The industrial athlete: rethinking health in an ageing rail workforce
At Rail Wellbeing Live 2026, one session stood out for turning a familiar topic on its head. Rather than focusing on illness or absence, osteopath Geoff invited us to see rail workers through a different lens: as industrial athletes.
With experience across depots, trackside teams and control rooms, Geoff brought a practical, people-first approach to supporting musculoskeletal health. His session offered a clear message. Work in rail may not look like elite sport, but the physical demands and the need for recovery are strikingly similar.
Seeing rail workers as athletes
Geoff opened with a simple but powerful comparison:
“In sport, we accept that readiness changes, we accept that performance varies and recoveries matter. In the railway, work isn’t that different.”
Repeated movement, changing conditions and fatigue all play a role in daily rail work. Yet, unlike in sport, we do not always plan for these variations.
By framing workers as “industrial athletes”, Geoff encouraged organisations to shift from a pass or fail mindset to one that focuses on readiness, recovery and long-term performance.
What really changes as we age
One of the most relatable parts of the session was Geoff’s honest and realistic take on ageing. He was clear that getting older does not mean becoming incapable.
“That doesn’t mean that we are incapable of working or unfit, it just means that there’s less reserve.”
In rail, the job often stays just as demanding. What changes is how the body responds. Recovery can take longer. Strength can take more effort to build. Tolerance to strain may narrow.
These changes can be easy to miss because most people continue to turn up and do their job. The warning signs tend to build quietly in the background.
“When they become visible is when pain doesn’t settle, fatigue builds, and at best, absence appears, but at worse, we have a safety incident.”
The idea of “drift”
A key concept in the session was what Geoff described as “drift”. This is the gradual decline in physical readiness when there is no targeted support or intervention.
“It’s gradual, it’s quiet and it’s unnoticed.”
He explained that issues rarely appear suddenly. Instead, small changes build up over months or even years. Poor sleep hits harder. Tasks feel more effortful. Recovery becomes inconsistent.
For managers, these shifts can seem sudden. In reality, they have been there all along.
Why strength and recovery matter more than ever
One of the strongest takeaways from the session was the importance of investing in strength, especially as we age.
Geoff used a memorable comparison:
“Think of it like a muscle pension. If we can invest in it earlier in life, we can live off the investment.”
Without that investment, capacity slowly drops while job demands stay the same. This gap is where risk appears.
The solution is not about reducing standards. It is about supporting people to stay ready for the work they do.
“The goal is not stopping ageing… it’s to protect the quality of life going forward and more importantly, avoid surprises.”
Small changes, big impact
Geoff highlighted that early action is always more effective than reacting later.
“Earlier interventions tend to be smaller, less disruption with better outcomes.”
This could be as simple as encouraging strength training, improving sleep, or starting conversations about aches and fatigue before they become bigger problems.
In one audience question, he gave a practical example of how accessible this can be. Simple exercises like a wall sit, done regularly, can improve both strength and blood pressure.
The hidden factor: speed, not just strength
An especially interesting insight was the idea that it is not just strength that matters, but how quickly it can be used.
Geoff explained this through the “rate of force development”, which is key to reacting to slips, trips and sudden movements.
“Strength may still be there, but it just arrives a little bit later and that matters.”
In real-world rail environments, that small delay can make a big difference to safety.
A call for earlier conversations
Towards the end of the session, Geoff brought the focus back to workplace culture. He encouraged managers to open up simple, everyday conversations about physical wellbeing.
“Ask people… is there any aches or pains? And if there is, how can we get around that?”
He also noted that while mental health rightly gets attention, musculoskeletal health should not be overlooked.
“Musculoskeletal health is one of the top players for absence in the UK… I feel that sometimes that is overlooked.”
A practical way forward
The session closed with a clear direction. Supporting an ageing workforce is not about medicalising people or lowering expectations. It is about understanding how readiness changes and acting earlier.
The “industrial athlete” model offers a simple shift in thinking:
- focus on readiness, not just capability
- invest in strength and recovery
- notice patterns early, not just problems
- support people before issues escalate
As Geoff summed up, it is about treating workers like we would athletes.
“People don’t suddenly become incapable, they drift.”
Watch the full session above to hear Geoff’s insights and practical advice in his own words.