By Rob Shaul, Founder
Background
I founded Mountain Athlete, a small gym in Jackson, Wyoming, when I was in my late 30s, and over the nearly 20 years since, the work and programming has and continues to evolve and grow into MTI.
This programming growth pushed to programming for older athletes, ages 45+ in 2019. The request for older athlete programming came not from new athletes to MTI, but from athletes who had started MTI programming in their 30s and now were pushing 50 – myself included.
As part of this programming effort, I’ve developed guidelines and specific programming for athletes ages 45-50, 50-55, and 55-60.
Fast forward to December, 2023, when I developed a 45+ Fitness Assessment and invited MTI community members to take the assessment and report their results.
To my knowledge, no other general fitness assessment exists for athletes ages 45+.
All mountain and tactical athletes will experience a noticeable physical decline in their late 40s and into their 50s. Many come to this age with significant mileage already on their joints, and most will begin to experience knee pain common to athletes this age. Others, will come with an injury history such as knee, ankle, and hip operations.
The exact age at which begins to significantly impact training isn’t universal, but in general, by 50, most find joint pain limits the range of motion, some activities, and especially, loaded, deep squatting.
Assessment Details & Scoring
This assessment has 4 events, spread over 2 days:
Day 1
- Event 1: 3RM Hinge Lift (3 Rep Max) – assesses overall total body strength
- Event 2: Max Rep Arms Extended Had Release Push Ups in 2 minutes – assesses upper body and core strength
- Event 3: Max Rep Sandbag Keg Lift in 90 seconds – assesses chassis integrity strength and strength endurance, explosive power, work capacity upper body pulling strength and grip strength.
Day 2
Athlete’s Choice ….
- Run 3 Miles for Time, or …
- Row 5000m for Time, or
- Stationary Bike 9 Miles for Time, or…
- Swim 1500m for Time
3RM Hinge Lift
Divide your 3RM Hinge Lift by your bodyweight and see the chart below. For example, a 150 pound athlete scores a 3RM Hinge Lift of 225 pounds. 225/150 = 1.5 or 2 points for this event.
| Male 3RM Hinge Lift Relative Strength (3RM load / bodyweight) | 3RM Hinge Lift Event Score | Female 3RM Hinge Lift Relative Strength(3RM load / bodyweight) | 3RM Hinge Lift Event Score |
| <1.35 | 0 Points | <.9 | 0 Points |
| 1.36-1.45 | 1 Point | .91-1.05 | 1 Point |
| 1.46-1.55 | 2 Points | 1.06-1.2 | 2 Points |
| 1.56-1.65 | 3 Points | 1.21-1.35 | 3 Points |
| >1.65 | 4 Points | >1.35 | 4 Points |
Max Rep Hand Release Push Ups in 2 Minutes
| Male Athletes | HR Push Up Event Score | Female Athletes | HR Push Up Event Score |
| <15 Reps | 0 Points | <10 Reps | 0 Points |
| 16-25 Reps | 1 Point | 11-20 Reps | 1 Point |
| 26-37 Reps | 2 Points | 21-30 Reps | 2 Points |
| 38-50 Reps | 3 Points | 31-40 Reps | 3 Points |
| >50 Reps | 4 Points | >40 Reps | 4 Points |
Max Rep Sandbag Keg Lift @ 40/60# in 90 Seconds (48″ Ledge)
| Male Athletes | SB Keg Lift Event Score | Female Athletes | SB Keg Lift Event Score |
| <10 Reps | 0 Points | <10 Reps | 0 Points |
| 11-20 Reps | 1 Point | 11-20 Reps | 1 Point |
| 21-30 Reps | 2 Points | 21-30 Reps | 2 Points |
| 31-40 Reps | 3 Points | 31-40 Reps | 3 Points |
| >40 Reps | 4 Points | >40 Reps | 4 Points |
3 Mile Run, 5000m Row, 1500m Swim, 9 Mile Stationary Bike
3-Mile Run
| Male Athlete Finish Time | Points | Female Athlete Finish Time | Points |
| >31:30 | 0 Points | >38:14 | 0 Points |
| 34:29-28:51 | 1 Point | 38:13-32:30 | 1 Point |
| 28:50-24:41 | 2 Points | 32:29-28:10 | 2 Points |
| 24:40-21:37 | 3 Points | 28:09-24:53 | 3 Points |
| <21:37 | 4 Points | <24:53 | 4 Points |
5000m Row
| Male Athlete Finish Time | Points | Female Athlete Finish Time | Points |
| >23:50 | 0 Points | >28:52 | 0 Points |
| 23:49-22:26 | 1 Point | 28:51-26:34 | 1 Point |
| 22:25-20:58 | 2 Points | 26:33-24:22 | 2 Points |
| 20:57-19:36 | 3 Points | 24:21-22:21 | 3 Points |
| <19:36 | 4 Points | <22:21 | 4 Points |
1500m Swim
| Male Athlete Finish Time | Points | Female Athlete Finish Time | Points |
| >34:40 | 0 Points | >35:02 | 0 Points |
| 34:39-27:38 | 1 Point | 35:01-28:37 | 1 Point |
| 27:37-21:47 | 2 Points | 28:36-23:09 | 2 Points |
| 21:46-17:11 | 3 Points | 23:08-18:44 | 3 Points |
| <17:11 | 4 Points | <18:44 | 4 Points |
9-Mile Stationary Bike
| Male Athlete Finish Time | Points | Female Athlete Finish Time | Points |
| >45:00 | 0 Points | >54:00 | 0 Points |
| 44:59-37:00 | 1 Point | 53:59-48:00 | 1 Point |
| 36:59-41:00 | 2 Points | 47:59-42:00 | 2 Points |
| 40:59-34:00 | 3 Points | 41:59-38:00 | 3 Points |
| <34:00 | 4 Points | <38:00 | 4 Points |
Overall Scoring Chart:
| Score | Point Range |
| Poor | 0-7 |
| Good | 8-11 |
| Excellent | 12-16 |
Example:
180# Male Athlete Results:
| Event | Result | Points |
| 3RM Hinge Lift | 305 Pounds (1.69) | 4 |
| Max Rep HR Push Ups | 32 Reps | 2 |
| Max Rep Sandbag Keg Lift | 45 Reps | 4 |
| 5000m Row | 20:30 | 3 |
| Final Score | 13 |
Results & Next Steps
A total of 13 athletes submitted initial 45+ Fitness Assesment Results. Below are their individial event and final scores:
Below are the overall scoring categories based on total points:
One of the athletes, Mike, completed the assessment in late December, assessment, then completed the MTI 45+ Fitness Assessment Training Plan, which ends with a re-assessment. Below are his pre and post-plan assessment scores:
The overall average score for the 13 athletes which took the assessment was 8.08, or “Good.” On a bell curve, this is close to where I’d want the initial overall score to be – though ideally it would be slightly higher. This tells me that the scoring may be too difficult and needs to be eased some and I’ll consider this.
As well, though there is separate scoring for men and women, there is no separate scoring based on age. This needs to be added, somehow, though I’m not sure what the age breaks should be if I move in this direction. Best would be to have athletes 55+ only, take the assessment.
Questions, Comments, Feedback? Email rob@mtntactical.com
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