how are you doing today?

1:10Jeff Zweifel:I'm doing good. This is our first episode of the year, and I know how things get released. They're typically a little bit delayed, but this is our first recording for 2026, so happy new year. And I'm also prepping up to go on a whirlwind of a week. I'm going to CES tomorrow. And then, Matthew, I'll be seeing you in Orange County for the Pilates Journal Conference. And then I'm doing a big ABC kickoff, which actually, I think the guest, who I'll introduce you in a few minutes, was on with me a year ago. So this is almost like a full circle moment. But you're right, Matthew, we are here to talk about an important conversation, and I want to frame it for the audience.

1:50Jeff Zweifel:And honestly, it's one that hasn't happened nearly enough. We're here to talk about men's health, especially as men age. This has been under-discussed, and we're talking about this in the pre-show, under-prioritized, and in some ways, it's also been taboo. For many generations, men were taught through push through pain, ignore warning signs. We always equated strength with silence. This could be both physical and emotional. But the data tells that story very clearly. Here's some facts. Men are about 24 % less likely than women to seek preventative care. In the U.S., men live roughly five years less than women on average.

2:36Jeff Zweifel:And chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction show up earlier and hit harder in men who delay intervention. Yet for a long time, the fitness industry framed men's health narrowly. In your 20s, it was about aesthetics, and I'm sure we can all relate to that. In the 30s, it was about performance, and after that, often like nothing. But here's the thing. Longevity is not about living forever. It's really about living well for as long as possible. And this matters at every age and every step of your journey. For me, when I was younger, it was really about building the foundation in my midlife, which is where I feel like I am now, you're kind of managing trade-offs with work and kids and just life.

3:23Jeff Zweifel:And then later in life, it's really about protecting independence and vitality and quality of life for as long as you can. What's exciting and why we're having this conversation today is that we're finally seeing the culture shift. Things like wearables, recovery, blood testing, longevity clinics and wellness communities. Nearly one in three adults today uses a wearable. And that data is changing how people think about sleep, stress, recovery, not just workouts. And men are starting to ask better questions. We've talked about this, Matthew, on the podcast. How do I want to feel at 50, at 60, at 70?

3:58Jeff Zweifel:How long can I stay active and stay in the game? And that's why today's guest is so important. I'm generally excited about today's conversation because we're joined by someone who I consider a leader, a mentor, and a close friend, Jeff Zuifo. Jeff has spent decades at the forefront of fitness and wellness, helping scale one of the most influential brands in the world, Lifetime. We'll speak a bit more about that. What I've appreciated most about Jeff is that he brings perspective. He's seen trends come and go. He understands what scales and what doesn't. He has a grounded long-term view on what health, performance, and longevity really mean for individuals and for the industry.

4:40Jeff Zweifel:Jeff, I'm really excited. This is technically your second time on Lyfts because we did an episode a year ago in London. It's great to have you here.

4:48Mohammed Iqbal:It's wonderful to be here, Matthew and Mo. It's wonderful to be back. I think this is a really timely discussion. So thank you for inviting me and allowing me to share this dialogue with you that I think is just so timely, so interesting right now and so opportunistic for so many people out there right now. And I know much of your audience are avid biohackers and very interested in this type of topic. So I'm looking forward to us sharing some insights and perspectives that we've gained over the last number of years, really diving into this area of longevity.

5:29Matthew Januszek:Well, Jeff, I thought a good place to start is to probably big picture. you've obviously been very involved in the industry for a long time with your role at Lifetime you then were involved in what I would call probably more of the sort of longevity type of space with your Miura business and I know you're from a personal perspective you're very involved in keeping up to date and looking after yourself and experimenting with many of the new and exciting cutting edge therapies that are in the market at the moment. But one of the things that I thought would be, I guess, interesting from your perspective to share is a little bit about the fundamentals, because there's a lot of opportunities for optimization and getting that extra few percent out of what you're doing.

6:23Matthew Januszek:But in many cases, people are probably missing out on some of the fundamentals and they're, they're jumping to optimization before they have, have a lot of the, the, the, the key fundamentals in place. So from your perspective and, and that experience that you've gained so far is what, what would you say are the key fundamentals that we should be using as a foundation before we sort of progress into biohacking and optimization? Yeah,

6:55Mohammed Iqbal:Yeah, that's a great perspective and point. I think, you know, when we talk about the fundamentals for most of us that have had the origin in the fitness business, the health club business, I've spent, you know, 40 years of my professional life in somewhere within the health and fitness industry. And it's just so remarkable that the foundation of everything comes really from the two components that have been so crucial in everything that we do. And that is strength and muscle preservation and cardiorespiratory fitness, of course. Those two components probably, as I know we'll get to in more depth on this call, but I think it's important to recognize right in the front end of this discussion, nothing probably moves the needle in a more dramatic way than those two components.

