So which generation really is the fittest? We put our six guinea pigs (from Gen X to Gen Z) to the ultimate test – with VERY surprising results
Conventional wisdom is this: the body reaches its physical peak at age 25 and it’s an uphill battle from there. But in the race for longevity with its supplements, Oura trackers, reformer pilates and sleep scores, conventional wisdom seems to be falling a bit behind.
The buzz phrase of the moment is “fitness maintenance”: maintaining your peak performance for years longer than your parents would have. Greater access to sports science, with more ‘total health bundles’ and ‘fitness DNA tests’ than you can shake a class pass at, means Generation X (44 to 59 year olds) are coming into their own.
There are now 6.3 per cent more active people aged 55 and over in Britain than seven years ago (at the same time 320,000 fewer 16 to 34 year olds are classed as active).
For example, at 48 I am fitter and stronger than when I was twenty. My strength training gym is getting busier with super-fit people in their 50s, 60s and 70s, doing deadlifts and burpees (although they’re not doing gym selfies – you’ve got to draw the generational line somewhere).
Which generation of the YOU workforce has the highest fitness retention? To find out, we had to borrow a laboratory. “It’s never too late to start your health and fitness journey, and that’s what I say to patients in their 80s,” says Dr Gaurav Sabharwal, a private GP specializing in sports, and founder and CEO of One5 Health.
He gave us access to his preventive health clinic to perform a range of blood tests that measure hormones, vitamins, cholesterol levels and the risk of diabetes, analysis of body fat and muscle percentages, balance problems and grip strength tests (a key indicator of general health) . ).
What is the longevity test that everyone worries about for ‘fitness maintenance’? A VO₂Max. Sabharwal describes it as “one of the strongest predictors of health expectancy,” as well as “the strongest independent predictor of future life expectancy.”
You’d be forgiven if you’ve never heard of a VO₂ Max. Six months ago, only running nerds would have done that. But Sabharwal swears by it. It’s being touted by fitness professionals and wellness experts as the most useful measure for all athletes — including Peter Attia, the Canadian doctor and podcaster who wrote the 2023 book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. Searches for the test have skyrocketed since then.
A VO₂ Max is a numerical score that expresses how effectively your body metabolizes oxygen. To work this out, you’ll be put on a treadmill with your face strapped into a mask that measures the amounts of oxygen inhaled and consumed, and you’ll be asked to run to the point of exhaustion (hence ‘max’).
The more oxygen you use efficiently, the more energy your muscles will have, increasing the time and intensity you can exercise.
The most useful thing about it is that this score can be adjusted based on genetics, gender, age and body composition: the same score can be considered high for one person and low for another. And because we are a competitive group at YOU, we decided to test which generation of our employees is most at their peak. Just for fun, we assigned everyone a school exam-style grade, loosely linked to their VO₂ Max score.
GEN Z
Maggie: Top and leggings, Goodmove from M&S; Socks, The Sock Shop; Trainers, Asics at Schuh
‘Bad hips prevent me from squatting’
Name Maggie John
Age 23
VO₂ Max. score (ml/kg/min) 43.1 (this places Maggie in the top 25 percent of VO₂ scores, adjusted for age and gender).
Health bio Recently I started walking 8 to 10 km a day. I love the positive impact this has on my mental health.
Fitness bragging rights The tests show that my strength levels are fine and, amazingly, I scored high marks for fitness.
Fitness fails Social media is full of people doing extreme fitness challenges, and it always makes me feel like I’m not doing enough. The test team told me that walking is the best form of exercise for me, in terms of maximizing fat burning.
Hidden health flaw I can’t squat very low due to poor hip mobility. I am now trying to solve this with daily pilates sessions.
Scarlett: Top and shorts, New Era; Socks, The Sock Shop; Sneakers, Nike at Schuh
‘I’m a spin class fan who vapes’
Name Scarlett Dargan
Age 25
VO₂ Maximum score 52 (this places Scarlett in the top 10 percent of VO₂ scores).
Health bio I’m a spin class fanatic and marathon runner who loves to drink, vape and can’t cook, doesn’t want to cook.
Fitness bragging rights My VO₂ Max rating was high. Thanks to my marathon training, I’m probably fitter than the average Gen Zer.
Fitness fails I like to drink alcohol five nights a week; more than almost all of my Gen Z friends, many of whom are teetotalers — yet my liver is apparently fine.
