If you want a quick reality check on your physical strength, you may not need a gym, tracker, or fitness test.
According to fitness experts, one simple movement can offer a surprisingly clear snapshot of how your body is holding up over time.
Age-based squat benchmarks, shared by a personal trainer and cited by the Daily Mail, have recently drawn attention for offering a practical way to assess lower-body strength across different life stages.
The numbers by age
Personal trainer Natalya Alexeyenko told the Daily Mail that squat capacity naturally declines with age and should be adjusted accordingly.
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Her guidance focuses on how many controlled bodyweight squats a healthy adult should be able to complete in one minute.
The commonly referenced benchmarks are:
- Ages 20–30: about 45–50 squats
- Ages 31–40: about 35–40 squats
- Ages 41–50: about 25–30 squats
- Ages 51–60: about 20–25 squats
- Ages 60+: up to 15 squats
Health professionals stress these are not targets to chase aggressively, but reference points to understand functional strength.
Why squats are used
Dr Edward Laskowski of the Mayo Clinic has explained that squats engage large muscle groups in the legs and core, making them a strong indicator of overall mobility and athletic capability.
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Regular squatting supports balance, joint stability, and everyday movement such as standing, lifting, and climbing stairs.
Because the exercise mirrors daily actions, it is often favoured over machine-based strength tests.
How squats compare
Researchers frequently compare squat ability with other functional measures like grip strength or chair-rise tests.
Grip strength is linked to overall mortality risk, while chair-rise tests assess balance and fall risk in older adults.
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Squats combine elements of both strength and coordination, making them a broader functional assessment.
A review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that consistent lower-body strength training is associated with reduced injury risk and better long-term independence.
Experts emphasise that proper form matters more than speed or volume. As bodies change with age, controlled movement and comfort should guide expectations, not comparison with younger years.
Sources: Unilad and Daily Mail
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