Are TikTok Age Tests Legit? Orthopedists Explains How to Measure Biological Age

If you have scrolled Tiktok or Instagram, you’ve probably seen Fitness challenges Depending on your biological age. In some cases, it is funny to see people trying exploits that seem impossible for their age or impressive that they can do them. You have probably felt inspired to try some of these challenges and you have even questioned their legitimacy.

“Most of these challenges, such as completing 11 consecutive pumps (for women), making tractions or making a knee jump, are fast muscle screens and functional movement capacity,” said Andrew Jimenez, assistant professor of sports medicine and hip preservation Yale orthopedics and rehabilitation department.

I am in the late 1930s and I like to stay active. I know that the exercise is important for well -aged and maintain independence as we age. But should I be able to do more than a dozen pull-ups, or is it a sign that I need to work on my Fitness capacities? I spoke to orthopedic doctors to break the truth behind organic aging tests and the best way to determine to what extent you get older.

What is biological age?

We know that our current age is something that we cannot control, but Our biological age refers to how our body is aging according to biomarkers as our heart functionBone density, elasticity of the skin and more. In other words, you may be biologically older or younger than your real age, depending on how you take care of your health. The same goes for your fitness capacities as you get older.

The reason why people focus on the ability to do certain physical activities is because by aging, we lose lean muscle massWhich makes these things more difficult. Dr Aaron Casp, a orthopedic surgeon specialized in sports medicine and advisor for RallyStresses that most of the trends we see are vaguely determined by populations based on the population showing what the average person of a certain age is physically capable.

“An explosive movement of agency to a squat requires a certain force, basic stability, flexibility and body control that the majority of children aged 40 simply have no more,” he said.

Are these age tests legitimate?

One of the viral challenges that went around indicates that women should be able to do 11 consecutive pumps. This concept stems from an interview with an orthopedic surgeon and an expert in longevity Vonda Wright, MD, on the Podcast Mel Robbins.

“Although there was a study in 2019 in Jama Network Open Showing that healthy men who had higher pump capacity had a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events, this specific number is essentially hearing uncomfortable behind it, “said Casp.

Push-up in general is an excellent exercise because it requires the upper body muscle, the force of the nucleus, the pelvic floor and the stability of the shoulders. “Women generally have less strength from the upper body than men, therefore focusing on a particular number of pumps is a good way to make sure that people favor functional movements,” added Casp.

CASP underlines that these trends are all fast -fast versions that try to approximate a much more complex calculation based on many other factors. “For a more rigorous evaluation, performance laboratories and sports training facilities can test your VO2 Maxwhich is a much more painful test of your aerobic capacity and your cardiovascular form, “he said.

Jimenez agreed, saying: “These tendencies can reflect certain aspects of strength or power, but a real evaluation of physical form and biological age requires a multidimensional approach.” A precise way to test your organic age is that the following factors have evaluated: cardiorepiratory form, body composition, muscle strength, endurance, flexibility and balance.

If you are pregnant or newly postpartumThere are other variables that can affect your fitness capacities. “We know this exercise during these periods [pregnancy and postpartum] Improves stress and anxiety, as well as health results, but physiological changes in each woman are different and tolerance to the exercise may vary considerably, ”said Casp.

Jimenez underlines that you cannot compare someone who is postpartum to others. “A woman who is six months after childbirth may not be fairly compared to an unprecedented peer, because most of the formal fitness standards exclude pregnant / post-partum data,” he said. Without forgetting, the postpartum period is made up of hormonal changes that can make muscle taking, losing fat or increasing the cardiovascular shape as you wish.

During perimenopause And menopause, the exercise will also be different by individual. “Menopause and perimenopause are at the other end of the spectrum of changes when the mass of the lean body decreases, the metabolism slows down and the bone density decreases,” said Casp. In this case, weight exercises are partially protective against these changes, but he notes that the fitness course of each person in this period of life may seem radically different.

What you can do to age healthy

Instead of ending up in social media challenges or similar trends, Jimenez recommends remaining active: “Successful aging is associated with coherent physical activity, avoiding prolonged sedentary behavior and individualized exercise programs.”

Casp said he liked to focus on these factors:

A well -balanced exercise routine: Training that includes cardiovascular exercise and Resistance force training.

Recovery: As they get older, recovery becomes even more important to see these results of fitness you want.

A regular stretch routine: To keep you in submission and reduce muscle stiffness, improve blood circulation.

Good sleep hygiene: A coherent sleep calendar This guarantees that you are well rested and sleep from 7 to 8 hours per night.

Bodily work: This includes mobility and targeted muscular attention to focus on warm -up and recovery.

How to test your organic organic fitness age at home

As you can see, discovering your organic age is more complex than certain sound stings and recommendations found on social networks. But if you want to assess how old you get home for home, some tests you can try:

Evaluation of the physical condition of the Mayo clinic

THE Evaluation of the physical condition of the Mayo clinic Follows the age specific graphics that evaluate a 1.5 mile jogging, your waist, the BMI, the number of push-ups and more. “All of these elements have a certain amount of data on how you stack among your peers with age,” said Casp.

Age specific fitness tests

According to Jimenez, these tests are commonly used in clinical and research environments to assess age -related physical condition:

“These tests have established normative values ​​by age and sex, allowing a comparison with population standards and the estimate of the age of the physical form,” said Jimenez. He recognizes that social media trends are fun, especially if they can motivate people to be active and improve physical form. But remember that they are just supposed to be that – fun.

“In the end, biological age is a multifactive calculation that extends beyond a single viral reference,” said Jimenez.

“The best way to make sure you are as fit as possible is to exercise regularly, to incorporate strength training and try to maintain a healthy body weight,” said Casp.