Centenarian Olympics & Functional Fitness

What use is living to old age without self-sufficiency? Its called Functional Fitness and it means improving your Health Span. Instead of accepting the inevitability of physical deterioration, you can take a stand. After age 65, lower body strength is estimated to drop 1-2% per year. With some deliberate planning and training, you can continue building strength until your final years. 

Peter Attia reminds us, "The body, in most people, will fail before the other systems (brain, heart, etc.). First question… “If I want to live to 100, what do I have to physically be able to do to be satisfied with my life?” 

Most seniors will admit that one thing they most regret is "having lost their agility and the ability to accomplish everyday physical tasks."

Things I want to do and exercises I can do now to train for that day in 30 years:

1. I want to be able to lift something that weighs 30 pounds over my head (i.e. a suitcase into an overhead bin)... Overhead Press with increasing weight now so 30# seems easy later in life
2. Being able to walk up three flights of stairs with 10 lb of groceries in each hand (aerobic, and on the threshold of aerobic/anaerobic, also got strength)
3. Get up off the floor with a single point of support (i.e. using 1 arm)... Turkish Kettle Get'Up
4. Picking up the 30-pound kid who comes running at you could be approximated by a 30 lb goblet squat
5. Get out of a pool without a ladder (or onto a dingy, paddle board or kayak)  = Pushups
6. Other stability exercises: Single leg deadlifts, stability balance ball, core exercises

Where most people start to fail first is stability. Do your squats,  resting sitting squat, hip flexor stretches. Maintain your flexibility and core strength.

Others exercises include: 

Bear crawls, Crab walks, Duck walks, Deep squats, Ankle slides, Climbing stairs, Ability to sit and stand without using my hands, Ability to perform a full squat, Ability to walk on a 2×4

Skipping, Jumping from one leg to another, Jumping on top of ledges (or boxes), Clap pushups, Sled or car pushes