Strong But Not Fit? The Truth About Strength, Conditioning, and Living Longer

We’ve long known that strength is highly correlated with longevity. Stronger people live longer, healthier lives. But I also learned something more profound at the Summit:

• Power—the ability to move quickly—is even more strongly correlated with longevity than strength alone.
• Adults lose power at twice the rate that they lose strength. That decline, if not addressed, accelerates the aging process.

Simply put, it’s not just how strong you are; it’s how fast you can use that strength that truly matters for vitality and independence.

Even more impactful than strength or power is VO₂ Max—the gold standard measure of cardiovascular fitness. VO₂ Max tells us how much oxygen your body can use when working at its hardest. Think of it as your engine size: the larger the engine, the more energy you can produce, and the longer you can keep going without fatigue.

The research is clear: VO₂ Max is the single best predictor of longevity.

The challenge? It’s not always easy to measure in practice. But now, we have practical solutions to estimate and improve it without a lab setting.

Another powerful reminder: what’s good for the heart is good for the brain.
Cardiovascular exercise doesn’t just protect against heart disease—it literally reshapes and strengthens the brain. Every form of cardio has measurable impact on brain structure and function.

The most effective method for improving VO₂ Max appears to be MAS (Max Aerobic Speed) training—what I’ll also call Heart Rate Max Training. This strategy is, in my view, the best current pathway to improving both healthspan and lifespan.

These lessons have reshaped how I think about both my own training and the programs I design for clients at TrainSMART. Going forward, our approach will remain grounded in the essentials—breathing, core training, mobility, flexibility, corrective exercise, functional strength—but we will now intentionally integrate:

• Power training (relative to each client’s ability)
• Conditioning work (again, relative and personalized)

This evolution will allow us to deliver not only stronger bodies, but also fitter, faster, healthier, and longer-lived ones.

The goal remains the same: help people move without limitations, stay strong for life, and continue doing the activities and sports they love. But the strategy has been sharpened, and the path is clearer than ever.