"Wow, that bike's done 100k and still looks and runs pretty well. How is that?"
Miles and age are but numbers, yes. The odometer rolls on and our age only goes one way, but how we get there and how good we are as we travel can be improved. None of us are as fit as we were in our 20’s and 30’s when we were at our prime, but what matters is how fit we are now, as we start moving into our 50’s 60’s.
Our genes, diet, level of exercise all contribute to how our journey goes compared to others, but if we want to continue relatively trouble free apart from the odd bit off maintenance, we should see how we’re doing so far.
How fit you are for your age can be determined by assessing your stamina, mobility including balance, muscle endurance and strength. There are plenty of tests for doing this and if taken together they are a pretty good indicator of your biological age versus your chronological age. Or put another way how the actual bike compares with the odometer.
Find out your fitness age by trying the Fit Bones ‘5’
Disclaimer: If unsure about any exercise, have someone assist you while you perform the exercise and consult your doctor if you have any heart condition or other health issue which could affect you doing any of the exercises. All data should be considered as a guide and not as absolute, due to some variability in outcomes from different researchers.
1. Balance
As we move past our fifties, balance becomes more difficult. Poor balance limits our activities, escalates a general decline in health and fitness and is linked to higher mortality from a number of reasons - including tipping over and falling off your bike.
Try this test to see how you score:
Standing on one leg
Take your shoes and socks off and stand on one leg (either leg can be used) with your arms folded in front of you. Bend your knee and raise the other leg to a comfortable height.
Look straight ahead and see how long you can hold this without putting your other foot down. Give yourself 3 goes.
Practice balancing techniques like the ones above using a chair or table to lend support. Gradually, as your ability improves try with your eyes closed, you should find you improve with more practice.
Under 60s
Over 60s
45+ s
Good
30+ s
25 - 44 s
Average
15 - 29 s
11 - 25 s
Low
11 - 15 s
Worrying
10 sec or less
Under 60s
Over 60s
11 - 30 s
Men
6 - 13 s
9 - 23 s
Women
4 - 10 s
Hertel J, Braham RA, Hale SA, Olmsted-Kramer LC. Simplifying the star excursion balance test: analyses of subjects with and without chronic ankle instability. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2006;36(3):131-137.
Kannus P, Sievänen H, Järvinen TA, Järvinen TL, Kvist M, Natri A, Parkkari J. Good outcomes in physically active older adults with a history of anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2005;13(4):261-268.
Under 70s
Over 80s
70s - 80s
Men
12 - 16
10 - 16
7 - 14
Women
10 - 17
10 - 17
7 - 13
Rikli R, Jones C, The Fullerton Functional Fitness Test.
How to improve your score
Having good strength in your thighs and gluts will give you confidence when riding off road and let you stand on the pegs for longer with less fatigue.
If you find your score is low, set a target and practice every other day if you can. Build up slowly there is no rush, you could try doing some squats as an alternative to help build up strength.
2. Lower Body Strength
Lower body strength is useful as a way of assessing your legs and bum muscles. These are big muscle groups that work hard at pumping blood around the body as well as giving support and stability to how we move around and lift things. Try lifting up that fallen over GS with weak legs and glutes?
The 30 second Chair test
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Take a standard height chair without arms and press the back of it against a wall so it cannot slide backwards.
-
Sit in the middle of the chair.
-
Cross your arms in front of your chest.
-
Place your feet flat on the floor with one foot slightly forward of the other.
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Keep your back straight and keep your arms against your chest.
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On “Go”, rise to a full standing position, and then sit fully back down again.
-
Repeat this for 30 seconds.
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Count how many times you were able to fully stand from sitting.
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Now check and compare your score.
3. Upper body strength and mobility
Upper body strength is great to have for hauling your bike around, both in the garage and out and about.
Push ups. Everyone knows how to do a push up right? So often it’s not done correctly.
Here is a video of the correct method. Check it out and try it out. See how many you can do in 1 minute.
How did you do?
To improve your score, it is a simple matter of practice. Make sure you have mastered the technique correctly as this is important and then practice 2/3 times per week doing what is comfortable. You will soon find your comfortable doing a few extra repetitions.
40 - 49
50 - 59
60+
Men
Men
20 - 29
15 - 25
10 - 19
Women
8 - 19
6 - 14
3 - 4
https://www.puregym.com/blog/how-fit-is-the-population/
Being able to hit 40 press-ups in a minute lowers heart disease risk by 96 per cent among middle-aged men, according to a 2019 study from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.
Here is a video that shows the right technique to do a plank
4. Core Stability & Strength
Maintaining some core strength around your abdomen, pelvis, low back and hips muscles is great for confidence and balance, both while riding your bike, manoeuvring around the car park or pulling it onto the centre stand.
Doing the Plank Exercise is one of many for helping build some core muscles. There are variations including the Dynamic plank, but let’s start with the simple low plank.
Just like doing press ups, there is a correct way to do this both for efficiency and getting the most out of the exercise. Some people have their palms out flat; others prefer to have arms turned inwards using a side fist. There are lots of arguments around how long you should hold a plank, for most people it’s less time, and more of the frequency.
Begin by simply holding a good plank for as long as you can before you start losing the correct posture. If it’s 20 seconds that’s fine. Rest, repeat and rest again.
If you can hold your plank properly for 1 minute or up to 2 minutes that’s great. Don’t hold for longer than 2 minutes, it’s better to rest and repeat the exercise several times rather than holding for longer.
Have fun.
5. Grip Test
The grip test measures hand grip strength, it has been extensively researched and measured, and is used as a biomarker for overall musculoskeletal health and a predictor for overall health.
Declining grip strength is a red-flag warning for deteriorating health.
The test is usually performed using a dynamometer, but an alternative rough test is the ‘Dead Hang’
Here’s a video to show you the technique
How to improve your grip?
Try lifting weights, gripping heavy objects or practice the hang technique with your feet touching the floor to begin with and gradually taking more grip with your fingers and hands until they get stronger.
Bonus test - The timed 1 mile
Try walking a mile and time how long it takes. Then plug in your details below and see how you are doing