What’s Your “Movement Age”? (And How to Keep It Young)

Mathew Bennett

Sep 29

5 min read

Two people do lunges in a bright studio, smiling and focused, with a potted tree, bench, and large window in the background.

We’ve all heard of chronological age — the number of candles on your birthday cake — and biological age, which relates more closely to what is happening inside your body.

But there’s another type of age I think about almost every day in my clinic:

Your movement age.

I work with people in their 80s who move better than some 30-year-olds who walk into my clinic for the first time.

At the other end of the spectrum, I’ve spent years around sport and still watch elite athletes who are supposedly approaching the “end” of their careers move with more freedom, control and physical capacity than some athletes in their early 20s.

It’s a good reminder that the number on your birth certificate doesn’t necessarily tell us how well your body moves.

Your movement age is less about how old you are and more about how well your muscles, joints and nervous system work together.

And unlike chronological age, movement capacity is something we can influence.

What Exactly Is “Movement Age”?

“Movement age” isn’t a clinical measurement or medical diagnosis. It’s simply a useful way of thinking about your overall movement capacity.

Someone with a relatively “young” movement age might have good mobility, strength, balance and coordination and feel confident performing everyday activities.

Someone considerably younger may feel stiff, restricted or uncomfortable performing those same movements.

There are several areas we can look at.

Joint Range of Motion
Can your joints move through the ranges required for the activities you want to perform?
Balance and Coordination
How well can you control your body when standing on one leg, changing direction or performing more complex movements?
Muscle Function
Are the muscles around your joints contributing effectively to movement, or are certain areas doing more work than others?
Movement Quality
Can you squat, bend, reach, rotate and walk efficiently and comfortably?
Pain-Free Function
Can you perform everyday activities — picking something up from the floor, climbing stairs, reaching overhead or playing with your children — without constantly worrying about discomfort?

Movement isn't about being able to perform a perfect squat or touch your toes.

It is about having enough mobility, strength and control to do the things that matter to you.

Why Two People of the Same Age Can Move Completely Differently

This is something I see constantly.

Two people can be exactly the same age and have completely different physical capabilities.

One 60-year-old might regularly walk, train, play sport and maintain good strength and mobility.

Another may have spent decades sitting for long periods, moving very little outside work and gradually losing some of the physical qualities they once had.

The difference isn't simply age.

Our bodies adapt to what we repeatedly ask them to do.

Regularly expose your body to movement, strength, balance and different ranges of motion, and you give it a reason to maintain those abilities.

Stop using them and, gradually, those qualities can decline.

That's one of the reasons I find the concept of movement age so useful.

Instead of asking:

“Am I getting too old to do this?”

A better question can sometimes be:

“What physical qualities do I need to keep doing this?”

How Human Movement Science Can Help

Human movement science looks at how the body moves as an integrated system.

Rather than considering one muscle or joint completely in isolation, we look at how mobility, strength, joint mechanics, balance, coordination and movement patterns interact. From there, we can identify areas that may benefit from more attention.

How it works:

1. Assess How You Move

Before deciding what needs improving, it helps to understand your starting point.

Simple movement assessments can look at things such as:

Squatting
Reaching overhead
Bending
Rotating
Single-leg balance
Joint range of motion

The aim isn't to find everything that's “wrong” with you.

It is to identify restrictions, compensations or movement limitations that may be affecting how efficiently you move.

2. Restore Useful Mobility

Years spent sitting, driving, working at a desk, training in the same way or simply avoiding certain movements can gradually affect mobility.

Depending on the individual, mobility work might include:

Self-myofascial release
Targeted stretching
Joint mobility exercises
Controlled movement through available ranges

The goal isn't to become endlessly flexible.

It is to develop enough mobility for your body to perform the movements you actually need.

3. Build Strength and Control

Mobility on its own isn't enough.

Once you have access to a range of motion, you need the strength and control to use it.

Targeted exercises can help improve the contribution of muscles that may not be working as effectively as they could within a particular movement pattern.

This might mean improving hip strength, trunk control, shoulder stability or foot and ankle function depending on what the assessment shows.

4. Bring Everything Together

This is where isolated mobility and strengthening exercises become real movement.

Integrated exercises challenge multiple joints and muscles to work together while your nervous system coordinates the movement.

That might involve squatting, stepping, lunging, pushing, pulling, carrying or changing direction.

Ultimately, the goal is simple:

Help your body move well when it matters.

Whether that's playing sport, lifting weights, chasing your children, gardening, travelling or simply getting up from the floor comfortably.

Staying in the Game

We can't stop ageing.

But getting older doesn't automatically mean becoming stiff, weak or incapable.

And this is probably the biggest lesson I've taken from working with such a wide range of people.

I have clients in their 80s who continue to move remarkably well.

I've also seen people decades younger who feel far older physically than their chronological age would suggest.

Likewise, in elite sport, I've watched experienced athletes continue performing at an extraordinary physical level long after they're supposedly considered “old” for their sport.

The common thread isn't that they've somehow avoided ageing.

It's that their bodies have continued to be used, challenged and maintained.

That is what I think we should be aiming for.

Not trying to move like a 20-year-old forever.

But maintaining as much mobility, strength, coordination and confidence in movement as possible throughout our lives.

Because ultimately, the goal isn't simply to live longer.

It's to stay physically capable enough to keep doing the things you enjoy for as long as possible.