For a long time, simply showing up to the gym and going through the motions was enough. But as the years stack up, that approach stops cutting it. Strength slips quietly, cardio fades faster than you’d expect, and power and balance are often the first to disappear without warning. One day you’re training as usual, the next you’re hopping around trying to get a sock on.
According to fitness educator Alain Gonzalez, the issue isn’t ageing itself. It’s the failure to train progressively and to measure where you actually stand. In a recent YouTube video, he outlines a series of simple, evidence-informed tests that assess five physical qualities that matter most after 40: strength, muscular endurance, power, cardiovascular fitness and balance. ‘There are clear benchmarks that tell you exactly where you stand,’ he says, ‘whether you’re ahead of the curve, average, or falling behind.’
Below, we break down each category, the numbers that matter, and how to interpret them. We also explain how expectations shift with age, so you can assess your current fitness and adjust your training accordingly, whether you’re in your forties or your seventies.
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