When was the last time you tested your fitness? Unless you’ve recently hired a personal trainer or joined the military, your last fitness test was probably in junior high.This straightforward test will provide you with an indication of your general fitness.
What’s a sit & stand test?!
Essentially, you stand in the middle of the floor, sit down, and then stand up without the use of your hands or any other support. Maintaining a good range of motion in your joints and keeping your muscles strong and flexible are critical. It not only helps you feel and move better as you get older, but it’s also linked to better longevity.It can be difficult to sit and stand without leaning on something or using your hands/ knees for support. Aside from strength and agility, it also necessitates some skill, which, like any skill, takes time to master. The sit-to-stand test doesn’t have a time limit. The goal is to sit on the floor and stand up as quickly as possible.
Here’s how to do it!
- Start in a standing position.
- Stand in comfortable clothes (bare feet preferred), with clear space around you.
- Sit down on the floor, crisscross applesauce (i.e., cross-legged). Try to avoid using your hands for support as you lower yourself.
- Stand back up — again, without using your hands or knees for support
It appears to be a simple enough challenge: sit on the floor and rise without using your hands or knees. However, you may find that it is not as simple as it appears.
Benefits
The exercise not only strengthens your bones, but it also strengthens your gluteus maximus and quadriceps at the same time. These two powerful muscle groups work together to help you stand up.These muscle groups should be exercised to strengthen your legs, buttocks, and back, as well as to protect your spine.This is a great way to move the body when you need a break from sitting statically in a chair all day.
Scoring
On a 10-point scale – 5 points for sitting, 5 points for rising.
- Subtract 1 point when each of the following is used for support (hand, knee, forearm, side of the leg, and hand on knee/thigh).
- Subtract 0.5 points for loss of balance.
Total Score of 8-10 pts = No concern
Total Score below 8 = Concerns regarding your musculoskeletal fitness The good news is that you can improve your score no matter what it is! If you’re sitting on the floor, worried that you won’t be able to get up, don’t worry, you can work on it and, barring complications like arthritis or vestibular (inner ear) problems, you’ll likely improve over time.
Sit-stand test and longevity
There may be a link between sitting-rising test (SRT) scores and longevity, according to research. A sitting-rising test was performed on more than 2,000 adults over the age of 50 in a study published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology. Researchers discovered that lower SRT scores were linked to a higher risk of death (from any cause). Longer survival was linked to higher SRT scores.
Why is it important to do fitness testing?
You may want to take a fitness test for a variety of reasons. You may believe you lead a healthy lifestyle, but you won’t know for sure unless you take a fitness test. If you lead a largely sedentary lifestyle, your health may be jeopardized, so a fitness test can help you figure out if you need to get more active.A fitness test is a great way to see if your training and hard work are paying off and you are actually progressing for those who are already very active. If you notice that you aren’t getting any fitter, you’ll know it’s time to switch up your workout routine.
Working out promotes good health, which in turn aids in the maintenance of strong immune systems. Many things have changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, including our attitude toward our health and fitness.Take the first step today and give our online fitness coachingat Stronglife a try. You will definitely enjoy it! Get a free consultation with our online personal trainers.
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