Orthopedic Doctors Evaluate if Biological Age TikTok Challenges Are the Real Deal
'Most of these challenges, like completing 11 consecutive push-ups (for women), doing pull-ups or performing a kneeling-to-squat jump, are quick screens of muscular strength and functional movement ability,' said Dr. Andrew Jimenez, an assistant professor of sports medicine and hip preservation at Yale's department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation.
I'm in my late 30s and I like remaining active. I know exercise is important for aging well and maintaining independence as we age. But should I be able to do over a dozen pull-ups, or is that a sign that I need to work on my fitness abilities? I spoke to orthopedic doctors to break down the truth behind biological aging tests and the best way to determine how well you're aging.
What is biological age?
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We know our current age is something we can't control, but our biological age refers to how our body is aging based on biomarkers like our heart function, bone density, skin elasticity and more. In other words, you could be biologically older or younger than your actual age, depending on how well you take care of your health. The same applies to your fitness abilities as you age.
The reason people focus on the ability to do certain physical activities is because as we get older, we lose lean muscle mass, which makes these things harder. Dr. Aaron Casp, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine and advisor for Rally, points out that most of the trends we see are loosely determined by population-based data showing what the average person of a certain age is physically capable of.
'An explosive movement from kneeling to a squat requires a certain amount of strength, core stability, flexibility and body control that the majority of 40-year-olds just don't have anymore,' he said.
Are these age tests legitimate?
One of the viral challenges that has been going around says that women should be able to do 11 consecutive push-ups. This concept stems from an interview with orthopedic surgeon and longevity expert Vonda Wright, MD, on the Mel Robbins podcast.
'While there is a 2019 study in JAMA Network Open demonstrating that healthy men who had higher push-up capacity had decreased risk of cardiovascular events, this specific number is essentially hearsay without great data behind it,' said Casp.
The push-up in general is an excellent exercise because it requires upper body muscle, core strength, pelvic floor and shoulder stability. 'Women generally have less upper body strength than men, so focusing on a particular number of push-ups is a good way to ensure that people are prioritizing functional movements,' Casp added.
Casp points out that these trends are all quick-hit versions that try to approximate a much more complex calculation that's based on many more factors. 'For a more rigorous evaluation, performance labs and athletic training facilities can test your VO2 max, which is a much more strenuous test of your aerobic capacity and cardiovascular fitness,' he said.
Jimenez agreed, saying, 'These trends may reflect certain aspects of strength or power, but true assessment of physical fitness and biological age requires a multidimensional approach.' An accurate way of testing your biological age is having the following factors assessed: cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition, muscular strength, endurance, flexibility and balance.
If you're pregnant or newly postpartum, there are other variables that can affect your fitness abilities. 'We know that exercise during these periods [pregnancy and postpartum] improves stress and anxiety, as well as health outcomes, but the physiologic changes in each woman are different and tolerance for exercise may vary significantly,' Casp explained.
Jimenez points out that you can't compare someone who is postpartum to others. 'A woman who is six months postpartum may not be fairly compared to a non-pregnant peer since most formal fitness norms exclude pregnant/postpartum data,' he said. Not to mention, the postpartum period consists of hormone changes that can make it difficult to gain muscle, lose fat or increase cardiovascular fitness the way you might want to.
During perimenopause and menopause, exercise will look different per individual as well. 'Menopause and perimenopause are on the other end of the spectrum of changes when lean body mass decreases, metabolism slows and bone density decreases,' Casp points out. In this case, weight-bearing exercises are partially protective against these changes, but he notes that each person's fitness journey in this period of life may look drastically different.
What you can do to age healthily
Getty/PeopleImages
Instead of getting caught up on social media challenges or similar trends, Jimenez recommends staying active: 'Successful aging is associated with consistent physical activity, avoidance of prolonged sedentary behavior and individualized exercise programs.'
Casp said he likes to focus on these factors:
A well-rounded exercise routine: Workouts that include cardiovascular exercise and resistance strength training.
Recovery: As we get older, recovery becomes even more important for seeing those fitness results you want.
A regular stretching routine: To keep you limber and reduce muscle stiffness, improve blood circulation.
Good sleep hygiene: A consistent sleep schedule that guarantees you're well rested and getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night.
Body work: This includes mobility and targeted muscle attention for focusing on warm-up and recovery.
How to test your biological fitness age at home
Getty/Antonio Garcia Recena
As you can tell, finding out your biological age is more complex than some sound bites and recommendations found on social media. But if you want to evaluate how well you're aging for fun at home, some tests you can try out include:
Mayo Clinic fitness assessment
The Mayo Clinic fitness assessment follows age-specific charts that assess a 1.5-mile jog, your waist circumference, BMI, push-up counts and more. 'All of these have some amount of data for how you stack up among your age-matched peers,' said Casp.
Age-specific fitness tests
According to Jimenez, these tests are commonly used in clinical and research settings to assess age-related fitness:
'These tests have established normative values by age and sex, allowing for comparison to population standards and estimation of fitness age,' said Jimenez. He acknowledges that social media trends are fun especially if they can motivate people to be active and improve physical fitness. But remember that they're just meant to be that -- fun.
'Ultimately, biological age is a multifactor calculation that extends beyond a single viral benchmark,' Jimenez said.
'The best way to make sure you're as fit as possible is to exercise regularly, incorporate strength training and try to maintain a healthy body weight,' said Casp.
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