10 Fitness Tests for Longevity
Best Practices
Oct 10, 2023
Why you should do these
The big question is, “Am I as fit as I should be?” So along with that comes the question, “How do we assess our fitness?”
These fitness tests will provide answers and benchmarks to these questions, and importantly, show you what to measure because what we measure, we improve.
These benchmarks serve as general guidelines. Not meeting certain standards outlined does not necessarily indicate a lack of health. Rather, it highlights areas that may require focused attention and improvement. It's advisable to consult with healthcare professionals for personalized advice and further assessment of your fitness and overall health.
What are the 10 Fitness Tests for Longevity?
Broad Jump
Instructions: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Swing arms back, bend knees, jump forward as far as possible, land softly. Measure from the tip of your toes on the jump to the back of the heel on landing.
The Standard:
Men - Your height.
Women - 85% of your height.
Vertical Jump
Instructions: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Dip into a quarter squat, swing your arms back, jump straight up reach both of your arms overhead, and land softly. Measure from the standing height of the fingertips on both of your hands overlapped to the height of your overlapped fingertips upon jumping.
The Standard:
Men under age 50: 24 inches
Women under age 50: 20 inches
Men over age 50: 20 inches
Women over age 50: 17 inches
Dead Hang
Instructions: Grip a pull-up bar with both hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, feet off the ground. Hang with arms extended.
The Standard:
Hang for 60 seconds.
Leg Extension
Instructions: Sit on a leg extension machine with your back flat against the pad, place your ankles under the lower pad, extend your legs completely while exhaling. Do either a true 1 rep max, or use a rep conversion calculator with 5 or less reps.
The Standard:
Through age 40 - Body weight
Every decade after that - Body weight minus an additional 10%
Goblet Squat Hold
Instructions: Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell at your chest with both hands, feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body into a squat position. Hold.
The Standard:
Hold 1/2 of body weight for 45 seconds.
Front Plank
Instructions: Start on your elbows and toes, keeping your body straight and rigid. Hold this position. Remember to breathe.
The Standard:
Hold for 60 seconds.
Side Plank
Instructions: Lie on your side with legs straight, prop yourself up on your elbow, aligning it below your shoulder. Lift your hips off the ground, keeping your body straight, and hold.
The Standard:
Hold for 45 seconds
Push Ups
Instructions: Start in a high plank position with hands shoulder-width apart, keeping your body straight. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor, then push back up to the starting position. Repeat with no pauses.
The Standard:
Men - 25
Women - 15
Heart Rate Recovery
Instructions: Perform high-intensity exercise to reach your maximum heart rate (subtract your age from 220), then stop. Measure your heart rate immediately after stopping, again after 1 minute rest, again after 2 minutes rest, and again after 3 minutes rest.
The Standard:
30 beats lower after 60 seconds.
60 beats lower after 120 seconds.
90 beats lower after 180 seconds.
VO2 Max
Instructions: This measures your body's oxygen consumption and requires specialized equipment in a fitness lab for measurement.
The Standard:
Men - 55 ml/kg/min
Women - 50 ml/kg/min
Sources
Peter Attia’s book Outlive.
Peter Attia
Peter Attia, M.D. completed medical and advanced training at Stanford University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Attia is the author of the book, “Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity,” which examines disease prevention and healthy aging.
Andy Galpin
Andy Galpin, PhD, is professor of kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton and world expert on using evidence-based protocols to optimize progress in building strength, endurance, muscle growth, and flexibility.
Why you should do these
The big question is, “Am I as fit as I should be?” So along with that comes the question, “How do we assess our fitness?”
These fitness tests will provide answers and benchmarks to these questions, and importantly, show you what to measure because what we measure, we improve.
These benchmarks serve as general guidelines. Not meeting certain standards outlined does not necessarily indicate a lack of health. Rather, it highlights areas that may require focused attention and improvement. It's advisable to consult with healthcare professionals for personalized advice and further assessment of your fitness and overall health.
What are the 10 Fitness Tests for Longevity?
Broad Jump
Instructions: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Swing arms back, bend knees, jump forward as far as possible, land softly. Measure from the tip of your toes on the jump to the back of the heel on landing.
The Standard:
Men - Your height.
Women - 85% of your height.
Vertical Jump
Instructions: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Dip into a quarter squat, swing your arms back, jump straight up reach both of your arms overhead, and land softly. Measure from the standing height of the fingertips on both of your hands overlapped to the height of your overlapped fingertips upon jumping.
The Standard:
Men under age 50: 24 inches
Women under age 50: 20 inches
Men over age 50: 20 inches
Women over age 50: 17 inches
Dead Hang
Instructions: Grip a pull-up bar with both hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, feet off the ground. Hang with arms extended.
The Standard:
Hang for 60 seconds.
Leg Extension
Instructions: Sit on a leg extension machine with your back flat against the pad, place your ankles under the lower pad, extend your legs completely while exhaling. Do either a true 1 rep max, or use a rep conversion calculator with 5 or less reps.
The Standard:
Through age 40 - Body weight
Every decade after that - Body weight minus an additional 10%
Goblet Squat Hold
Instructions: Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell at your chest with both hands, feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body into a squat position. Hold.
