If You Pass This Test, You’re Stronger Than 90% of Over-50s

Can you do it?

Sit-to-stand, but…

…with one leg!

How to do it: sit on a normal-height, sturdy chair, lift one foot, keep your hands out of the way, stand up, then lower yourself back down slowly over at least four seconds; repeat on the other leg and compare the two sides.

What the test assesses: thigh strength, hip strength for keeping your pelvis level, balance, and control, all of which contribute to everyday activities such as getting out of a chair, climbing stairs, and catching yourself when you lose balance.

If you succeed, great! Just make sure you maintain it 🙂

If at first you don’t succeed, there are things that you can do to get you there soon, such as these exercises to improve the three areas needed for the test by building thigh strength, hip strength, and balance, while avoiding exercises that cause pain:

• Weighted two-legged sit-to-stand: hold a dumbbell or another heavy object against your chest, keep your back tall and your feet under your knees, move your nose over your toes to stand, then slowly reverse the movement; progressively increase the weight as you get stronger, working toward 15–20 repetitions.
• Single-leg dip: hold onto a stable support, stand on one leg, stick your bottom out, bend your knee slightly, then push back up; once 15–20 repetitions become easy, progress to lowering yourself until you lightly touch a chair behind you, gradually reducing the chair height by removing folded towels.
• Cup taps: stand on one leg while using your other leg to touch three objects arranged around you, alternating between them to challenge balance while moving; increase the challenge by spreading the objects farther apart and keep a chair or other secure support nearby.

The recommendation in the video is to follow the routine for 12 weeks, and then repeat the single-leg sit-to-stand test.

But if you get excited and want to try again soon, that’s fine too!

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

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like:

Weak Knees? Four Exercises To Strengthen Every Knee Muscle

Take care!