The 82-year-old actor reveals why he has no plans to slow down. Don’t tell Danny Trejo he’s too old to do something
At 82, the Machete star still jogs, lifts weights, dances and keeps up a schedule that could exhaust someone half his age. So there’s one stereotype about baby boomers that particularly bothers him: the assumption that getting older automatically means becoming fragile or slowing down
Trejo is now teaming up with Aspercreme for its “KO Boomer” campaign, an initiative aimed at challenging ageist stereotypes and outdated ideas about what people can—or should—do as they get older
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The campaign’s name is a play on the phrase “OK, Boomer,” swapping “OK” for the boxing term “KO,” or knockout, as a call to knock out outdated stereotypes about aging. The campaign also features Tom Cillo, Mirna Valerio and Marco Hurtado, encouraging people to rethink what it means to be a “boomer.”
“I was reading some of these definitions of a ‘Boomer’ online, and frankly, it made me mad,” Trejo tells Parade.com exclusively of joining the campaign. “Some internet dictionary says getting older means sitting down and being out of touch? I don’t think so. We’re taking action to change that definition and prove we’re still in the game.”
Trejo certainly is. When Parade caught up with the actor, he opened up about aging, the workout routine that’s keeping him active at 82 and why he doesn’t want his kids—or anyone else—treating him differently because of his age
Danny Trejo wants people to stop assuming older adults need to slow down
When Parade asked Trejo what stereotype about boomers he’d most like to change, he pointed to the way adult children can sometimes become overly protective of their aging parents
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“A lot of times the kids, you know, like their children will start to be, ‘Careful. Watch out. Watch out,'” Trejo tells Parade. “It’s like, you know what? You don’t have to.”
His own three kids know their dad can handle himself, although he admits they’ll still check up on him from time to time. “They’ll let me go so far,” he jokes to Parade. “And then, you know, if I’m out too late, they’ll call.”
Considering what Trejo is still doing at 82, it’s easy to understand why he’s not interested in being told to take it easy
Danny Trejo still jogs, lifts weights and dances at 82
Asked what he still does at 82 that might surprise people, Trejo has a list. “Well, I still jog. I still lift weights,” he tells Parade. “I run around, you know, I go out and still dance.”
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And yes, the Hollywood tough guy knows his way around the dance floor
“Love it,” he says of dancing. “I grew up with, like, four girls, you know, my cousins, and they all used to dance, so I was their dance partner.”
Trejo says he starts his day with a walk and still lifts weights, but he’s no longer concerned with putting up the massive numbers he once did
“I walk in the morning,” he says. “I’ll lift weights. I’m not doing the 315 I used to push, but I’ll lift, like, 125 pounds. And that’s all you need.”
His focus these days is more on staying active than setting personal records. “You don’t need to do, like, heavy weights and stuff,” he adds. “You just have to get the cardio going, and that puts you in good shape.”
Boxing is still part of Danny Trejo’s life
Of course, no conversation about Trejo’s fitness routine would be complete without boxing
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The actor has spoken openly about learning to box during his time in prison, and he tells Parade that the sport helped keep him focused during that period of his life
“Boxing really kept me out of trouble while I was in the penitentiary,” he says. “It’s hard to, like, get in trouble when you’re, like, working out every day and training.”
He also recommends boxing as a workout even for people who have no intention of ever stepping into the ring
“I think boxing is probably one of the best all-around training that you can do,” he says. “You don’t have to actually fight. Hit the bag and stuff, you know.”
His attitude on getting older is a lesson for everyone
Trejo’s approach to aging isn’t only about staying physically active. His attitude may be just as important
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When asked what makes him feel young, Trejo doesn’t mention an exercise, food or wellness hack. “Just waking up in the morning,” he says. “I feel great.”
That gratitude is closely connected to his past. Trejo spent years incarcerated when he was younger, and he says remembering what life was like behind bars has made him appreciate freedoms that can be easy to take for granted
“Once you remember what the pen was like, and you wake up and you hear birds, and you can go to your own mirror, and you go to your own bathroom and you jump in your own shower, you start getting grateful,” he says
There’s another part of aging that Trejo has come to appreciate: the wisdom that comes with it. “You learn a lot more,” he says. “People that know, you know, it’s like they respect you just for getting here.”
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And there’s something especially satisfying about knowing that other people hope they’ll someday reach the same milestone. “They’re hoping to get here,” he adds
Trejo also has a sense of humor about his age. He says one of the biggest misconceptions people have about him is simply that he’s actually 82
“A lot of times I tell people I’m 82 and they don’t believe it,” he says, adding that people often guess he’s around “60, 65.”
“So that’s cool,” he jokes
Related:7 Common Gaslighting Phrases Boomers Use With Their Adult Children, Psychologists Say
The best advice he has received about aging
For all of Trejo’s thoughts on staying active and maintaining a positive outlook, the best advice he’s ever received about getting older is remarkably simple
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It came from his friend George, whom Trejo says lived to be around 96. “I said, ‘What’s the advice?'” Trejo recalls
His friend’s response? “Just don’t die.”
Trejo seems determined to follow it
As part of the KO Boomer campaign, Aspercreme is encouraging consumers to challenge ageist stereotypes and help redefine “boomer” around vitality and experience. Consumers can also enter the KO Boomer Sweepstakesthrough Sept. 30 for a chance to win a prize package that includes an active vacation, Aspercreme products and KO Boomer boxing gloves signed by Trejo
And Trejo has perhaps the best evidence for the campaign’s message: his own life. At 82, he’s still working, working out, going dancing and making plans for what’s next
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As Trejo puts it: “I’m still here. I ain’t going nowhere right now.”
This story was originally published byParadeon Aug 21, 2026, where it first appeared in theCelebssection. Add Parade as aPreferred
