Training whole-body, real-world movements — squatting, lifting, carrying, balancing — to stay strong, steady, and independent with age. Best-supported gains are everyday physical function, strength and power, and balance, which lower fall risk. Heart-and-lung fitness, body composition, and mobility improve more modestly. Main risks are injury and soreness; serious muscle or heart events are rare. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Grip strength | >~40 kg men, >~25 kg women (midlife) | Proxy for whole-body strength; predicts function and longevity |
| Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) | 10–12 (out of 12) | Composite of balance, gait speed, and chair-rise; tracks functional capacity |
| VO2 max / cardiorespiratory fitness | Above average-to-superior for age and sex | Aerobic fitness strongly tied to health and mortality risk |
| Creatine kinase (CK) | ~30–200 U/L at rest | Rises with muscle stress; extreme elevations flag rhabdomyolysis risk |
| hs-CRP | <1.0 mg/L | Marker of systemic inflammation; regular training tends to lower it |
| HbA1c | <5.4% | Reflects average blood sugar; improves with muscle mass and training |
| 25-hydroxyvitamin D | 40–60 ng/mL | Supports muscle function, bone response to loading, and recovery |
| Fasting glucose | 70–85 mg/dL | Baseline metabolic-health marker that responds to training |
Cadence: Reassess functional performance every 8–12 weeks; blood markers at baseline, ~3 months, then every 6–12 months (or sooner if symptoms arise)