7:54Mohammed Iqbal:I mean, when you think about resistance training, 60 minutes a week associated with 25 to 30 % lower all-cause mortality. I mean, when you think about cardiorespiratory fitness moving one mat, right, in aerobic fitness and roughly a 13 % reduction in all-cause mortality. So when you think about those two foundational elements that we've all been such a critical part of, it's super important, I think, to start there. And of course, undeniably, you know, sleep is so closely associated with all-cause mortality and getting, you know, at least seven hours. Sleep quality, as we know, erodes testosterone levels, insulin sensitivity, mood.

8:44Mohammed Iqbal:And, you know, and of course, recovery. So these foundational elements, I think, is where things need to start. But it's a really, I would say, Matthew and Mo, such an exciting time for the industry because we're seeing this phenomenal convergence right now between fitness and health care that I think is birthing this new mega trend that we've never seen before in our lifetime around longevity and wellness and this just dramatic growth of from 800 billion to 1.4 trillion dollars. And the drivers, I think, if we back out just a moment and think about the scientific breakthroughs in the aging biology, the demographic shifts that we're all experienced with the silver tsunami, one in six, being over the age of 60 here by 2030.

9:41Mohammed Iqbal:I mean, the investments that are coming in the category from institutional money. I think foundational as well, the cultural shift towards prevention and proactive health now is bigger and greater than ever before. And then, as you said, Mo, this constant rapid acceleration of AI and data and multionics that is just continuing to change the face of this industry. And I think, you know, there's just this mass awakening, as I refer to it as, about what we've always known, but I think the consumer has been blinded by that 80 % of our, you know, outcomes in the future are dictated not by our genetics or epigenetics, but by lifestyle.

10:34Mohammed Iqbal:and that we have control of our own health and the quality of our health. And I think that's what, you know, the consumer is really anchoring on right now. They're just not interested in accepting the traditional health care and age-related norms of a broken model. And people are looking to, you know, when we talk about men's health, right, Mo, as you were mentioning, a 40-year-old man today has the hormone levels comparable to a man in his late 50s or early 60s. So you think about how this affects energy and mood and motivation and body composition, right? Sleep, libido, recovery, confidence, identity.

11:22Mohammed Iqbal:It's far-reaching. far reaching. And so you layer on top of that with men losing muscle mass starting in their early 30s. So that's why we're such strong advocates of kicking this in gear early on in life. You know, it's just really dramatic when you look at the data, how significant can be relative to muscle, and just not being about aesthetics anymore, but being about metabolic health, insulin sensitivity, resilience, and as we know, independence. So I've told you guys on our previous discussions as a 63-year-old, my goal in this is to live like a 42-year-old. I moved that up from our last discussion.

12:20Jeff Zweifel:Jeff, you almost have 20 years of me. I'm 45 and I've worked out with you. You absolutely keep up with me and your energy is through the roof. So you're achieving that goal. I just want to zoom out for a couple of things I want to anchor on what you said. One about 2030 and one in six is going to be over the age of 60. We know today that this generation that's going to be hitting that is probably the wealthiest generation in history. And a lot of the younger generation, they're not going to see that wealth. And I think there's a couple of takeaways there is the first is because they've got the means, there are more millionaires in that generation than any other generation we've seen before.

13:04Jeff Zweifel:They are able to or want to look for that easy fix. So for example, they will chase supplements before addressing the seven hours of sleep, as you mentioned. They will biohack their way through protein chips and everything else before just strength training two to three times a week, which we know is associated with a 10 to 17 % reduction in all-cause mortality. They will optimize their wearable data before doing some cardio and VO2 max has emerged as one of the strongest predictors of longevity. And I think, you know, a lot of that, so that's one buck. And I think the other one, looking at the younger generation, and I think there's some correlation here is, as men, do you think it's been a little bit, I've got a 16 year old son, I've had the opportunity to meet your wonderful son as well, who's doing incredible things, following you.

14:02Jeff Zweifel:but there's a sense of pressure, right? There's a sense of pressure with young men, whether it is relationships, it is, you know, you can't really talk about what it is to being a man. It's almost like suppressing what it is to be a man, to be a young man and to grow up and being a man. It's almost taboo to speak to that. So just given those two things, like men looking for more quicker fixes. And at the other time, like, is it, do you think it's still taboo to speak about, you know, being rough, getting dirty, like wrestling? It's how I grew up, right? I mean, I grew up getting hit, playing rugby, just being a man.

