Achievable with work. Impressive with age. Essential for life.
The Standards:
Test monthly. Maintain forever.
Most people are tragically weak and unhealthy. But most fitness niches expect a level of performance that is out of reach for anyone not dedicated to that discipline. The baseline fitness standards are an attempt to split the difference.
None of the individual standards are my own. I pulled them from various corners of the internet over time. Nor is the process of putting together a set of "comprehensive" standards new. However these standards, in this combination, are my own invention.
In addition to constructing a set of standards that are both individually achievable and collectively impressive, I have focused on making the standards themselves as simple and elegant as possible. Thus the fixed weights (both absolute and relative strength matter), the repeated occurrence of ten, and the minimal equipment requirements.
My hope, once I achieve all the standards, is that they can serve as a nearly effortless backstop. Instead of spending time in the gym for the next 40 years, I can pivot my fitness activities towards less structured, more exploratory and playful pursuits, secure in the fact that the monthly checkpoint ensures that I can still meet the standards. When I slip up, I can spend a month or two fixing the areas that have lagged, and then return to living life, unencumbered by either a rigid workout schedule or the consequences of degrading health and fitness.