John Cena’s Goal Is to Be ‘Active Into My Late 80s,’ Say He’ll Work Out ‘as Long as My Heart’s Beating’ (Exclusive)

• John Cena, 47, says he plans to make fitness a part of his life for as long as possible
• The WWE star explained that while his workout goals have changed over the years, his dedication to health and fitness has remained constant
• These days he lifts weights four days a week; the other three days he focuses on mobility and flexibility training

John Cena is known for his physical strength and larger-than-life persona. So it’s no surprise that that 47-year-old plans to make fitness a part of his life no matter how old he gets.

The actor and WWE star recently spoke to PEOPLE about his partnership with MET-Rx and how although his approach to fitness has shifted over the years, his lifestyle remains the same. 

Cena explains how his goals have evolved over the years.

“When I was a young 12-year-old, it was to look muscular so I couldn’t get beat up. And then as a late teen, it was to be strong so I could play sports,” he tells PEOPLE. “And then as a young 20-something, I wanted to aesthetically look good just to keep myself disciplined.” 

Then, after landing the “job opportunity of a lifetime” in 1998 as a professional wrestler, his focus shifted to being a really strong over-the-top entertainer.

“At 47 now, my goal is to be physically active until I can’t. I put a number in my head of like, I’d like to be physically active into my late 80s or 90s. To do a parallel squat in my late 80s,” he shares. 

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With that new goal in mind, Cena says he’s able to curate his workouts differently. “And I love working out,” he emphasizes.

“My training used to be based on every single day, be the strongest you can for that day. Now I have my eyes set 40 years down the road.”

Cena is still working out daily — he spends 4 days a week weight training and allows 3 “rest days” focused on mobility and flexibility training. But he says the older he gets, the more he’s focused on “remaining sedentary” and sustaining a “physical to-do list” rather than just going nonstop like when he was a kid.

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And although he’s eyeing his WWE retirement, Cena doesn’t want anyone believing he’s giving up on fitness.  

“I know my WWE journey is coming to an end, but fitness was a part of my life long before the WWE journey started,” he stresses. “Fitness will be a part of my life, hopefully as long as my heart’s beating. So the WWE has been a great chapter in my life  — it’s year 23 for me — and the sun’s setting on that chapter in the book, but fitness will never not be a part of my life.”

Cena adds that he also feels better than ever.

“I feel as if I am operating at my best when I talk about health,” he admits. “Graduating from Springfield College, their ethos was ‘Spirit, mind and body.’ It’s not just how you look, it’s how you think, and also what’s on the inside.” 

“So I would say from a spirit of mine and a body standpoint at 47, I’m the best I’ve been in all 47 of my years on this earth,” he boasts.

The Ricky Stanicky star notes that he’s been able to maintain his healthy lifestyle and accomplish those goals over the years by staying on top of his regimen.

“I can boil it down to just being consistent and making good choices, and I think that’s great advice for anybody out there whose focus is fitness,” he says. “And without specific goals, it’s really tough to go through that process. That just always helped me.” 

And being able to celebrate achieving those goals is, in part, why Cena has teamed up with MET-Rx for their “MET-Rx Flex” campaign, aimed at giving people a space to show off what they can do.

Using the company’s sports performance products for over 30 years, the actor says he loves the concept of “redefining the flex emoji” and recognizing those who are putting in the work.

“Whether it’s being an engineer, if you’re a gym goer, if you play an instrument. It could be anything, any skill you have could be MET-Rx Flex worthy, because metrics is indeed fuel for life,” Cena tells PEOPLE. “We want people to be active and show us their MET-Rx Flex and in tune, I am going to be able to, through my TikTok accounts, shout these people out and hopefully get them some extra recognition that they’ve earned.”