My personal decathlon – Technical Feasibility

I like rowing. I like lifting. I used to run a lot, and I still care about being able to run well even though I am heavier now. I also enjoy climbing and want finger strength to remain part of how I define fitness.

What I do not especially want is an expensive race entry or a competition format built around someone else’s selection of exercises. I want a test that reflects the athlete I personally want to become: strong, capable of moving my own body, able to work hard for several minutes, and still able to keep going for the better part of an hour.

So I made my own athletic decathlon.

It has two runs, two rows, four strength events, and two climbing-specific grip events. I will complete it once every four months—three times per year—and use the results as both a competition against myself and a guide for the next training block.

The objective is not to specialize so completely that I maximize the total score. The more interesting challenge is to become reasonably good at every event without letting one of my natural strengths conceal a major weakness.

The ten events

#	Quality	Event	Official result
1	Running speed	1-mile run	Time
2	Running endurance	10 km run	Time
3	Rowing power-endurance	2,000 m row	Time
4	Rowing endurance	10,000 m row	Time
5	Squatting strength	Back squat	Three-repetition maximum
6	Total-body strength	High-handle trap-bar deadlift	Three-repetition maximum
7	Vertical pressing strength	Strict overhead press	Three-repetition maximum
8	Vertical pulling strength	Weighted pull-up	Three-repetition maximum
9	Finger strength	One-arm no-hang with a 20 mm edge	Maximum effective load for 7 seconds
10	Finger endurance	One-arm no-hang with a 20 mm edge	Effective load for 3 × 45 seconds, with 15-second rests

The structure has a symmetry I like:

two running events;
two rowing events;
two lower-body or total-body strength events;
one upper-body push;
one upper-body pull; and
two climbing-grip events.

It does not directly test jumping, sprinting, or agility. Those are worthwhile qualities, but this is not intended to measure every possible expression of athleticism. It measures the qualities I care enough about to train and retest for years.

Testing frequency

I will run the decathlon three times per year, with testing windows beginning in:

January;
May; and
September.

Four months is enough time to complete a meaningful training cycle. It is also short enough that the next test remains visible. Six months would make for neater dates, but it is longer than I want to go without measuring the whole system.

Each testing period should take approximately three weeks. This is intentionally not a one-day event. A maximal 10 km run or row would distort nearly every event performed afterward, and a heavy pulling or finger-strength session could similarly compromise the next test. The purpose is to measure each quality fairly, not to measure who survives an arbitrary event order.

Suggested testing schedule

Day	Test
1	1-mile run
3	Back-squat 3RM and overhead-press 3RM
5	2,000 m row
8	Weighted-pull-up 3RM and 7-second edge hang
11	10 km run
14	High-handle trap-bar-deadlift 3RM
17	Finger-endurance protocol
20	10,000 m row

The schedule can move around for weather, recovery, family life, or access to equipment. The important constraints are to avoid testing the two runs or rows on tired legs and to leave adequate recovery between weighted pull-ups, maximum hangs, and finger endurance.

Performance standards

These standards are self-created reference points, not claims about universal fitness categories. They give me stable targets and turn ten unlike measurements into a common 1,000-point score. I may revise the standards after the first full testing cycle if an event proves badly calibrated, but once adopted I will preserve each ruleset version so historical scores remain interpretable.

Running and rowing

Points	Level	Mile	10 km run	2,000 m row	10,000 m row
0	Entry anchor	12:00	80:00	10:00	50:00
40	Bronze	10:00	65:00	8:30	45:00
60	Silver	8:30	55:00	7:45	41:00
80	Gold	5:45	39:30	7:10	38:00
100	Elite	5:00	35:00	6:40	35:00

For rowing, I will record the Concept2 drag factor and use approximately the same setting each time. Damper position alone is not reliably comparable between machines.

Strength

Strength results are divided by bodyweight measured on the morning of the event.

