Peakspan – maintaining peak fitness while ageing – is the next-level longevity trend

Peakspan is an emerging longevity trend, which is taking over from healthspan. Avoiding serious illness is now considered too low a benchmark for health optimisers – peakspan seeks to maintain peak physical and cognitive fitness while ageing. 

The term was defined by Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, longevity researcher and the CEO of Insilico Medicine in a paper called: “Peakspan: Defining, Quantifying and Extending the Boundaries of Peak Productive Lifespan.” The formal definition is the period during which an individual maintains at least 90 per cent of their peak functional capacity in a given physiological or cognitive domain.

Because most biological systems reach their peak in early adulthood, a person can enter their 40s or 50s inside their healthspan, but already outside of their peakspan.

Cardiorespiratory systems and musculoskeletal power both peak in the 20s to early 30s before a steady decline. Cognitive intelligence lasts into middle age (45–54-years-old) and remains stable well into later decades.

The peakspan framework encourages building muscle mass and aerobic capacity in the 20s and 30s, and as individuals age to track functional performance indicators, such as VO2 max, grip strength, processing speed, and heart rate variability. 

To retain peakspan as we age, high-intensity exercise, progressive resistance training, stress regulation, and cognitive challenge is necessary as well as paying attention to the key pillars – daily movement, a balanced diet and adequate sleep. 

While this offers the industry a great way to engage clients, pushing the peakspan message too hard risks putting off people who aren’t already engaged with gyms. The vital point to communicate is that it’s never too late to start making a difference.