The Ten Squared Decathlon – which we call the “Centenarian Decathlon” – consists not of track and field pursuits, but of the events which will ensure an enjoyable and fulfilled Marginal Decade. Some of these events might simply be activities of daily living, such as dressing without restriction, or walking up a flight of stairs without assistance. Other events might be more ambitious: being able to dance for 30 minutes, swim a mile in a lake, walk a round of golf, or ski easy slopes.
Training for Life Management
So how, exactly, does one go about training for the most important event in any one lifetime? Regardless of the specific events which make up any individual’s Centenarian Decathlon; the goal of the Ten Squared Program is to focus today’s training on tomorrow’s goals. To bring athletic specificity, consistency, balance and breadth to the objective of training for an active older age.
Building Blocks for Strength During Aging
While most people are easily able to accomplish the goals of tomorrow during their middle years, it is difficult to comprehend the inevitability and the accelerating trajectory of a decline that will see them fall well short of their goals in the future. The Ten Squared approach starts by working backward, reverse-engineering from the physical capacity that will be necessary to achieve the goals of an active Marginal Decade – but with one very large caveat: the required capacity must be adjusted to account for the aging process. There is an unavoidable need to increase capacity today to glide comfortably into the Marginal Decade. If an activity at 90 years requires a given unit of strength, then we need to build something like double the units of that same strength at age 50.
But great fulfillment is not just about the last decade or two of life. The Centenarian Decathlon won’t just create the best version of ourselves in the Marginal Decade, it will enhance happiness, function, and capacity in every decade along the way.