#030 - Performance Markers over 50
Let’s get one thing straight, you don’t lose strength, endurance, and mobility simply because you’re getting older. You lose them because you stop training for them.
The human body remains highly adaptable well into your 70s and beyond. The problem? Most people stop challenging it.
If you want to perform, not just exist, after 50, you need measurable standards to train towards. Forget vague goals like “get fitter” or “tone up.” Let’s talk about numbers that actually mean something, the performance markers that define capability, independence, and longevity.
💪 The Key Performance Standards
Below are the performance metrics that truly matter as you age. These aren’t records, they’re baselines for a strong, capable, and athletic life in your 40s, 50s, and even past your 60s.
Each decade brings some decline in absolute numbers (usually around 5–10% per decade if you train smart), but with consistent, structured work you can slow that drop dramatically, even reverse it in many cases.
🏋️♂️ 1. Deadlift — Posterior Chain Strength & Power
Age Men Women What It Means
40s 1.25× bodyweight 1× bodyweight Excellent strength & joint stability
50s 1× bodyweight 0.75× bodyweight Strong & functional
60s 0.75× bodyweight 0.5× bodyweight Solid, independent living strength
Why it matters:
Your deadlift is a full-body measure of real-world power, picking up boxes, moving furniture, maintaining posture, and preventing back injury. If you can lift your own bodyweight safely, you’re performing at a very high level for your age.
🏋️ 2. Squat — Lower Body Strength & Mobility
Age Men Women What It Means
40s 1× bodyweight 0.75× bodyweight “Thriving” standard
50s 0.75× bodyweight 0.5× bodyweight Functional & mobile
60s 0.5× bodyweight 0.25× bodyweight Baseline for independence
Why it matters:
Strong legs = strong life. Your ability to sit, stand, climb stairs, and move confidently depends on leg strength. The squat is your best long-term indicator of functional independence.
❤️ 3. VO₂ Max — Aerobic Fitness & Heart Health
Age Men (mL/kg/min) Women (mL/kg/min) Category
40s 40+ 35+ Excellent
50s 35+ 30+ Very good
60s 30+ 25+ Functional longevity zone
Why it matters:
VO₂ Max is the gold standard of cardiovascular performance, your body’s ability to deliver and use oxygen efficiently. Higher VO₂ Max means better energy, endurance, and heart health, and is directly linked to longer lifespan.
✋ 4. Grip Strength — Global Strength Marker
Age Men (kg) Women (kg) Category
40s 45+ 30+ Excellent
50s 40+ 27+ Functional
60s 35+ 25+ Baseline strength
Why it matters:
Grip strength correlates strongly with overall vitality and even mortality. It’s your body’s “battery indicator.” Weak grip = weak connection between your brain and body.
⚖️ 5. Body Composition — Power-to-Weight Ratio
Age Men Women Why It Matters
40s <25% body fat <32% Strong metabolic health
50s <28% <35% Healthy & functional
60s <30% <37% Sustainable longevity zone
Why it matters:
This isn’t about beach abs. It’s about keeping visceral fat low and muscle high, the ultimate combination for strength, balance, and disease prevention.
⚠️ A Realistic Word of Warning
Now, before you run off to test these numbers, don’t.
That would be unsafe, and quite frankly, a bit silly.
Form comes first. Build solid movement patterns, then progress gradually.
Heavy squats and deadlifts are earned, not guessed at.
Most people reading this won’t be anywhere near these numbers yet, and that’s completely fine. But here’s the truth: with proper coaching and a structured, progressive programme, I’d expect the majority of people over 50 to hit these targets within 12 months.
The body adapts, if you give it a reason to. Consider starting with the Future Proof Testing Protocol, which you can download completely FREE HERE
🔥 The Hard Truth
It’s never too late to start.
But you absolutely do need to start.
Otherwise, you’re stuck with what you’ve got, and be honest: are you satisfied with that?
At some point, you will fall.
When that happens, your strength will decide what comes next:
Did you just fall over and get back up?
Or did you have a fall, and end up in hospital?
Strength isn’t vanity. It’s your safety net.
🧠 The Takeaway
Performance after 50 isn’t about doing less, it’s about training smarter.
Hit these benchmarks, maintain them as you age, and you’ll extend your athletic life, your independence, and your quality of movement.
Strong first. Always.
Because strength, endurance, and resilience aren’t luxuries, they’re your ticket to thriving for decades.
Thank you
James Culmer-Shields