Sitting-Rising Test
The sitting-rising test asks you to get down to the floor and back up using as little support as you can. In two studies from one Brazilian research group, the lowest scorers died at several times the rate of the top scorers, which makes it a striking warning sign. No other group has replicated it yet, and the test can cause a fall in exactly the people who would score worst.
If you are steady on your feet, try it once a year on a clear, non-slip floor with someone nearby the first time. Skip it if you have had a hip or knee replacement, have a known balance problem, or are at the point where an unplanned fall would be serious.
How to do it and score it
From standing, lower yourself to sit on the floor, then stand back up, using as little help from your hands, forearms, knees or the side of your leg as you can. You may cross your legs, but you don't have to.
Sitting down and getting up are each scored out of 5, for a total out of 10. Take off one point for every support you use, and half a point for any visible wobble or loss of balance.
Getting to the floor and back without help draws on leg power, core stability, balance, joint flexibility and body composition all at once. That is why it reads as a one-minute check on physical ageing, though neither study broke the score down into those parts.
Safety first
Use a clear, non-slip floor and have someone nearby the first time. Skip it if you have had a hip or knee replacement, have a known balance problem, or are at the point where an unplanned fall would be a serious event. The score is not worth an injury, and the people who would score worst are the people most likely to be hurt taking it.
What the scores predicted
The larger study. In 4,282 adults aged 46–75, followed for a median of about 12 years, those scoring 0–4 had close to four times the risk of death from natural causes, and about six times the death rate from cardiovascular disease, of those scoring a perfect 10. The cardiovascular figure is imprecise: the data fit anything from roughly a two- to a twenty-fold difference. Deaths during follow-up ran from 3.7% in the top scoring group to 42.1% in the bottom.[1]
The study that established the test. In 2,002 adults aged 51–80, followed for a median of about 6 years, the lowest scorers had roughly five times the death rate of the highest, and each extra point on the score was worth about 21% better survival. Its authors describe it as a retrospective cohort, built from records already collected.[2]
Why to hold the numbers loosely
Both studies come from the same Brazilian group, and the effect has not yet been independently replicated elsewhere.
A low score also has obvious confounders. Bad knee or hip arthritis, or a large waist, will drag the score down without meaning poor overall fitness. Read your result with those in mind.
What to do
- Test once a year if it's safe for you. It is an honest read on whether your everyday movement and training are keeping you capable.
- Skip it if any of the safety conditions above apply.
- Read a low score in context: stiff or painful joints and body shape can lower it on their own.
- For the other at-home checks, such as standing on one leg, see Mobility and balance. For what long hours of sitting are linked to, see Sitting.