Points	Level	Squat 3RM	High-handle trap-bar 3RM	Press 3RM	Pull-up system weight for 3 reps
0	Entry anchor	0.50× BW	0.75× BW	0.20× BW	Assisted performance below 1.00× BW
40	Bronze	1.00× BW	1.35× BW	0.35× BW	1.00× BW
60	Silver	1.35× BW	1.70× BW	0.50× BW	1.15× BW
80	Gold	1.65× BW	2.05× BW	0.65× BW	1.35× BW
100	Elite	2.00× BW	2.40× BW	0.80× BW	1.55× BW

For weighted pull-ups, system weight is:

system weight = bodyweight + added weight - assistance

For example, an athlete weighing 230 lb who completes three pull-ups with 50 lb added has a system-weight ratio of:

(230 + 50) / 230 = 1.217

That result lies between the Silver and Gold standards.

Finger strength and endurance

Finger results use effective load as a proportion of bodyweight. These are no hangs so simply have me lifting the weight off the ground. (something like this. https://tensionclimbing.com/blogs/blog/death-taxes-and-the-desire-for-stronger-fingers-a-three-part-series-on-no-hang-training)

Points	Level	7-second maximum	3 × 45-second endurance
0	Entry anchor	20% BW	8% BW
40	Bronze	35% BW	14% BW
60	Silver	45% BW	18% BW
80	Gold	55% BW	23% BW
100	Elite	65% BW	30% BW

Effective load is:

effective load = added weight

The endurance protocol is:

Hang for 45 seconds.
Rest for 15 seconds.
Hang for 45 seconds.
Rest for 15 seconds.
Hang for 45 seconds.

This is 135 seconds of total one-arm time. Both arms are tested separately, and the weaker arm determines the official result.

Scoring

Each event is worth 100 points, for a maximum decathlon score of 1,000.

Scores are linearly interpolated between the published anchors and rounded to the nearest whole point. Results at or beyond the Elite standard receive 100 points. Results below the entry anchor receive 0 points.

Time-event formula

For a lower-is-better event, where a result falls between a slower lower anchor and a faster upper anchor:

score = lower_points
      + (upper_points - lower_points)
      × (lower_time - result_time)
      / (lower_time - upper_time)

For example, a 47:15 10 km run falls halfway between Silver at 55:00 and Gold at 39:30. Expressing all three times in seconds:

60 + 20 × (3300 - 2835) / (3300 - 2370) = 70 points

All calculations should use seconds, even if times are displayed as mm:ss.

Load-event formula

For a higher-is-better event:

score = lower_points
      + (upper_points - lower_points)
      × (result_ratio - lower_ratio)
      / (upper_ratio - lower_ratio)

For example, a squat of 1.50 times bodyweight falls between Silver at 1.35 and Gold at 1.65:

60 + 20 × (1.50 - 1.35) / (1.65 - 1.35) = 70 points

Overall classifications

A high total should not allow one exceptional specialty to conceal a complete weakness elsewhere. Each overall classification therefore has both a total-score requirement and an event-floor requirement.

Classification	Total required	Event-floor requirement
Bronze Decathlete	400	A positive score in all ten events
Silver Decathlete	600	Bronze standard in all ten events
Gold Decathlete	800	Silver standard in all ten events
Elite Decathlete	900	Gold standard in all ten events

The total score measures overall development. The lowest event score identifies the most obvious weakness. The classification rewards balance.

Official event rules

Consistency matters more than selecting the one perfect rule. These rules should remain fixed between testing cycles. Pretty much all of these timed ones should end up on strava/garmin/concept2 pages.

1-mile and 10 km runs

Use an accurately measured track or course(or garmin watch).

2,000 m and 10,000 m rows

Use a Concept2 rowing machine when possible.
Record machine model, drag factor, and average stroke rate.
Use elapsed time from a single uninterrupted effort.

Back squat

Complete three consecutive repetitions with the same load.
I like a really deep squat which I know varies form person to person but for me means that my thigh touches my calf.
A belt and wrist wraps are permitted.
Knee wraps and supportive suits are not permitted.

High-handle trap-bar deadlift

I selected high handles because the low-handle position has bothered my back in the past(and my bar has better knurling on the high handle). This is an athletic test, not an obligation to use a movement variant that does not suit me.

