Great practical info Paddy. Should be posters all over town with that displayed. Interesting, I’ve spend much of my clinical life informing patients of these type of metrics regarding their MSK health . I wonder if I’ve missed the point ? Not only will these properties improve quality of life but they will significantly increase it!! Powerful message- thank you
Great Post, thank you but I make it six tests :-) or have misread?
• VO2Max (Cooper Test)
• One Leg Stand
• Push Ups
• Heart Rate Recovery
• Grip Strength
• Blood Pressure
I don’t monitor all these but do either check them on an ad-hoc basis or exercise specifically for them. I will start to record the ones I don’t at the moment (one leg stand and grip strength).
This is a great collection of functional tests. Thanks. Some of these tests are only markers, I think. For example, grip strength isn’t a driver of longevity but merely an indicator of health status. If so, the longevity boost would come from doing resistance training (which would improve grip strength) but not from just improving grip strength using a grip device. What do you think?
The push up study was 100% male population. I would say the majority of women don’t do push ups and thus it’s not an accurate predictor for longevity with women. All the other tests are great, and non gender bias.
Even if the data on push-ups are based on men only, women can and should learn to do pushups from a full plank position. I go to a women’s gym where we are taught to do both pull-ups and pushups incrementally. Most women don’t do these exercises because we are not taught to do them.
I wasn't aware of the VO2 Max test you mentioned. I' going to start recommending these to my personal training clients. One test that I've seen used as a predictor of longevity that wasn't on your list is the sit-rise test. What are your thoughts on that one? Thank you for this useful information.
I think they are all useful but should be used in combination to give an overview rather than focusing on one. They highlight different areas where we are doing well and others where we need work.
I would suggest that the watches are estimating VO2 max very well, certainly for this purpose. I believe they are taking the data collected over a run and plugging it into their own slightly adjusted tables. This will give you an idea where you stand and no matter how you measure it as long as you use the same method you can see if it’s improving or decreasing.
Hi Dr Paddy, great article. I have tried to find the original VO2 max categories chart, that you have there in black, and followed the link to the article you quote at the bottom - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6324439/ However, that article does not even have VO2max used anywhere in the text. The categories they have in that article are MET equivalents and ppls were just divided into quintiles. I assume you got this citation wrong by accident, could you possibly provide a reliable source for VO2 max categories? Would be much appreciated! Many thanks
Each MET is equal to 3.5mL of oxygen per kg of bodyweight per minute. The same unit as VO2 max. The source is correct. It simply involves a conversion to a unit people are more familiar with and more frequently measured outside of clinical settings.
The push-up chart is bad. We should have more categories between 0-10. I got to 5 relatively easy but had to train to get to 10. It is a great difference between 0 and 9.
Great practical info Paddy. Should be posters all over town with that displayed. Interesting, I’ve spend much of my clinical life informing patients of these type of metrics regarding their MSK health . I wonder if I’ve missed the point ? Not only will these properties improve quality of life but they will significantly increase it!! Powerful message- thank you
Thanks Dr Paddy. Already tracking all of them. I have also discovered strength training improves Vo2max.
Great Post, thank you but I make it six tests :-) or have misread?
• VO2Max (Cooper Test)
• One Leg Stand
• Push Ups
• Heart Rate Recovery
• Grip Strength
• Blood Pressure
I don’t monitor all these but do either check them on an ad-hoc basis or exercise specifically for them. I will start to record the ones I don’t at the moment (one leg stand and grip strength).
A bonus one for those paying close attention ;)
This is just fantastic! Thanks for this work!
This is a great collection of functional tests. Thanks. Some of these tests are only markers, I think. For example, grip strength isn’t a driver of longevity but merely an indicator of health status. If so, the longevity boost would come from doing resistance training (which would improve grip strength) but not from just improving grip strength using a grip device. What do you think?
I agree. Which is why I mentioned that in the article.
The push up study was 100% male population. I would say the majority of women don’t do push ups and thus it’s not an accurate predictor for longevity with women. All the other tests are great, and non gender bias.
Even if the data on push-ups are based on men only, women can and should learn to do pushups from a full plank position. I go to a women’s gym where we are taught to do both pull-ups and pushups incrementally. Most women don’t do these exercises because we are not taught to do them.
Came here to ask about that! Is there comparable data on women?
I wasn't aware of the VO2 Max test you mentioned. I' going to start recommending these to my personal training clients. One test that I've seen used as a predictor of longevity that wasn't on your list is the sit-rise test. What are your thoughts on that one? Thank you for this useful information.
I think they are all useful but should be used in combination to give an overview rather than focusing on one. They highlight different areas where we are doing well and others where we need work.
Apple Watch measures Vo2 max automatically (not perfect) but allows me to keep an eye on it.
The leg test I use is the following:
kneel down on one knee (say left knee bent, right knee on the ground)
Lift the right foot up.
Stand up using only your left leg.
I have bad knees and 3 of things, like one leg stand, I fail because knees don’t support me. ☹️
I would suggest that the watches are estimating VO2 max very well, certainly for this purpose. I believe they are taking the data collected over a run and plugging it into their own slightly adjusted tables. This will give you an idea where you stand and no matter how you measure it as long as you use the same method you can see if it’s improving or decreasing.
Hi Dr Paddy, great article. I have tried to find the original VO2 max categories chart, that you have there in black, and followed the link to the article you quote at the bottom - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6324439/ However, that article does not even have VO2max used anywhere in the text. The categories they have in that article are MET equivalents and ppls were just divided into quintiles. I assume you got this citation wrong by accident, could you possibly provide a reliable source for VO2 max categories? Would be much appreciated! Many thanks
Each MET is equal to 3.5mL of oxygen per kg of bodyweight per minute. The same unit as VO2 max. The source is correct. It simply involves a conversion to a unit people are more familiar with and more frequently measured outside of clinical settings.
Thank you 🙏
The push-up chart is bad. We should have more categories between 0-10. I got to 5 relatively easy but had to train to get to 10. It is a great difference between 0 and 9.
Wonderful information to have!
Can women do the pushups with their knees touching the floor or should they be done the normal way?
That’s a great place to start. I would focus on improving safely. Thats where the biggest gains always are.
Great resource. Thank you! What about cognitive function tests as predictors of longevity? Surely that is an important parameter to assess.