Training the movement patterns daily life demands — squatting, hinging, lunging, pushing, pulling, carrying, walking — usually standing, often in circuits. Strongest evidence: fewer falls in older people and better everyday-task performance than machine-based strength work. Gains in strength, power, stamina, mood, and blood-pressure and blood-sugar readings are documented too. The main cost is injury, at shoulder, lower back, and knee. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Grip strength | Men ≥40 kg, women ≥25 kg | Whole-body strength proxy; predicts later disability |
| 30-second chair stand | ≥14 repetitions ages 60–64; ≥12 ages 70–74 | Lower-limb power and everyday transfer capacity |
| Gait speed over 4 m | ≥1.2 m/s | Strong independent predictor of independence and survival |
| Timed Up and Go | <8 seconds | Combined balance, gait, and transfer speed in one measure |
| Maximal oxygen uptake | Above 75th percentile for age and sex | Cardiorespiratory reserve; steep inverse relation with mortality |
| hs-CRP | <1.0 mg/L | Systemic inflammation; rises with under-recovery |
| Creatine kinase | No established target in trained people; track change from own rested baseline | Flags excessive muscle breakdown after unfamiliar high-volume work |
| HbA1c | 5.0–5.4% | Metabolic response to circuit-style training |
| 25-hydroxyvitamin D | 40–60 ng/mL | Supports muscle function and the bone response to loading |
| Bone mineral density T-score | Above -1.0 | Whether impact loading is preserving bone |
Cadence: Performance battery at baseline, 12 weeks, then every six months; blood at baseline, 12 weeks, and annually thereafter unless a marker was abnormal