Yesterday I casually mentioned in a P.S. that I once practiced baseball in my underwear.
That’s a true story.
And honestly…
I hadn’t thought about it in forever.
What happened was my cousin had decided to spend the summer with us.
And he was a true-to-life LSU baseball prospect.
His arms were bigger than my legs.
Even AFTER I started lifting weights.
He was a little older than me, so that summer he was driving me around while I acted as navigator and showed him the town.
And one day on the way back home, we happened to drive by the baseball field.
He looked over and asked:
“Wanna practice?”
This guy was basically my idol at the time.
So…
Of course I wanted to practice.
And of course his pickup truck had everything two people could possibly need to practice baseball on a whim while driving by a field.
Bats.
Balls.
An extra glove.
Everything.
I probably would’ve kept all that stuff in my truck too.
Except…
It wasn’t my truck.
And I was wearing pants.
With no shorts to change into.
So there I was.
Standing at the baseball field with my pants off…
Practicing in my underwear.
I tell you that story because I talk a LOT about doing things intelligently.
Proper programming.
Exercise selection.
Progression.
Recovery.
Dose.
I love the science of this stuff more than just about anybody.
But I think there’s another side to it too.
Sometimes you should love the game so much…
You’d play it even if you had to play it naked.
Smart Training Is Great. But You Still Have to Want to Show Up.
You can have the perfect program sitting on your kitchen table.
Perfect exercises.
Perfect sets and reps.
Perfect progression.
And it won’t do you a bit of good if you don’t actually do it.
That’s why my approach to strength training after 50 is pretty simple:
Make it smart enough to keep you healthy.
Make it effective enough to get you stronger.
And make it enjoyable enough that you actually want to come back.
If you’re over 50 in Austin and you’re tired of guessing what you should be doing in the gym, my 12-Week Get Stronger, Live Longer Program gives you the plan, coaching, progression, and accountability to keep getting stronger without turning every workout into a punishment.
See How the 12-Week Program Works
Not Ready for Coaching Yet?
Fine. Don’t hire a coach because somebody on the internet told you to.
Read a little more. See how I think. Decide whether my approach makes sense for you.
- How to Get Strong After 50 Without Getting Hurt — because the goal isn’t simply to lift more. It’s to keep being able to lift.
- Too Many Options: Navigating Your Strength Journey — if fitness has become so complicated that you aren’t sure what to do next.
- Why I Still Hire Coaches — because knowing what to do and consistently doing it are two very different things.
Train smart. Train consistently. Train persistently. Can’t lose.
“I’m always better for being ON with him.”
Sarah Ethridge, 5- Star Google Review
Written by Nate Stowe, NASM-CPT, NCSF-CPT, CES, TRX Certified
Nate Stowe is a personal trainer and movement specialist based in Austin, Texas, with over 16 years of experience helping adults over 50 move better, get stronger, and live pain-free. He’s the founder of Stowe Personal Training, creator of the GET STRONGER LIVE LONGER Program, and author of Revitalize at 50+, a best-selling book on strength, longevity, and reclaiming your body after middle age.
Over the past two decades, Nate’s training system has helped hundreds of everyday adults avoid surgery, reduce chronic pain, and get back to doing the things they love—without needing a medical degree or spending hours in the gym.
Don’t worry—he saves the third-person talk for bios, not your training sessions. Sixteen years in, he’s still awkward when writing about himself.
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