David Beckham's midlife underwear modelling highlights benefits of exercise as men age
The former England and Manchester United player turns 50 this year but looks a good few years younger than that midlife timestamp in new photos showing him posing in his latest line of underwear for Hugo Boss, in which the only thing slouched about him is his posture.
It seems David Beckham is manspreading, but in a way that’s more likely to annoy other men rather than anyone else.
The former England and Manchester United player turns 50 this year but looks a good few years younger than that midlife timestamp in new photos showing him posing in his latest line of underwear for Hugo Boss, in which the only thing slouched about him is his posture.
It’s prompted several articles lightly bewailing the impact of Becks and his ripped torso, just as the ‘dad bod’ appeared to be on course for societal acceptance, if not an outright realistic body ideal for men of a certain vintage.
So is Beckham, looking diamond-cut in his jocks, a good thing, a sonnet to the benefits of healthy eating and rigorous exercise?
Or is it a damning indictment of most of the rest of us, positing an unrealistic model of how we could look, even though, in the main, we might sag a little over the waistband?
“Speak for yourself,” laughs Dr Mark Rowe over the phone when this question is put to him.
A longtime GP and founder of the Waterford Health Park, Rowe looks suitably trim in the photos on his website and explains that if he’s going to speak broadly on men’s health, which he does, he also needs to look the part.
As for Becks and his pecs, he says: “Whether it’s a good thing depends on your perception — a negative comparison is the thief of joy and happiness.
“But absolutely, health is priceless, it’s the greatest asset we have. We take it for granted until something happens, and then we try to get it back.”
According to Rowe, physical health is one component of positive health, alongside mental health, relationships, and a sense of purpose, “but it impacts how you feel”.
“I believe we can all benefit from positive role models,” he says. “I meet many patients in their 70s and 80s who are very physically active and I am delighted to see it.”
The benefits of exercise as men age have been a focus of numerous health campaigns in recent decades.
Ireland has form in supporting men’s health. It was the first country in the world to publish a National Men’s Health Policy in 2009. But we still have a way to go — women in Ireland, on average, outlive men by four years.
The World Health Organisation has outlined how regular physical activity “provides significant physical and mental health benefits,” including the prevention and management of diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as the reduction of symptoms of depression and anxiety and improvement of wellbeing.
A 2018 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that even a few minutes of low-intensity physical activity may significantly reduce mortality risk among senior men.
And it’s never too late to start your fitness regimen. A 2019 study published in Jama Network Open found that being active in midlife could be just as effective as starting young, considering the risk of early death.
The results were based on the data of more than 300,000 people living in America.
However, researchers warned that the benefits only last as long as you continue to exercise.
The signs are encouraging. A Sport Ireland report in 2023 showed that sports participation increased among younger and older age groups, rising from 35% of those over 35 years old in 2022 to 40% in 12 months.
We don’t all have to strive to look like Beckham, says Rowe, but rather watch the basics instead.
“You want to keep things in trim,” he says. “It’s not about being perfect — that’s delusional and sets yourself up for failure. It’s about being happy in your own skin.”
This can also mean needing a bit of luck, such as getting a good check-up at the right time. As Rowe says, “a lot of metrics are under the bonnet”.
Yet he strongly believes that, in general, exercise is greater than 10 medicines, working not just on physical health but also as a stress buster and boosting emotional wellbeing — all important nowadays.
“The sedentary lifestyle is nearly endemic,” he says. “We need to be looking at moving more. There are so many different ways we can exercise as we get older. Primarily, it should be about having fun, such as a class with friends.
“We need aerobic exercise to get the heart rate up, so whether that’s an exercise bike or a cross trainer — they are fantastic if your knees are dodgy. There’s aerobic cardio — that could be jogging, even brisk walking, a rowing machine. And as well as that, we need to stay physically strong.”
By way of reference, he cites in his book — Things Your Future Self Will Thank You For — in which a man of 50 needs to visualise himself going through an airport at age 85, asking himself the question: will he be carrying his own bags? If so, he will need a strong body.
That falls in with his recommendation for weekly strength training, building a stronger spine and core, which can be achieved through yoga or similar disciplines.
“We have our date of birth age, and nobody was ever able to change that,” says Rowe. “But our biological age is the miles on the clock, and that can change enormously,” says Rowe.
Yet one significant stressor in all this is, well, stress. “A lot of people are marinating in stress,” he says. In a world where some tech barons believe we should work every day, Rowe believes that rest and recharging are essential and can be achieved through small steps.
“What would a one per cent better version of me look like? Maybe it’s just leaving the phone downstairs and going to sleep earlier? Or going for that check-up, which is overdue, and getting a measure on blood pressure and cholesterol? Or just going for a walk in nature?”
Multitasking doesn’t come naturally to humans, he says, whereas rest is what our ancestors did, living their lives according to circadian rhythms.
As it turns out, even sportsmen — though probably not Beckham — can have their wobbles. Another former England captain, this time rugby great Lawrence Dallaglio, recently spoke on The Overlap podcast about noticing how he had fallen out of shape following his retirement. It spurred him into action, and according to Rowe, this shouldn’t be seen as uncommon.
It turns out that while David Beckham has always seemed to look like that media-defined version of David Beckham, many sports people find the adjustment between playing and retirement tricky.
“I have seen this many times over the years,” says Rowe. “Often, as men, we define ourselves or society defines us by what we do, being who we are. So when you are a sports star, that’s who you are — the all-star hurler, the international rugby player. And then, when you retire, who are you? There can be a profound sense of loss, burnout, existential crisis, a loss of sense of purpose — it’s nearly analogous to retirement. That can lead to a lot of stress and when we are all stressed we crave comfort, which can be an extra snack, sugar, alcohol, whatever.”
Dallaglio got his shape back, and Rowe says it’s vital that everyone has a positive view of ageing, seeing it as an opportunity, a way to gain new perspectives, rather than as an avenue to decline.
“We are never stuck. No matter where you are now, we can change in small, sustainable ways and move forward in ways where everyone and we ourselves can benefit. Never stop starting, never stop going.”
And that’s whether we have David Beckham’s abs or not.