14:43Matthew Januszek:This week's episode of the lifts podcast is brought to you by eGym. eGym is building the future of smart fitness. Their connected ecosystem combines intelligent equipment, AI-powered software, and the WellPass corporate wellness platform to help operators grow their business and deliver measurable health outcomes to exercises of all shapes and sizes. From powering gym floors to supporting employee wellness, eGym is redefining the workout one rep at a time. Learn more at eGym.com. Yeah,

15:15Mohammed Iqbal:no, I think it's a really interesting part of that, this discussion and where things have evolved as a society and, you know, where some of our core kind of values are grounded with. I think it is natural as multiple things are in play, as we all know, on the call, access by consumers to health and wellness information is at an all time high, right? And it's really difficult to decipher fact from fiction with the current onslaught of social media and influencers and podcasting about, you know, what to do and what truly has scientific efficacious backing and what doesn't. So, And at the same time, I think the consumer and young men are more interested in taking control of their health than ever before, as we can see by the trends of this group of the population involved in health club usage and longevity and biohacking interests at an early age.

16:32Mohammed Iqbal:And so I think it's really a challenge to try to figure out how to steer and direct those folks into information that is truly reliable and trusted. because as we know, as this industry goes through this gold rush of explosive growth, at the same time, it can really be its own worst enemy because it can provide such misinformation and really taint the reputation because I think it's so important that we get anchored on trust here. very early on so that it has legs, so that it has longstanding impact. And so I think to your second part of your, you know, your thinking there, I think there's something to be said for the importance of resilience and grit that we continue to instill in our young men in different ways, just so that they can be adaptable, so that they can continue to get through difficult times, as all of us can attest to.

17:54Mohammed Iqbal:Those were the times when, you know, we were truly determined our opportunities to go to a next level. So I think, you know, making sure whether that's mentally or physically testing sort of the ability to endure difficult things. I think those are the things that are going to determine the future population's ability to continue to be successful and continue to grow and transform and handle all the different pressures that are going on in today's society that are all over the place. because it's extremely difficult, as you mentioned. You know, what people can say, how they can act, how they can, you know, perform both in the workplace and in, you know, general society.

18:51Mohammed Iqbal:And it's a challenging environment for sure. And I think the best thing that young men can do is, you know, try to undertake themselves with some ability to build resilience and build grit and build the ability to have a true north and set their own purpose and create that north star for their life of what are their core values and what do they want to anchor to long term and not be a short term thinker, a quick fix, a hack, as we talk about it, that's going to get them there.

19:32Matthew Januszek:You gave some statistics earlier. And I think if anyone goes online, although we're all involved in the industry where you see lots of people going to gyms, lots of young men using free weights, lots of women using free weights, but the numbers themselves tell the true story, where still, no matter what seems to be going on, there's a lot of people that are not getting benefits from the fundamentals that you referred to, which is sleep strength training and cardiovascular training. Being someone that's been involved in businesses and being connected to many people that own businesses that are really leading the industry across the globe, I was just curious from your perspective, is do you think it's the responsibility of the fitness industry to be delivering upon some of these fundamentals, which is strength training, cardiovascular training, and sleep?

20:34Matthew Januszek:And if so, how well do you think we're doing in relation to where we need to get to? Because I can't help thinking that this is something that happens across gyms around the world all of the time, And yet it still doesn't seem to be making some of the differences that we need to do. And although I'm very excited to start talking about some of the breakthrough technologies and peptides, like most people, I still really want to kind of understand, you know, where you feel we are as an industry on that base level.

21:08Mohammed Iqbal:Yeah, I feel like the industry's done a decent job in creating the right environments. And we've always, as an industry, worked hard on what I'll refer to as our classical terms of connectivity and engagement, correct? getting people, we all know how crucial it is for new memberships. And we've seen the crazy statistics about how important this time of year, January, the first of the year is for health club and gym memberships. But, you know, I think, you know, we've got to continue to shift and figure out methodology within the club framework to truly be more committed to outcomes. and how are we ensuring that our members are getting the right results and engaged in these activities in the right way?

22:10Mohammed Iqbal:And so how do we shift from checking the box on getting people on a piece of cardio equipment or a piece of resistance training equipment to truly programming to their personalized interest, goals and objectives and the outcomes that they desire. We know that ultimately the flywheel will roll when, as an operator, we're able to engage them in that way and ensure that they're seeing the success that they're looking for. And as you say, Matthew, there's no denying the reality that, and I say it all the time relative to longevity programming, that no longevity program is worth its weight. If we don't start with these foundational layering approaches to ensure that we have the solid core foundation of lifestyle programming and sleep and the right mental it mental framework to ensure that we ladder up then with the sexy cool things like HRT and peptide therapy and red light therapies and saunas and cold and hot therapies and so I think it's just super important that we get people engaged in the right way with the right physical activity and the programming that's specific to them.

