What goals actually matter for a fit body over 40?
Here’s a little insight into my career as a Personal Trainer. The very first question I ask ALL new clients is;
” So, what are your fitness goals?”
Truth is that I already know the answer before they say it. Why? Because after 20 years of asking the same question, I usually only get the same two answers:
"I just want to tone up."
"I'd like to lose 5 kilos."
And there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to look better and feel more confident.
But as I've gotten older, I've realised I've stopped asking myself, "What do I want to weigh?" and started asking a different question.
"What do I want to still be able to do when I'm 80?"
Because fitness isn't really about six packs or dress sizes (well, not anymore. Unless I watch a movie with Chris Hemsworth in it. Ha ha).
It's about carrying your own shopping bags. Travelling without needing help lifting your suitcase. Playing golf without pain. Getting down onto the floor to play with your grandchildren and standing back up again. It's about remaining independent for as long as possible.
At BHC, we don't just train for summer. We train for the next 30 or 40 years of your life.
So here are some of the fitness benchmarks we believe are worth chasing.
1. Can You Get Up Off The Floor Without Using Your Hands?
This might be my favourite benchmark of all.
Can you sit down on the floor and stand back up again without needing to grab onto something?
This simple movement requires:
Strength
Mobility
Balance
Coordination
Flexibility
Researchers have found that performance on the sit-to-rise test is associated with longevity and cardiovascular health in middle-aged and older adults. It's a wonderful reminder that being strong isn't just about how much you can deadlift – it's about being capable in everyday life.
2. Can You Stand On One Leg For 30 Seconds?
Balance is one of the first things we begin to lose as we age.
Falls remain one of the biggest causes of hospitalisation in older Australians, yet balance is something that's rarely trained intentionally.
Try this simple test:
Stand on one leg.
No holding onto anything.
Can you hold it comfortably for 30 seconds?
Make it harder by closing your eyes?
If not, don't panic. It's simply something we need to work on.
Balance isn't something we're born with and keep forever. It's something we train.
3. How Strong Are Your Legs?
One of the biggest predictors of independence as we age is lower body strength.
A simple test is the “Wall Sit” Test
Stand with your back against the wall with your feet hip-distance apart. Drop down to where your thighs are parallel to the ground. Record how long you can hold that position.
Red flag / Needs improvement: < 20 seconds
Good: 20-40 seconds
Great: 40-60 seconds
Excellent: > 60 seconds
Strong legs aren't just for squats in the gym. They're for life.
4. Can You Carry Heavy Things?
I don't particularly care whether you can bicep curl 20 kilograms.
I do care whether you're able to:
Carry your shopping bags
Pick up your grandchildren
Move furniture around the house
Carry your own luggage through an airport
Farmers carries are one of my favourite exercises because they tick so many boxes at once:
Grip strength
Core strength
Balance
Posture
Functional movement
Grip strength has consistently been shown to be associated with healthy ageing and overall physical function.
5. Grip Strength, test 2 - The Dead Hang
Grip Strength gets a second test because it’s more important than you think. Try this “Dead Hang” Challenge:
Find a pull-up bar or any other horizontal bar you can hang from. Time how long you can hang from the bar.
Poor: Unable to perform / Less than 10 seconds
Good: 11-30 seconds
Great: 30-45 seconds
Excellent: 40-60 seconds
Superior: 60+ seconds
6. Can You Walk Up A Flight Of Stairs Without Getting Puffy?
Cardiovascular fitness doesn't necessarily mean running marathons.
It means being able to:
Walk briskly
Climb stairs comfortably
Travel without fatigue
Keep up with your children or grandchildren
For Cardiovascular fitness, there are 2 simple tests I recommend you do:
a) Resting Heart Rate:
While by no means a comprehensive gauge on total cardiovascular health, a resting HR will give you a simple reading of how hard your heart is working at rest. There are genetic differences that might account for abnormally high or low resting heart rates but, all things being equal, a lower resting HR is a sign of better health.
Red flag: Over 70
Good: 60-70
Great: 50-60
Excellent: 40-50
b) VO2 Max testing
This is one of the most robust measures of cardiovascular health. As mentioned above, the only way to truly know your VO2 max is by doing it in a lab with fancy equipment.
For most of you reading this, there’s no need to go to the lab. You can approximate your VO2 max in any of the following ways:
2K Row Test
This is my favorite low-impact VO2 max test. Find a rower, set it to 2,000 meters (normally there is a setting that might say 2K or something like that).
Start rowing and try to finish in the fastest time possible. Check out this calculator for your VO2Max while rowing.
12-Minute Cooper Test
This basic test has been used for years. This approximates your VO2 max by measuring how much distance you can run in 12 minutes.
Dust off the running shoes and give this a shot. Plug your distance in this calculator to find your VO2 estimate.
Conclusion: The Goal Isn't To Be Exceptional. It's To Stay Capable.
At Balmain Health Club we often joke that we're not training you for the Olympics.
We're training you for life.
We're training you to:
Travel the world at 75.
Carry your own bags at 80.
Play with your grandchildren at 85.
Get yourself off the floor at 90.
Perhaps the goal shouldn't be losing 5 kilograms.
Perhaps the goal should be never needing someone else to help you stand up.
Because that's what longevity really looks like.
And if you're wondering what we're trying to achieve every time we ask you to squat, carry, push, pull and move at BHC, it's this:
We're not simply adding years to your life.
We're trying to add life to your years.
Yours in Health, Jerome Samaha
As always, if you’re still reading, you get rewarded with a funny dad joke:
My teacher asked me if I knew a country without the letter “R” in it. I said, “No way”.