Few athletes are in so little need of an introduction as Tony Hawk. His name has been synonymous with skateboarding for decades. His career on and off his board (and on the Playstation) helped define the sport—and in fact playing a significant role in it being considered a sport to begin with. 

Over the last year Hawk, now 54 years old, has been battling a nagging injury. He broke his femur back in March of 2022 and damaged it again in November after rushing his rehab process and getting back on a skateboard too soon. The experience, by his own admission, has been a sobering but productive one, giving him the perspective to rethink how he approaches skating and the necessity of taking care of his body as he gets older. (It’s informed his recent partnership with the supplement brand Qunol.)

Hawk caught up with GQ the morning after sharing footage of him back on a board on his Instagram to talk about rehab, donuts, and how to prevent injuries as a skater (spoiler alert: you can’t).

For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.

GQ: I’ve accidentally become a guy who interviews athletes for this column who are coming off of injuries. In the case of, say, NBA players there's often a very specific way they go about the rehab process. I have to imagine a skating-related injury is a whole different thing. What does the rehab process look like here? Is it just not skating?

Tony Hawk: Yeah, this time it was just not skating and letting the injury heal properly. But I recently had an appointment with my doctor and he released me for low-impact activities. We probably have varying opinions on what low impact means, but for me it means more like skating in a controlled way that comes with no unexpected falls. I'm not taking any chances when I'm out there. It may look a little reckless to the non-skater, but the tricks that I'm doing right now are the ones that I’m absolutely confident with. And then as my leg heals more, I'll try to get back into what I was doing before I got hurt.

A few years ago you mentioned to British GQ that you’ve never been much of a gym guy, but that you were thinking about changing that soon just for general health reasons. Did you ever start pumping iron or at least hitting the elliptical?

I can't say I started hitting the gym much but the last few years I was leaning into other exercises like swimming and getting on a stationary bike. That’s all new to me and I had to totally rethink and recalibrate the way I think about fitness as I get older and have injuries that keep me off my board. Before, the only exercise I ever had was skating. When skating was completely off the table for me, I had to find something else to do.

How did you end up partnering with Qunol this year?

Well for one, I was already a customer. I've been managing my high cholesterol for the last ten years or so and discovered Qunol a few years ago to supplement that. I regularly used their CoQ10 blend to manage my heart health. When they reached out to me they had no idea that I was already using it. And so I sent them a photo back of me with my bottle and just just told them I've been taking it for a while. I'm at that age that I need it. My dad had very high cholesterol and heart disease. He had two heart attacks by the time he was my age. So I had that example to try to not live up to.

Not to pivot from high cholesterol and health drinks directly to sugar. but you also became an investor in Holey Moley Donuts this year. What’s your go-to order when you pull up?

Obviously I love the flavor we created together but that’s a limited edition. Other than that, their maple? Just straight maple? It’s so good. That’s all you need. I live in San Diego but have to be in Santa Monica later this week and am trying to factor in enough time into my drive to come through and pick some up.

This isn’t the first time you’ve been injured but I’m curious to know if, given that not being able to skate takes so much away from your regular exercise routine, you change your diet up at all when you’re in the process of rehabbing?

I think I change how much I eat rather than what I eat. I don't eat as much since I'm not as active, or I at least try to be cautious of that or be aware of that. And I mean, I can't say that I indulge in sweets or a lot of candy or anything like that regardless. The changes I’ve made over the years have less to do with athletics or injuries and more to do with just getting a little older, but when I’m injured and can’t burn things off as fast I definitely try to watch what I eat a little more.

What would you say an average day of eating looks like for you these days?

Well, today’s an average day. In the mornings my daughter goes to school early. She had to be there at 6:45AM today, actually. So this morning I was up early and I had oatmeal with strawberries, I had my Qunol, I had my turmeric gummy, and then I got to the office after dropping her off. I'm probably going to have turkey wrap when we're done here. And my wife made lasagna last night because all of our kids were home from a few of our kids were home from college. So I'm thinking tonight will be leftover lasagna for dinner.

As someone who started skating at age 29 I’m curious to know if you feel it’s possible to be too old to pick up a skateboard.

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I don't think so, but I think whether or not you’ve been active in your past plays into it. If you aren’t used to being in motion and putting in that sort of physical work, that's when it gets tricky. You’ll step on a skateboard and it just shoots out from under you. I think that if you can get past that or if you feel comfortable with that motion, you can start skating at any age. And I have seen people do it. I mean, I saw middle-aged mothers make a go of it or through COVID. That was one of those silver linings to people being in stuck in one place for so long. A lot of people discovered skateboarding. It can seem daunting though, I get it. Some people take one spill and it’s like, nope, that’s it.

For me it was just a process of knowing that eventually I’d wipe out for the first time and making sure that it didn’t stop me from getting back on a board.

It’s a matter of when, not if.

To that point, your documentary Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off premiered on HBO last year. Much of the documentary eschews nostalgia and instead takes a hard look at what skating can do to your body over the years. Do you have any advice for people who are maybe looking to incorporate injury prevention training to navigate their journey as a skater? Is it even possible to fully commit to it if you’re doing so with that in mind?

Warming up is super important, especially as you get older. More importantly, there used to be a little voice inside my head where I’d set up for a trick or something and it’d go, ‘I don’t know about that.’ And I would always ignore it. I chose to ignore it last year and I broke my femur. So that’s the big thing: just just listen to your body more and understand your limitations. When I got injured I went into this mode where I convinced myself: I don't need enough speed for this trick. I know how to fix it. I can do this. I've always done it. And next thing I know, I'm sliding across the ramp with my leg dangling behind me. And so I feel like there's something to be said for that inner voice and your intuition. I learned the hard way.

But especially if you’re just starting out, just take the small wins. When you get to be older and you're trying to learn something like skateboarding, don't think you're going to be doing the big tricks or jumping the stairs right away, or even for a while. There’s a lot of value in walking away from a day on your board and appreciating the fact that you learned how to do a kick turn. That's something.

Sorry if you’re tired of being asked this, but when was the last time someone told you that you looked like Tony Hawk?

It happens all the time. I’d say it’s equal parts people that are in on the joke and then people that are saying it in all honesty. It's become a meme in and of itself. I think that’s the funny part for me because like, one time I was with my daughter and someone said in all earnesty, “Do you ever hear that you look like Tony Hawk?” And I said, “Yeah, I do.” They walk away and then my daughter goes, “Why didn't you tell them?!” They didn’t ask!

You’re not being dishonest!

I’m not!

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Tres Dean is a contributing writer for GQ specializing in sports, fashion, and the intersections between the two (which most often means covering sneakers). Outside of the going-ons of the sneaker world, he’s profiled athletes like Zion Williamson, defended the valor of reviled directors, and interviewed Travis Scott from the... Read moreXInstagramRelated Stories for GQReal Life DietSkateboarding