FSU assistant professor to discuss adventure athlete longevity
John Wright, an assistant professor of exercise science at Frostburg State University, will be the leadoff presenter in the 2026-27 Joan Crawford Lecture Series at Garrett College.
Wright’s presentation – Built for Adventure: The Science of Strength, Mobility, Recovery, and Longevity for the Adventure Athlete – will take place on Wednesday, September 30th, at 6 p.m. in Room 111 of the Garrett Information Enterprise Center (GIEC). The presentation is free and open to the general public.
Wright, a lifelong athlete, has a special interest in helping people maintain functional capacity as they age. The presentation will focus on maintaining physical fitness and the ability to stay active throughout life. He’ll also discuss the concept of the Centenarian Decathlon and how thinking about long-term physical goals can influence the way individuals approach fitness.
“It’s a concept, developed by Dr. Peter Attia, that provides a structure for looking at the typical decline in functional capacity of older adults,” said Wright of the Centenarian Decathlon, which uses an individual’s VO2 – volume of oxygen consumed – as an indirect measure of an individual’s capacity for completing life tasks.
“Generally, an individual’s VO2 decreases by about 10 percent a decade as an older adult,” said Wright. “The goal is to identify 10 activities you would like to be able to accomplish as you age – climbing stairs, grocery shopping . . . whatever is important to you – and determine the functional capacity required for those tasks. If you don’t project to have that functional capacity, what are you going to do about it?”
Wright will discuss how areas such as aerobic fitness, muscle strength, bone health, balance, and mobility can change with age, along with how exercise and training may help maintain these abilities over time.
Wright earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical fitness with a concentration in athletic training from Frostburg State University. He went on to complete a master’s degree in advanced athletic training at Ohio University.
“I actually started out as an engineering major and quickly realized that wasn’t for me,” said Wright, who became interested in athletic training while rehabbing from a college athletics injury.
Photo Cutline: Frostburg State University Assistant Professor John Wright, pictured above with wife Amy, will kick off Garrett College’s Joan Crawford Lecture Series on September 30th with a presentation entitled Built for Adventure: The Science of Strength, Mobility, Recovery, and Longevity for the Adventure Athlete.
