Welcome To Strength After 50!

Hi! My name is Dave Durell, and I’m glad you’re here.

If you want to:

Get and stay strong, active and mobile in your 50’s, 60’s, and beyond;
Avoid flaring up old injuries, and train safely so you don’t get any new ones;
Have the physical ability to live your life to the fullest through your later years;

Then you’ve come to the right place.

The concepts and techniques you will find here are the culmination of my 40-plus years of experience as a personal trainer and fitness studio owner, college and NFL strength and conditioning coach, and 29 years as a licensed physical therapist assistant.

time efficient strength training program

Having hands-on experience in each field has put me in the unique position to understand how to create training programs that build strength and muscle AND are orthopedically safe AND incorporate rehab techniques for problem areas.

And once I got over 50, I realized that was exactly the kind of program people like you and I need.

My Story

The Early Years

My strength training journey started at age 13. Being a skinny kid, I convinced my dad to buy me a home barbell set and started trying to build up my muscles, doing whatever exercises I could learn in bodybuilding magazines or mail-order courses.

Next came high school wrestling, which required a high level of strength and physical conditioning, and resulted in lots of injuries. This got me me interested in studying human performance, sports medicine, and how to get strong, and I decided to major in Physical Education in college.

Winning a match as a high school senior.

Starting My Fitness Career

After receiving my bachelor’s degree in 1982, I got a job at a local gym as a part-time fitness instructor, eventually working my way up to managing 2 gym locations for the company.

At that time, I had been working out using a 2-hours-a-day, 6-days-a-week program, just like all the top bodybuilders of the day – and trying to figure out why I wasn’t getting the same results everybody else seemed to be getting.

So I decided to try low volume, high intensity training program advocated by a Mr. Universe winner named Mike Mentzer.

1978 Mr. Universe Mike Mentzer.

The Turning Point

I reduced my weekly training time by 75%, and gained 16 pounds of muscle in the next 16 weeks, while maintaining single-digit percentage of body fat. And I’ve continued using, teaching, researching, testing, and refining the high intensity/low volume approach to strength training ever since.

Training with Mike Mentzer, Mr. Universe winner and Mr. Olympia runner-up.

Physical Therapy

After several years in the gym business, I decided to switch gears and returned to school in my early 30’s to study physical therapy.

I received my degree and state license in 1995, moved to Florida, and practiced as a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant for 29 years.

Rehabbing plane crash survivor Diana Burgess. Diana overcame shattered legs and a broken back, and eventually went back to teaching aerobics classes.

Personal Training

Once in Florida, I started a 1-on-1 personal training business called Sports and Fitness Training Systems. Many years later, that business has evolved to become Rock Solid Fitness in Dunedin, Florida, a one-on-one personal training studio with a full staff of Fitness Coaches training people on programs designed under my guidance.

I left Rock Solid Fitness in 2023 to focus 100% on StrengthAfter50.com.

Dave Durell Rock Solid Fitness Dunedin FL

At Rock Solid Fitness in Dunedin Florida.

The NFL

In 1998, I got an opportunity to work with the strength and conditioning staff of the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a volunteer, loved it, and set a goal to become an NFL strength coach within 4 years.

After working as the Assistant Strength Coach at Southeast Missouri State University, and receiving a master’s degree in Health and Fitness Administration, I was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a Strength and Conditioning Assistant for the 2001-2002 season.

I also worked in a part-time capacity with the Jacksonville Jaguars Strength Staff from 2003-2008.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Strength and Conditioning Staff, 2001. Looks like the beard was a little different color back then 🙂

On the field in Jacksonville during pre-game warmups before a game against the Colts.

Strength After 50

After turning 50, I started feeling the effects of age-related wear and tear on my body: chronic aches and pains due to injuries from the past; new injuries being much harder to recover from; difficulty getting loosened up and feeling stiff, etc.

Knowing I had to figure out how to change my own workouts to overcome these limitations, I called upon the knowledge I had gained over the last 40+ years, and created the workout and coaching programs found on this site – specifically designed for people over 50 who want to stay strong and live a full life.

And now, I want to help YOU.

So have a look around the site, and check back often for new content. If you’d like to receive updates and my latest blog posts via email, you can subscribe HERE.

Stay strong!

Dave

At the top of Medicine Bow Peak in Wyoming, 12,014 feet up. This is what staying strong and living a full life is all about!

Dave Durell and Strength After 50 in the Press

Here are a few of the media outlets that have featured me as an expert on strength training over 50.

Articles:

“5 Strength Workouts Men Over 50 Should Do To Maintain Muscle” [MSN, Eat This Not That]
“Exercises You Shouldn’t Do Anymore After 60, Say Experts” [Eat This Not That]
“Why Are You Not Seeing Results From Your Workouts?” [Ask Men]
“Strength Training is Magic for People Over 50” [PBS Next Avenue]
“This is one of the best exercises you can do for your health if you’re over 50” [MSN, Market Watch]
“This Gentle Morning Stretch Routine Will Change How You Move at 50” [Eat This Not That]
“What to do if you (really, really) hate pull-ups” [The Trusty Spotter]
“Strength Training After 50: Unlocking the Fountain of Youth for Vitality and Well-Being” [My ChesCo]

Podcast Interviews: