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The Old Man Test

(or, perhaps more accurately, the "No Longer a Young Buck" Test)

I'm now 30, reflecting on my passion for fitness, and thinking about what reasonable, sustainable goals should be as I age. Sure, I want to get stronger, but I don't plan to chase PR's forever. Instead, I want some objective yardstick that I can use to test myself as I age. A good test should:

  1. Cover foundational movement patterns - as an old man I want to be able to pick things up and put them over my head without breaking my back
  2. Assess different factors of wellness - strength, mobility, body composition, endurance
  3. Correlate with longevity - which the above have repeatedly proven to do

Here's the "Old Man Test". All #'s are based on your bodyweight at the time of testing. The %'s feel right for me, but there's nothing magical about them - feel free to tweak based on your own baseline now.

Strength

  1. Deadlift @ BW
  2. Front Squat @ 3/4 BW
  3. Overhead Press, strict @ 1/2 BW
  4. Pull-up, strict, chin over bar for 1 second
  5. One-armed dead hang, 5 seconds

Mobility
5. Squat, flat footed, 30 seconds
6. Cossack Squat, full ROM, back foot on floor
7. Tree Pose, 10 seconds each foot

Endurance
7. 5k Trail Run, on anything besides pavement, under 27:00
Open to making this modality-agnostic - i.e. heart-rate above XYZ
Another idea - any 10 mile (16km) hike

So, how should you use this?

I suggest testing yearly. For the strength exercises, do as many reps as possible. For the mobility exercises, you need to demonstrate control in the end range. If you cannot complete one rep of any of the items, you are no longer a young buck. If you fail, you may test again that year after 90 days have elapsed.

Is this a fair test? Will I be able to hit this at 40? 50? Time will tell.

Notes

  • Longevity, particularly in men, has repeatedly shown to correlate with both grip and length strength. Interestingly, the correlation holds with strength, but not muscle mass.
  • The leading cause of mortality in the elderly is falling. I believe this is a factor of lower body strength, balance on one leg, and hip mobility.