3 Strength Tests Everyone Aged 50+ Should Pass (Do You?)

Will Harlow, the over-50s specialist physio, takes us through it:

Are you ready?

These are strictly speaking mobility tests, but if we say just “mobility” it often gets interpreted as “flexibility”, which is only one part of mobility—the other, and often most-neglected, being strength.

So, with that in mind:

• The walking speed test measures how long it takes you to walk 10 m at your normal pace within a 12 m setup, timing only the middle section; under 7.5 seconds is excellent, 7.6–8.5 seconds is very good, 8.6–10 seconds is normal, 10.1–12.5 seconds suggests declining strength, and over 12.6 seconds indicates a high fall risk, with faster walking speeds strongly linked to better health, longevity, and independence.
• The 30-second chair stand test counts how many times you can stand up fully and sit back down from a chair in 30 seconds with your arms crossed; more than 16 reps is excellent, 10–15 is average, and fewer than 10 suggests reduced leg strength, with simple daily practice like repeated sit-to-stands shown to improve performance by around 31% in 28 days.
• The getting-up-from-the-floor test times how long it takes you to stand up from the floor at a normal pace, using your hands or knees if needed; under 5 seconds is excellent, 5–10 seconds is normal, and over 10 seconds or needing support indicates reduced mobility, with this ability being crucial for maintaining independence and recovering safely after a fall.

One final note: if you don’t score well on one or more of them, do not think of it so much as an outright failure but rather as an early warning signal, because in most cases strength can be improved very quickly with simple, consistent practice.

For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

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Take care!