Longevity has been on my mind a lot lately.

This past weekend was the Arnold Classic. You look at those guys on the IFBB stage — absolutely massive human beings — and there’s no denying the level of discipline and work that goes into that. But it also highlights something important: enhanced bodybuilding and natural bodybuilding are essentially two completely different sports.

When people say “the highest level,” they’re usually referring to the Mr. Olympia or Arnold stage. And sure, if you’re competing in enhanced bodybuilding, that’s the top of the mountain. But I’m not playing that sport. I’m competing in natural bodybuilding, and the highest level there is winning Worlds. Two totally different arenas, two totally different priorities.

And when you start looking at it through the lens of longevity, things get even clearer.

I had a client compete at the Arnold this weekend — Janis — who is 70 years old. Natural athlete. Keto. She went out there and broke world records in the squat, bench, deadlift, and total. At seventy years old.

That, to me, is winning on a whole different level.

Most people at 70 can barely carry groceries. They’re using walkers and canes. Meanwhile she’s pulling over 300 pounds off the floor and planning to keep doing it for as long as she possibly can. That’s the kind of outcome I want to stack the chips in favor of.

Because the question isn’t just how high you can climb for a brief moment.

The real question is how long you can perform at a high level.

Natural bodybuilding, done properly, gives you that runway. When you prioritize nutrition, progressive overload, recovery, and discipline, you’re building a system that supports your body for decades. You can keep improving year after year. You don’t have to peak in your 20s and then watch everything fall apart.

I plan on competing for a long time. I’ve got my sights set on winning Worlds in 2027, but whether that happens or not, the cool thing about natural bodybuilding is that you can keep showing up. You can keep getting better. You can keep pushing the needle forward.

That’s the long game.

We also talked about some of the biggest mistakes people make with fat loss. The internet loves to throw around the advice “eat less, move more.” And technically, sure — that’s not wrong. But practically speaking, it often misses the bigger picture.

A lot of people who hit plateaus aren’t eating too much. They’re actually chronically under-eating. They’re running on fumes, walking 30,000 steps a day, barely consuming a thousand calories, and wondering why their body refuses to drop more weight.

At that point the metabolism is suppressed. Hormones are downregulated. Recovery is shot.

That’s why I’m such a big believer in structured building and cutting phases. When you spend time in a surplus and allow your metabolism to ramp up, you create more runway for fat loss later. When you finally drop calories, your body actually responds.

You can’t stay in a deficit forever.

You have to play the long game — just like everything else.

The Tribe is gearing up for a three-day fast, and we’ve got a bunch of conferences and travel coming up this year. Meatstock, Low Carb for Better Health, Hack Your Health — lots of opportunities to connect with the community and keep spreading the message.

At the end of the day, everything comes back to the same principle.

What can you do today to stack the chips in your favor so that you can operate at a high level for the longest possible time?

That’s the game I’m playing.

And honestly, I think it’s the only game worth playing.

Greg Mahler is also a lifetime natural bodybuilder, and can be followed on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/ketogreg80/

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The Work Podcast Episode 49 - Long Gevity