Athleticism = Longevity
Performing well on the list of tests below is associated with low all cause morality and decreased risk of hospitalization. And do you know what type of training will improve an individuals performance on these tests? Training like an athlete! The same attributes associated with peak athletic performance are also the same attributes that predict a longer and higher quality of life.
Physical Tests Associated with Low All Cause Mortality: V02 Max Test, Grip Strength, Body Composition, Leg Extension Strength, 5 Rep Sit to Stand Test, Resting Heart Rate
As athletes we all have the same relative goal when it comes to training. Improve our ability to produce better actions, more often, and for longer. Said another way we want to produce more powerful and efficient movements, repeatedly, for as long as our game or event lasts. In 2025 i’ll be training for a 100 mile mountain bike race. I’m training to improve my ability to produce and sustain the most powerful and efficient pedal strokes possible over 100 miles. In athletics we will use tests specific to our sport to asses physical qualities like maximal power, maximal strength, speed, conditioning, agility, and mobility. The above tests are measuring similar physical qualities but in a way that a wider range of the population can participate in. It might be tough to test your grandma’s vertical if she hasn’t jumped in the last decade.
To be clear training specifically for these tests does not mean you will improve your lifespan. Rather these are tests that have been used to measure particular physical qualities and have been found to correlate with living longer. I’m not going to spend the next 50 years training to improve my grip specific strength. Rather I’m going to consistently lift heavy things, hang from things, and participate in athletic activities that will naturally improve and maintain my grip strength.
It should come as no surprise that improving and maintaining our ability to produce higher power outputs, for longer correlates highly with living longer. A progressive and comprehensive athletic performance training program will target all the physical qualities needed to improve quality and longevity of life.
Below is a sample training week I use when i’m not specifically training for an event. It keeps me fit in between specific training cycles and checks all the physical quality longevity boxes as well:
Monday: Full Body Strength Training
Tuesday: Conditioning | Endurance
Wednesday: Conditioning | Speed & Threshold
Thursday: Full Body Strength Training
Friday: Conditioning | Endurance
Saturday: Outside Movement
Sunday: Mobility
If you are looking for a more detailed weekly program that’s easily progressed and specific to you let me know! I’m happy to write it up and send it your way to try next week. Shoot me an email at alex@evergreen-performance.com. In the meantime i’ll be spending some time diving into the research on how our mindset around aging impacts our quality and length of life…