# Study correlating physical ability at 60 compared to 80?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-correlating-physical-ability-at-60-compared-to-80/1000849>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 27, 2024, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-correlating-physical-ability-at-60-compared-to-80/1000849 "2024-04-27T19:14:47Z")\
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**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2024, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-correlating-physical-ability-at-60-compared-to-80/1000849/12 "2024-05-01T03:29:17Z")

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**Sorry, took longer to edit than allowed. Let me explain further.** (Graphs taken from Attia.)

The second graph (above) shows how VO2 declines with age for people of high (95% for age), average (50% for age) and low (5% for age) levels of fitness, as well as the VO2 needed to do various strenuous activities. Taken from Attia, the data is from a 2020 book by Ligouri from the ACSM.

The first table shows VO2 ranges (and METabolic eqivalentS which are multiples of 1=“at rest”) for _men and women_ by _age range_ and _fitness_ of low (bottom 25%), below average (26-50%), above average (51-75%), high (75-97.6%) and elite (top 2.3%). The data is taken from the JAMA study below. Essentially, an eighty year old man in the top 2.3% of fitness has the same VO2 max as an unfit nineteen year old woman (in the bottom 25%). Basically, comparing a 60 year old man of fitness X% for age sixty, an eighty year old man would be roughly the same as fitness (X-25)% for age sixty (and X\>25).

To reduce the drop in VO2 max which occurs with age, you want to do strenuous activities, particularly ones lasting longer than a minute. VO2 testing often uses activities from 3-8 minutes at a high (but not maximum) level of intensity, say a “perceived exertion” of 8/10 or so.

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