SOCCER ICON DAVID Beckham has always been extremely fit, since staying in shape was part of the job description as a world-class footballer. Now that his playing days are over and he’ll turn the big 5-0 this May, his fitness regimen has evolved—but it’s still a major focus in his life. “We talk about health so much more than we did 10, 20 years ago,” Beckham told MH for his March/April cover story. “It’s everything.”

Beckham trained daily over his 22-year playing career in the Premier League, MLS, and captaining England’s national team. Today he’s shifted his attention to strength and conditioning work, which has replaced all that sport-specific cardio and lower-body focus. “Most of the strength work that I used to do was all leg-based,” he told MH. “These days, the leg strength is already there, and the body strength is something I really focus on.”

Beckham’s upper-body training helps him deal with back pain that still bothers him from old injuries. He also said he’s shifted from hating to loving a crucial back training exercise: the pull-up. “That’s one machine I actually can’t live without, and it’s not complicated. It’s a bar.”