23:44Mohammed Iqbal:It's not cookie cutter, but it's truly personalized to their needs. And that's why, you know, 15, 20 years ago at Lifetime, we started when I was running the personal training division and we were doing around 300 million of revenue a year in that business at that time. And we started programming carter respiratory fitness through heart rate training and lactate anaerobic threshold training because we knew that AT was one of the crucial elements and far superior at that time to program to the right training adaptation of utilization of fat and glucose, particularly versus age-predicted max heart rate.

24:34Mohammed Iqbal:So that methodology continues to be the opportunity to program and generate revenue across the continuum, not just within resistance training, as most personal trainers are kind of conditioned to.

24:53Jeff Zweifel:No, I was just going to say, this is right on track. I just want to zoom out for a minute, and I've got two parts to my question. We'll start on the first one first. The first is going to be an HVLP. Then I'd love to get your perspective on premium. In HVLP, we see a lot of high-value, low-priced clubs that are adding wellness. These are clubs like Planet Fitness, where you've got the recovery zone with Black Carb memberships. You've got crunch and what they're doing with the 3.0 gyms where they have dedicated recovery zones. Obviously, all the things that EOS and other ones are doing as well.

25:25Jeff Zweifel:But adding wellness has really been about massage chairs, hydro bread, bed, spread light therapy. But the data shows that recovery zones often see less than 30 % utilization without education or programming. And you made a comment about the industry starting to focus more on outcomes than just amenities. So my question to you, Jeff, is does adding recovery equipment actually change outcomes, or is it more about just marketing to attract members coming in?

25:55Mohammed Iqbal:That's a great question, Mo. I think, you know, there's no doubt that they have served as value-enhanced components. And I think when done right, as not just a bolt on or an add on, when truly figured out how their value enhanced services that are integrated into the equation and they're part of the member's journey. And to your point, Mo, the club and the team at the club level are really, I think, capable and armed with educating the prospect and the existing member on the appropriate benefits, but also how to incorporate into their training program in a way that matches their objectives and their goals.

26:56Mohammed Iqbal:That's when I think the success can really happen. That's when you start driving higher conversion, higher revenue per membership, higher average dues, and obviously higher client retention and dramatic reduction in attrition. So I think, you know, more so it has to be thought about how does it get embedded into that customer's personalized journey? and how do you make it in a way where it's not this, again, generic cookie cutter, check the box approach and worry less about the upgrade percentage and truly about how the customer will utilize these services in a way. So I continue to believe that the 2.0 and the 3.0 evolution to our discussions of HVLP will continue to evolve with these add-on products and services.

27:56Mohammed Iqbal:But I think the key and the successful operators will be those that truly create an integrated formula into their customer's journey in a way, both digitally and physically.

28:09Matthew Januszek:How do you feel the gyms, or what do you see the position of a gym in terms of providing information, quality programming, expert advice or do you see them becoming a place where that happens? Because clearly at the moment, it's the people that are providing the information, the guidance are a lot of the leading podcasters and YouTubers. Like if you want to know about how to strength train, you go to YouTube, you follow somebody. If you need to know about a cardiovascular workout, if you need to know about peptides, Like this is YouTube's really the place to go to find that information. Do you see that continuing?

28:55Matthew Januszek:And unless you pay to go to somewhere like Miura, that you'll learn your information online from your favorite YouTuber, and then you'll go into a gym and tell your trainer what you want to do and what type of program and they'll do it. How do you see that evolving over the next few years?

29:13Mohammed Iqbal:That's a great question, Matthew. I think I'm not naive to believe that I don't, I believe that will continue to grow and evolve the current sources. But I also believe for a gym or a club to be successful, short and long term, they must be the source of that content. They must position themselves as the education and informational trusted and respected resource for their members. They have the right to position themselves that way if done properly. And that requires them to raise the bar on the educational requirements and the certification requirements of their internal team. It requires that they're thoughtful and deliberate and proactive about how they're using their mediums of education, whether it be their website, their email communication, their app pushes and other methodology to engage and inform and entertain their customer.

30:24Mohammed Iqbal:And again, we've always used at the lifetime mission, the entertaining, educational, and, you know, friendly and inviting as methods that are at the core of our philosophy. So, you know, if you're not entertaining and educational, I don't believe you have the right to be a legitimate player in the health club space. And I believe it's a responsibility and a part of really the core of what your ethos should be. And fortunately, most of us grew up in the business. We have a tremendous passion for that, and it just becomes natural. So sadly, the transactional nature of the health club business over the years and the idea of making sure that we manage the cost structure has been, I think, a prohibitive variable of making sure that we build that into every element of how we're connecting with the customer.