Key numbers
143.3 cm/s
Average comfortable walking speed for men aged 50 to 59 (Bohannon and Williams Andrews 2011), in centimeters per second, the study unit
51,248
Apparently healthy adults in the 2023 systematic review (Andrews et al.)
What Systematic recommends
Where to start
- Hold one equal weight in each hand. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Place your heels in contact with the wall.
- Maintain contact with the wall through the heels, butt, back and back of the head. Stack the pelvis and ribcage in a neutral position. Keep the midline stable and aligned throughout the hold.
- Hold the position for 30 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds. Repeat for 3 total cycles. Stop and reassess if you feel pain or discomfort, if you are unable to maintain the wall contact points, or if you can no longer hold the neutral stacked position with smooth, comfortable breathing.
Condensed from the published Development Pathway (Farmer's Carry: Wall-Supported Posture Pack). This is a starting point, not a training program or medical advice.
Why there is no single normal speed
Bohannon and Williams Andrews (2011) pooled 41 studies and 23,111 healthy adults and reported comfortable walking speeds for each decade of age, separately for men and women. Andrews and colleagues (2023) reviewed studies of 51,248 apparently healthy adults and confirmed the central pattern: comfortable walking speed varies by age and by sex.
So a fair comparison for anyone's comfortable walking speed is people of the same sex in the same decade of age.
Published walking speeds by age and sex
Bohannon and Williams Andrews (2011) pooled comfortable walking-speed means for apparently healthy adults in each decade of age, separately for men and women. The table below gives them in centimeters per second, the study's unit. They are averages across studies, not personal goals, not minimums and not Farmer's Carry cutoffs.
Comfortable walking speed by age and sex (Bohannon and Williams Andrews 2011)
| Age (years) | Men (cm/s) | Women (cm/s) |
|---|---|---|
| 20–29 | 135.8 | 134.1 |
| 30–39 | 143.3 | 133.7 |
| 40–49 | 143.4 | 139.0 |
| 50–59 | 143.3 | 131.3 |
| 60–69 | 133.9 | 124.1 |
| 70–79 | 126.2 | 113.2 |
| 80–99 | 96.8 | 94.3 |
Pooled means from a synthesis of 41 studies (Table 2 of the paper), in centimeters per second. Walking speed measured over a short distance from a standing start, or on a course with turns, may differ. These figures are not converted to any Systematic score.
How Systematic uses these figures
Systematic uses the decade-by-sex comfortable walking speed ratios from Bohannon and Williams Andrews (2011) to scale its farmer's carry reference distance across age and sex groups. The walking studies themselves do not supply farmer's carry cutoffs; the farmer's carry standards are Systematic's own.
The evidence
Each cited source is labeled according to how it supports the particular claim on this page. Direct test evidence, underlying-capacity findings and population reference values are distinguished from Systematic-defined protocols and standards. Historical development notes are retained internally rather than presented as public evidence. A study of an underlying capacity is never presented as validation of the Systematic test itself.
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Normative/reference evidence
Andrews et al. (2023). Normal gait speed varies by age and sex but not by geographical region: a systematic review. Journal of Physiotherapy.
What it found. Across 51,248 apparently healthy adults, comfortable walking speed varied by age and sex.
What it does not show. It gives no Systematic score and no cutoff for loaded carrying, and it does not explain why the differences exist.
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Normative/reference evidence
Bohannon et al. (2011). Normal walking speed: a descriptive meta-analysis. Physiotherapy.
What it found. Pooled 41 studies and 23,111 healthy adults to give comfortable walking speeds by decade and sex, including 143.3 centimeters per second for men aged 50 to 59.
What it does not show. It gives no farmer's carry cutoffs, and it does not show that walking more slowly causes poor health.
The Systematic Healthspan Assessment is a physical baseline. It is not a diagnosis, and it does not estimate a biological age, a disease risk or a lifespan.