The Centenarian Decathlon: Training for the Last Decade of Life

Most of us think about fitness in terms of short-term goals — losing 10 pounds, hitting a new PR, looking better for summer.
But longevity demands a different mindset.

Peter Attia calls it the Centenarian Decathlon — the ability to do the physical, mental, and emotional tasks you want to do in the last decade of your life.
Not surviving those years. Thriving in them.

So let’s step back for a moment and ask a question that rarely gets asked:
What do you want your body and mind to be able to do at age 90?

Reverse Engineering Your Future Self

Imagine yourself at 90.
You wake up without joint pain, walk downstairs unassisted, pick up your grandchild, play on the floor, travel without fear of falling, carry groceries, remember names, stories, and why you walked into the room.

Those things don’t happen by luck — they’re trained for.
Every physical and mental capacity we’ll need in our 80s and 90s begins eroding decades earlier. The decline is gradual, silent, and—most importantly—preventable.

So the task is to reverse engineer your future capabilities and train for them now.

If you want to be able to hike at 90, you need to be hiking (and strength training) at 50.
If you want to get up off the floor easily at 85, you should be able to do a set of deep squats today.
If you want to have balance and quick reflexes later, you need to train your vestibular and neuromuscular systems while they still adapt quickly.

The Three Decathlon Events You Can’t Afford to Skip

1. Strength and Power
   Sarcopenia—the age-related loss of muscle—is one of the most dangerous and under-recognized diseases of aging.
   It’s not just about aesthetics. Muscle mass is directly tied to glucose regulation, bone density, injury recovery, and even cognitive health.
   Train for strength now: compound lifts, body-weight training, mobility work. Don’t just maintain muscle — build it like your future depends on it.

2. Balance and Stability
   A fall at 80 can change the trajectory of your life overnight. Balance declines because we stop challenging it.
   Practice single-leg balance, agility drills, and dynamic movements. Take up activities that challenge coordination — tennis, pickleball, dancing, trail hiking.

3. Cardiorespiratory Capacity
   VO₂ max (your body’s maximal oxygen uptake) is one of the strongest predictors of all-cause mortality.
   But here’s the problem: once it drops too low, it’s nearly impossible to rebuild.
   That’s why building a high aerobic base now is one of the best investments you can make in your future healthspan.

   Mix Zone 2 training (long, steady-state aerobic work) with Zone 5 efforts (short, intense bursts). Think of it as training your heart for endurance and resilience.

Cognition and the Invisible Events

Your “decathlon” isn’t just physical.
It’s cognitive, emotional, and relational.

The ability to reason, recall, and adapt under stress — these are also trainable.
Sleep, nutrition, blood flow, and mitochondrial health all influence brain longevity.
Interventions like hyperbaric oxygen therapy, cognitive testing, mindfulness, and learning new skills are ways to keep neuroplasticity alive deep into your later years.

The Real Goal

We can’t control the number of years we get.
But we can control how those years feel.

You don’t want to reach 90 wishing you’d started sooner.
You want to walk into your later decades prepared — strong, clear-minded, and capable.

Every workout, every night of quality sleep, every nutrient-dense meal is a deposit in your future independence fund.

That’s the Centenarian Decathlon:
Training now so you can live fully later.