The Standard:
Hold 1/2 of body weight for 45 seconds.
Front Plank
Instructions: Start on your elbows and toes, keeping your body straight and rigid. Hold this position. Remember to breathe.
The Standard:
Hold for 60 seconds.
Side Plank
Instructions: Lie on your side with legs straight, prop yourself up on your elbow, aligning it below your shoulder. Lift your hips off the ground, keeping your body straight, and hold.
The Standard:
Hold for 45 seconds
Push Ups
Instructions: Start in a high plank position with hands shoulder-width apart, keeping your body straight. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor, then push back up to the starting position. Repeat with no pauses.
The Standard:
Men - 25
Women - 15
Heart Rate Recovery
Instructions: Perform high-intensity exercise to reach your maximum heart rate (subtract your age from 220), then stop. Measure your heart rate immediately after stopping, again after 1 minute rest, again after 2 minutes rest, and again after 3 minutes rest.
The Standard:
30 beats lower after 60 seconds.
60 beats lower after 120 seconds.
90 beats lower after 180 seconds.
VO2 Max
Instructions: This measures your body's oxygen consumption and requires specialized equipment in a fitness lab for measurement.
The Standard:
Men - 55 ml/kg/min
Women - 50 ml/kg/min
Sources
Peter Attia’s book Outlive.
Peter Attia
Peter Attia, M.D. completed medical and advanced training at Stanford University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Attia is the author of the book, “Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity,” which examines disease prevention and healthy aging.
Andy Galpin
Andy Galpin, PhD, is professor of kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton and world expert on using evidence-based protocols to optimize progress in building strength, endurance, muscle growth, and flexibility.
Why you should do these
The big question is, “Am I as fit as I should be?” So along with that comes the question, “How do we assess our fitness?”
These fitness tests will provide answers and benchmarks to these questions, and importantly, show you what to measure because what we measure, we improve.
These benchmarks serve as general guidelines. Not meeting certain standards outlined does not necessarily indicate a lack of health. Rather, it highlights areas that may require focused attention and improvement. It's advisable to consult with healthcare professionals for personalized advice and further assessment of your fitness and overall health.
What are the 10 Fitness Tests for Longevity?
Broad Jump
Instructions: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Swing arms back, bend knees, jump forward as far as possible, land softly. Measure from the tip of your toes on the jump to the back of the heel on landing.
The Standard:
Men - Your height.
Women - 85% of your height.
Vertical Jump
Instructions: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Dip into a quarter squat, swing your arms back, jump straight up reach both of your arms overhead, and land softly. Measure from the standing height of the fingertips on both of your hands overlapped to the height of your overlapped fingertips upon jumping.
The Standard:
Men under age 50: 24 inches
Women under age 50: 20 inches
Men over age 50: 20 inches
Women over age 50: 17 inches
Dead Hang
Instructions: Grip a pull-up bar with both hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, feet off the ground. Hang with arms extended.
The Standard:
Hang for 60 seconds.
Leg Extension
Instructions: Sit on a leg extension machine with your back flat against the pad, place your ankles under the lower pad, extend your legs completely while exhaling. Do either a true 1 rep max, or use a rep conversion calculator with 5 or less reps.
The Standard:
Through age 40 - Body weight
Every decade after that - Body weight minus an additional 10%
Goblet Squat Hold
Instructions: Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell at your chest with both hands, feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body into a squat position. Hold.
The Standard:
Hold 1/2 of body weight for 45 seconds.
Front Plank
Instructions: Start on your elbows and toes, keeping your body straight and rigid. Hold this position. Remember to breathe.
The Standard:
Hold for 60 seconds.
Side Plank
Instructions: Lie on your side with legs straight, prop yourself up on your elbow, aligning it below your shoulder. Lift your hips off the ground, keeping your body straight, and hold.
The Standard:
Hold for 45 seconds
Push Ups
Instructions: Start in a high plank position with hands shoulder-width apart, keeping your body straight. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor, then push back up to the starting position. Repeat with no pauses.
The Standard:
Men - 25
Women - 15
Heart Rate Recovery
Instructions: Perform high-intensity exercise to reach your maximum heart rate (subtract your age from 220), then stop. Measure your heart rate immediately after stopping, again after 1 minute rest, again after 2 minutes rest, and again after 3 minutes rest.
The Standard:
30 beats lower after 60 seconds.
60 beats lower after 120 seconds.
90 beats lower after 180 seconds.
VO2 Max
Instructions: This measures your body's oxygen consumption and requires specialized equipment in a fitness lab for measurement.
The Standard:
Men - 55 ml/kg/min
Women - 50 ml/kg/min
Sources
Peter Attia’s book Outlive.
Peter Attia
Peter Attia, M.D. completed medical and advanced training at Stanford University School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Attia is the author of the book, “Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity,” which examines disease prevention and healthy aging.
Andy Galpin
Andy Galpin, PhD, is professor of kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton and world expert on using evidence-based protocols to optimize progress in building strength, endurance, muscle growth, and flexibility.
