Most people train for a beach, a wedding or a race. Physician Peter Attia suggests a different finish line: your last decade of life.
The idea
Make a list of 10 physical things you want to be able to do at 85 or 90. Lifting a carry-on into an overhead bin. Getting up off the floor without using your hands. Playing with a grandkid. Then work backwards. Strength, muscle and fitness all decline with age, so if you want those things at 90, you need a lot more than that now.
What that means in the gym
- Strength: squats, hinges, carries, pulls and pushes
- Stability: single-leg work and controlled tempo
- Aerobic fitness: easy cardio plus some hard efforts
- Consistency: the boring superpower
This is exactly how we program. See strength for longevity for the details.