As people enter their midlife in their 30s and 40s, they naturally become more conscious about their health and longevity prospects. It’s around that time that most begin to realise that their body’s ability to grow muscle, move as freely and recover no longer is as bullet proof.
Starting at the age of 30, humans roughly lose about 1% of muscle mass per year. This decline accelerates with time and reaches 1–2% per year after 50. At that age, muscle strength also diminishes by about 1.5% per year, and power, the ability to exert force quickly, declines at about 3.5% annually.
Heart and lung efficiency also start to decrease by about 10% per decade after age 30. This results in lower endurance and diminished cardiovascular capacity like VO2 max.
Muscle loss combined with hormonal changes slow down metabolism by approximately 3-8% per decade, which impacts energy expenditure and makes it easier to gain weight.
The good news is that this decline can be slowed down. The best way to combat aging related decline is by staying active and consistently working out. It’s quite simple really, if we don’t use our body and our muscles, they deteriorate quicker. The more we use them, the slower they decline.
Studies continue to show the close relationship between human fitness and lower all cause mortality. Metrics like VO2 max and grip strength have become vogue terms as fitness benchmarks that we should strive to improve.
But how do you know if your fitness level is sufficient to slow down the pace of aging? While we don’t have an exact answer to what the optimal form of training is, we have outlined three fitness standards that provide great benchmarks to aim towards.
The well known longevity researcher Peter Attia has outlined his optimal fitness standards that those in their 40s and beyond should aim for. This standard is mostly the same for men and women and should be lowered 10% each decade beyond 40.
Another highly well known fitness standard is the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). The benchmarks below are the same for men and women in the ages between 17 and 46, with slightly lower standards for those aged 48-62. Each event has a minimum score of 60 and a maximum score of 100. Soldiers must achieve a minimum total score of 300 points to ensure a baseline fitness level.
Another Physical Performance Standard was developed by former Navy SEALs DJ Shipley and Cole Fackler. Their company GBRS Group delivers elite tactical training and human performance programs.
Their standards are based on a training regimen that consists of 5 workouts per week, and is designed for men and women of all ages to track progress and ensure readiness in high-stakes roles.
