I wrote recently about the balancing of yang and yin forces in life as a way to find a sense of inner power and feelings of flowing-with-life. I often think of it also as a balance of (1) acting in a manner that manifests your best self, and (2) understanding and accepting who you naturally are.

So, understanding that I am inspired by long-term and big-picture perspectives, and knowing that I desire to maintain a perspective of my life in which my best self improves with age, I thought I’d come up with a strength training formula that might help me measure my progress.

Someone out there has probably already come up with something similar, but I came up with the following way of tracking my progress.

Perhaps, it might also be a way to level the playing field regarding age and inspire increased performance each year for the rest of my life (and disprove the assumption that our power peaks somewhere in mid-life)!

So here it is. (Yes, I am a numbers guy, too…)

Take your age and divide it by 10, and call it your age-factor. For me, 5.69.

For a given day of power measurements (performed within 90 minutes), measure your weight. For me, 184 pounds.

Measure your 3-rep maximum weight for the following power-lifting movements and calculate weight-to-bodyweight ratio:

Barbell (not Smith machine) Bench Press. For me, 200 lbs; 1.09.

Back Squat (thighs parallel to floor). For me, 300 lbs; 1.63.

Weighted Chin-Up (suspended weight above body weight). For me, 70 lbs; 0.38.

Barbell Deadlift. For me, 360 lbs; 1.96.

Add the ratios together and multiply the sum by your age-factor. For me, today: my “power number” equals 5.06 x 5.69 = 28.79!

Can I make this number get bigger and bigger for the rest of my life?

I know if I can maintain these power lifting numbers and keep my weight the same, the “Power Number” will increase with my age. That’s okay, as I see it. An upward trend is always satisfying and motivating.

But can I make this number increase at a faster rate than my age? And, can I do it for the rest of my life? The “Power Number” would motivate me to maintain or decrease my weight while getting stronger continuously while I get older… or even increase my strength at a faster rate than my age!

Maybe I’ll start with a goal of 30.00 for my next birthday in 3 weeks, and see if this Power Number exercise seems reasonable, and measure again every 1/10 of a year.

Thoughts?

I know this appears very yang-based, with a focus on strength and effort.  It is my perspective, however, that the internally-motivated factors which will drive improved yearly measurements will only thrive if I understand and accept myself as I am, and maintain a balanced perspective and a connected mind-body-spirit presence.