Use the same trap bar whenever possible.
Complete three dead-stop repetitions.
Do not bounce or use touch-and-go repetitions.
Finish with full knee and hip extension.
A belt and chalk are permitted.
Lifting straps are permitted. Why limit myself. Although I find it rare that my grip fails on trap bar.

Strict overhead press

Complete three consecutive repetitions.
Begin each repetition with the bar under control at the shoulders.
Keep the knees and hips extended.
Reach complete overhead lockout.
Normal torso movement is acceptable; deliberate leg drive is not.

Weighted pull-up

Use a pronated grip at a consistent width.
Begin each repetition from a controlled dead hang.
Finish with the chin clearly above the bar.
Complete three repetitions with the same load.
Do not kip or deliberately swing the legs.

Finger-strength events

Use the same 20 mm edge with the same orientation and edge rounding. (I use a variant of this. https://makerworld.com/en/models/1147276-textured-triangle-hangboard?from=search#profileId-1150783)
Use four fingers without wrapping the thumb.
Select either a half-crimp or open-hand position and retain it for future tests.
Maintain an active, controlled shoulder position.
Chalk is permitted.
Timing begins when the weight leave the floor.
Test both hands; the weaker hand supplies the official result.
Allow substantial recovery between maximum attempts and between arms.

What I will track over time

The headline number is the score out of 1,000, but that is not the only interesting result. I want the website eventually to show:

total score by testing cycle;
score for each of the ten events over time;
strongest and weakest event in each cycle;
bodyweight alongside absolute and bodyweight-adjusted strength;
running and rowing pace trends;
left-versus-right finger strength;
the gap between maximum finger strength and finger endurance;
classification progress; and
notes explaining injuries, equipment changes, course conditions, or unusual training blocks.

The first complete decathlon establishes a baseline. After that, success can mean several different things:

increasing the total score;
increasing the lowest individual event score;
reaching the next classification;
setting an event personal record; or
maintaining most qualities while deliberately emphasizing one or two others.

Data format for the website

Each testing cycle should have a stable identifier such as 2026-09. Raw results should be stored separately from calculated scores so that the scoring standards can be changed or versioned without losing the original performances.

Suggested cycle-level fields:

cycle_id
cycle_name
window_start
window_end
rules_version
total_score
classification
notes

Suggested event-result fields:

cycle_id
event_id
test_date
bodyweight_lb
raw_value
raw_unit
normalized_ratio
score
equipment
conditions
notes

Suggested stable event identifiers:

run_1mi
run_10k
row_2k
row_10k
squat_3rm
trapbar_high_3rm
press_3rm
pullup_3rm
edge_20mm_7s
edge_20mm_3x45

For finger events, preserve the individual hand results in addition to the official weaker-hand value:

left_effective_load_lb
right_effective_load_lb
official_effective_load_lb
assistance_method
grip_position
edge_model

For timed events, store the raw value as integer seconds. For weights, store the actual load in pounds or kilograms and calculate normalized ratios separately. Keeping raw data intact will make it possible to redraw graphs, change presentation units, or revise scoring formulas later.

Versioning policy

This document begins as rules version 1.0.

If I change only wording or clarify a rule without changing outcomes, I will increment the minor version: 1.0 to 1.1.

If I change an event, a performance anchor, a scoring formula, or a rule that could materially change a result, I will increment the major version: 1.x to 2.0.

Historical results should retain the rules version under which they were originally scored. The site may optionally display both the original score and a recalculated score under the newest rules.

The long-term goal

The first goal is simply to complete all ten events and record honest baselines. Beyond that, I am more interested in breadth than in manufacturing the largest possible total.

A Gold Decathlete must average Gold-level performance while reaching at least Silver in every event. That means being legitimately capable across a mile, two long endurance events, a hard 2,000 m row, four strength tests, and two climbing-specific grip tests.

That is a demanding and slightly eccentric definition of fitness—which is exactly why it feels worth pursuing.