What does it actually mean to be “fit” for a long life? According to Dr. Peter Attia, the goal isn’t to run a four-minute mile or bench press 400 pounds.
The goal is to be a “Centenarian Decathlete” — someone who can perform a range of basic but demanding physical tasks well into their tenth decade of life.
In conversation with celebrated neuroscientist and podcaster, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Attia detailed the philosophy behind his practice’s Strength Metrics Assessment (SMA), developed primarily by Beth Lewis, who runs the strength and stability program.
The SMA puts patients through 11 rigorous tests that serve as proxies for the physical capacities required to live independently and joyfully between ages 90 and 100.
“Go out to the literature and come up with all of the best movements that we think are proxies for what you need to be the most kick-ass, what we call Centenarian decathlete,” Attia said, recalling his instruction to Lewis.
While the full 11-test battery is still evolving, several key benchmarks have been made public:
| Test | Target (40-year-old man) | Target (40-year-old woman) |
|---|---|---|
| Dead hang | 2 minutes | 1.5 minutes |
| Air squat hold (90 degrees) | 2 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Farmer carry | Body weight (split across hands) for 2 minutes | 75% of body weight for 2 minutes |
Other measures include vertical jump and ground contact time.
The philosophy represents a shift from reactive medicine — treating diseases as they appear — to proactive fitness engineering. Instead of asking,
“What disease do I want to avoid?” the Centenarian Decathlon asks, “What physical activities do I want to be able to do when I’m 95?”
Then it works backward to design a training program for today.