Hidden health flaw My strength level was very poor – I mean, the ‘bottom 20 percent for my age’ was poor. This means that I am more prone to injuries while exercising and proves that I need to diversify my training.
Millennial
‘My muscle-to-fat ratio is terrible’
Name Luisa Avietti
Age 30
VO₂ Maximum score 46 (this places Luisa in the top 5 percent of VO₂ scores).
Health bio I am naturally slim, but I don’t exercise at all. I don’t like the feeling of sweating and if I ever go to the gym with my boyfriend, we’d rather talk than work out.
Fitness bragging rights During the VO₂ Max test on the treadmill, I felt like I could go on forever. I swam competitively as a teenager, so perhaps my body remembered that it once had good endurance.
Fitness fails I’m only in the 3rd percentile for strength, so pretty much everyone my age is stronger than me.
Hidden health flaw It turns out my muscle-to-fat ratio is terrible – in a nutshell, I’m skinny fat.
Samuel: T-shirt and shorts, Goodmove from M&S; Socks, The Sock Shop; Trainers, New Balance at Schuh
‘I could lift a suitcase with a push’
Name Samuel Fishwick
Age 33
VO₂ Maximum score 34 (this places Sam in the top 50 percent of VO₂ scores).
Health bio Chubby millennial who snacks a lot.
Fitness bragging rights When I run, I burn a lot of fat calories at a lower heart rate – but unfortunately much less the faster I run. So I have to do stable cardio instead of, for example, HIIT training.
Fitness fails I’m a heavyweight weakling. I already knew this – my wife beat me in an arm wrestle – but no one likes having these things spelled out.
Hidden health flaw The tests showed that I could muster the force needed to lift a suitcase at the touch of a button. Adjusted for my weight and height, 94 percent of other men can surpass this. I am also overweight. Hmm.
Kerry: Top, bralet and leggings, Sweaty Betty; Trainers, Saucony at Sweaty Betty
Generation X
‘I was pathetic in the jumping test’
Name Kerry Potter
Age 48
VO₂ Maximum score 43 (this puts Kerry in the top 5 percent of VO₂ scores).
Health bio Stereotypical Gen
Fitness bragging rights My cardio fitness and strength were impeccable. All that iron pumping is paying off: my grip strength is excellent, my muscle mass is good, and my squat strength is in the 65th percentile for my age.
Fitness fails As someone who was always slowly clapped by other students during the high jump at school, it was no surprise that I was pathetic in the jumping test.
Hidden health flaw I have an iron deficiency, so I need a supplement.
Rosie: Top and leggings, Vuori; Trainers, New Balance at Schuh
‘I run with my dog three times a week’
Name Rosie Green
Age 50
VO₂ Maximum score 45 (this puts Rosie in the top 5 percent of VO₂ scores).
Health bio I am determined to exercise. I walk my dog three times a week and do strength sessions twice a week. But – full disclosure – I never push myself too hard.
Fitness bragging rights The team said I have ‘impressive’ fitness and recovery levels, plus the heart age of someone seven years younger. My risk of stroke is half that of the average 50-year-old.
Fitness fails My grip strength was normal to low.
Hidden health flaw Despite my super healthy diet, it turns out that I have significantly high cholesterol. On second thought, I like seeing teeth marks in my buttered toast.
And the winners are… Generation X! the midlifers have it
By Dr. Gaurav Sabharwal
To compare the health and fitness of the different generations, we used the following parameters: VO₂ Max, muscle mass percentage, grip strength score and average blood glucose levels.
The Gen VO₂ Max typically peaks in adults over the age of twenty and then declines by about 10 percent every ten years. Gen Z, as you might expect, had the highest scores.
However, there is a 25-year age difference between the couples in Gen
As a result, when adjusted for expected age-related decline, the Gen
Interestingly, Generation X had by far the highest grip strength of all generations. It’s clear that Kerry and Rosie’s strength training is paying off. The most important conclusion of the project? Age should not be a barrier to adopting and maintaining health and fitness.
A One5 Health Well Woman or Well Man screening starts from £250; the fitness test package costs £450. For more details see one5.health
Stylist: Sairey Stemp
Hair: Julie Read at Carol Hayes
Makeup: Levi-Jade Taylor at Carole Hayes