Regrettably, you can’t turn back your biological clock. If such a thing were possible, birthday cakes would lose their candle decorations. However, you can modify your fitness age, which reflects how your body functions, feels, and performs compared to the average individual your age.

Your everyday routines play a significant role here. Engaging in strength training, working on flexibility, and maintaining regular physical activity can make your body feel years younger than your actual age. A person in their fifties who exercises often can easily feel like they are in their thirties, whereas avoiding physical activity can make you feel older than your chronological years.

Modern wearables and apps can now monitor recovery, heart rate, and activity levels, providing a “fitness age” score. While technology is impressive, you don’t need a device to assess your body’s performance.

These eight bodyweight moves act as simple self-tests. If you can knock them out with solid form, your fitness age is likely younger than you think. Let’s walk through each one.

8 Bodyweight Moves to Make Your Fitness Age Younger

Full-depth Bodyweight Squat

Dropping into a full squat without your heels lifting or your back rounding is a hallmark of youthfulness. It shows your hips, knees, and ankles still move fluidly, and that your legs carry enough strength to get you down and back up with ease. Consider this: children naturally sit in deep squats. If you can keep that ability as an adult, it’s a strong sign your body is aging well.

Muscles Trained: Quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, core

How to Do It:

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Push your hips back and bend your knees.
3. Drop until your thighs pass parallel to the floor.
4. Keep your chest tall and heels flat.
5. Drive through your heels to return to a standing position.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps. Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Best Variations: Narrow-stance squat, wide-stance squat, squat pulses

Form Tip: Drive your knees slightly outward to keep them aligned with your toes.

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30-Second Glute Bridge Hold

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A strong set of glutes is a cheat code for staying young. They power your stride, protect your lower back, and keep your hips from stiffening up as you age. If you can maintain a bridge hold for 30 seconds without shaking, your posterior chain is firing as it should.

Muscles Trained: Glutes, hamstrings, core, lower back

How to Do It:

1. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat.
2. Press through your heels and lift your hips.
3. Form a straight line from shoulders to knees.
4. Squeeze your glutes and brace your core.
5. Hold for 30 seconds without dropping your hips.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Hold for 3 rounds of 30 seconds. Rest 45 seconds between each hold.

Best Variations: Single-leg glute bridge hold, marching glute bridge, hip bridge with adductor squeeze

Form Tip: Press through your heels to keep the tension in your glutes, not your lower back.

Plank with Shoulder Taps

A strong plank signals youth in your core. Add shoulder taps, and you bring balance and stability into play. The ability to hold your hips steady while lifting one hand off the ground means your deep core is firing, your shoulders are stable, and your body still moves as one connected unit—exactly how it should.

Muscles Trained: Core, shoulders, chest, triceps

How to Do It:

1. Start in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders.
2. Brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
3. Lift one hand and tap the opposite shoulder.
4. Place it back down and switch to the other side.
5. Continue alternating without shifting your hips.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 taps per side. Rest 45 seconds between sets.

Best Variations: High plank hold, plank with arm reach, plank shoulder touch and pause

Form Tip: Keep your hips square to the floor to resist rotation.

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Cossack Squat

Moving side to side is something many adults lose as they age, and it manifests as stiffness, poor balance, or a lack of coordination. The Cossack squat flips that script. It challenges your hips, ankles, and inner thighs to work in directions you don’t often train. If you can move smoothly into a deep side squat, it proves your joints still have years of healthy motion left.

Muscles Trained: Glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, adductors, calves, core

How to Do It:

1. Stand with feet wide apart.
2. Shift your weight to one side, bending the knee on that side.
3. Keep the opposite leg straight and toes up.
4. Sink into a deep side squat.
5. Push back to the middle and repeat on the other side.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 8 reps per side. Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Best Variations: Side-to-side squats, lateral step-outs, assisted Cossack squat holding your arms forward for balance

Form Tip: Keep your heel flat on the working side to protect your knee.

Walking Lunges

Walking lunges combine strength and balance with forward momentum, which is exactly how we move through life. If you can perform controlled lunges across the floor, it shows that your legs are strong, your core is engaged, and your coordination is sharp. That’s a recipe for staying active and resilient well into later years.

Muscles Trained: Glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, core

How to Do It:

1. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart.
2. Step forward and lower into a lunge.
3. Keep your front knee stacked over your ankle.
4. Push through the front heel to rise.
5. Step forward with the opposite leg and repeat.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 10 to 12 steps per leg. Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Best Variations: Forward lunges, reverse lunges, alternating split squats

Form Tip: Keep your torso upright and take long, controlled steps.

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Push-Up

Push-ups are the classic bodyweight benchmark for upper-body strength. If you can bang out clean reps, it means your chest, arms, and core still function like a younger version of yourself. They are also a test of endurance. Being able to do multiple sets without gassing out proves your body can handle real-world demands.

Muscles Trained: Chest, shoulders, triceps, core

How to Do It:

1. Start in a high plank position.
2. Lower your chest toward the floor by bending your elbows.
3. Keep your body in a straight line.
4. Press through your palms to return to the top.
5. Repeat for reps.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 8 to 15 reps. Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Best Variations: Incline push-ups, close-grip push-ups, tempo push-ups

Form Tip: Keep your elbows tucked slightly in to protect your shoulders.

Side Plank with Rotation

A younger body is strong in more than one direction—it can twist, stabilize, and move with control. The side plank with rotation is proof. It forces your obliques to fire, your shoulders to stabilize, and your balance to stay sharp as you move through each rep.

Muscles Trained: Obliques, transverse abdominis, shoulders, glutes

How to Do It:

1. Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder.
2. Lift your hips into a straight side plank.
3. Extend your top arm toward the ceiling.
4. Rotate your torso and thread your arm under your body.
5. Return to the start and repeat.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side. Rest 45 seconds between sets.

Best Variations: Static side plank, side plank with hip dips, side plank with knee tuck

Form Tip: Keep your hips stacked to avoid rolling forward or backward.

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Bear Crawls

Bear crawls look simple, but they demand full-body coordination, shoulder stability, and serious core control. If you can crawl smoothly across the floor, it means your nervous system, muscles, and joints are still working together like they did years ago. It is also one of the most underrated cardio drills you can do without equipment.

Muscles Trained: Shoulders, chest, core, hips, quads

How to Do It:

1. Start on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
2. Lift your knees slightly off the ground.
3. Move your opposite hand and foot forward together.
4. Follow with the other side.
5. Crawl forward with slow, controlled steps.

Recommended Sets and Reps: Perform 3 rounds of 20 to 30 seconds. Rest 45 seconds between sets.

Best Variations: Backward bear crawl, lateral bear crawl, stationary bear crawl shoulder taps

Form Tip: Keep your knees low and core braced to avoid bouncing.

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The Absolute Best Actions to Improve Your Fitness Age

Improving your fitness age is about stacking good choices day after day. These moves are a great start, but pairing them with consistent habits keeps your body performing at its peak.

• Train Regularly: Aim for 3 to 5 weekly sessions mixing strength, mobility, and conditioning.
• Walk More: Hit 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day to keep your cardiovascular system young.
• Sleep Deep: Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, allowing your body to repair and recharge.
• Fuel with Purpose: Eat enough protein to maintain muscle and enough whole foods to energize your day.
• Stay Hydrated: Water supports joint health, focus, and performance.
• Stretch and Mobilize: A few minutes daily maintains flexibility and keeps joints healthy.
• Track Your Progress: Write down reps, times, or distances to measure your improvements.