For many, fitness is often measured by what we see in the mirror rather than how the body actually performs. However, as we age, maintaining true functional strength becomes a non-negotiable for longevity, especially as strength can naturally decline by 5% to 10% every decade. If you cannot pass a basic series of tests, the reality is that you are simply not as fit as you believe.

In his latest video, 50-year-old YouTuber Jeff Cavaliere – better known as Athlean-X – brought together individuals of various ages to measure their capabilities against a rigorous standard. ‘These aren’t random exercises,’ Cavaliere warns. ‘Each one of them exposes a specific weakness that most people don’t even know they have.’

According to Cavaliere, building a resilient body requires more than just ‘show’ muscles like the chest and arms. True fitness, he explains, is found in the gaps – the stability, mobility and relative strength that most traditional workouts overlook. ‘It’s about showing you where you stand now so that you know what you have to fix to be better,’ he says. Each test is designed to highlight a specific weakness, whether that’s hip stability, thoracic mobility or core control.

This move ‘tests hip and ankle stability, static strength in those quads and also muscular endurance’. To set it up, place your back flat against a wall with one knee bent at 90 degrees and the other leg lifted off the ground. Cavaliere notes that while it looks simple, the burn usually sets in after just 10 seconds.

The goal is to maintain this position for 30 seconds on each leg. Cavaliere often uses this as a sports physical therapist to test ‘ACL integrity or ACL injury risk’, as a lack of stability above or below the knee can increase your susceptibility to injury.

This exercise ‘tells you more about your body than you probably ever wanted to know,’ says Cavaliere. Facing a wall with your toes one to two inches away and arms straight overhead, you must sit down into a full squat below parallel without leaning on the wall for balance. To do this properly, you need ‘ankle mobility, hip mobility, extension mobility of the thoracic spine and overhead shoulder mobility’. If any of these are lacking, the movement breaks down fast.

Cavaliere admits that even for him, the lower back can ‘seize up’ if it starts trying to do the job that the thoracic spine and hips should be doing.

Unlike a standard rep, the hand-release variation ensures your elbows are in the right position with the least amount of strain on your wrists and shoulders. From a plank, lower your chest all the way to the floor, lift your hands briefly, then press back up to full extension. This tests ‘upper-body strength, muscular endurance and core stability,’ says Cavaliere.

For men in their 40s, the target is 40 clean, unbroken reps. Cavaliere expects a ‘5 to 10% drop’ in your 50s and another 7% to 12% decline per decade thereafter.

This is a test of ‘how long you can hold on’, measuring grip strength, forearm endurance and scapular stability. Grab a bar so your feet clear the ground and ‘depress your shoulders slightly by pulling them away from your ears’ to engage the scapula.

The target time for a man in his 40s is two minutes, with a one-second deduction for every year after that. Cavaliere notes that failure often happens when ‘shoulders lose their stable position’ rather than just the grip giving out.

This move tests your ‘lateral pillar strength’ and the often-overlooked hip abductors. Set up in a side plank and raise your top leg to 45 degrees. ‘Resisting movement can be just as important as creating it,’ Cavaliere says, noting that quality matters as much as quantity here.

The goal is to maintain this exact position for 30 seconds on each leg, regardless of age or gender. If your hips sag or your trunk rotates, it’s a clear sign of a breakdown.

Despite the name, this is a vital measure of ‘single-leg balance, ankle mobility, hip stability and proprioception,’ Cavaliere says. The task is simple and requires no equipment. Put on a sock and shoe, then try to tie the laces while standing on one leg without letting your foot touch the ground.

Underestimate it at your peril – Cavaliere emphasises that this isn’t about strength, but control. If you find yourself needing to reset or touch the floor, it’s a sign of something you have either ‘stopped training or never realised you had to in the first place’.

Cavaliere saves the best for last. The pull-up is the ‘king of upper-body pulling exercises’, he says, and the ultimate test of strength relative to bodyweight. ‘It’s you versus the bar.’

The standard is 15 clean, unbroken reps for men in their 40s, aiming for full extension at the bottom and your chin clearly over the bar at the top, with no kipping whatsoever. If you cannot meet this standard, it exposes weaknesses in pulling strength, scapular control, grip endurance and body composition all at once.

‘This is where a lot of people realise that they may not be as well-roundedly strong as they once were, but truthfully, that’s not failure – that’s direction,’ says Cavaliere.

These benchmarks aren’t meant to discourage you. They’re meant to direct you. Every test points to something specific – a weakness you can address, a limitation you can improve, a gap you can close. When you do, you won’t just perform better in the test, but ‘move better, feel better and live better,’ says Cavaliere.

Ed Cooper is the former Deputy Digital Editor at Men’s Health UK, writing and editing about anything you want to know about — from tech to fitness, mental health to style, food and so much more. Ed has run the MH gauntlet, including transformations, marathons and er website re-designs. He’s awful at pub sports, though. Follow him: @EA_Cooper