Why Strength Is the Vital Sign Your Doctor Never Measures

Build for Health with Srdjan Injac · Jun 25, 2026 · 27m

At a routine physical, a doctor charts blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, and triglycerides — a page of numbers meant to forecast the years ahead. None of them measure how strong you are. That's a strange omission, because muscle strength is one of the most reliable predictors of both lifespan and healthspan that researchers have found — in some studies, a better predictor than the blood-pressure reading sitting right next to it on the chart. This episode of Build for Health, with host Pete Wright and ELEV8 strength coach Srdjan Injac, examines the gap between what the exam room measures…