How Old Are You?

Chronological age as opposed to functional age as indicators of work performance first came to the forefront through the enactment of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. One of the purposes of the Act was to “promote employment of older persons based on their ability rather than (their) age.” This Act recognized the fact that chronological age (i.e. how many years old an individual is) is an unreliable indicator of an individuals capability to perform strenuous activities. Instead, your functional or physiological age, based on classical health/fitness tests and/or actual job related testing are much more accurate and appropriate measures.

Functional age can be kept years below actual chronological age for an entire career, by using a well conceived and executed workout program that addresses the specific strength/conditioning needs of an occupation, along with the general health/fitness needs of the individual employee.