Once upon a time, a Brazilian doctor named Dr. Araujo was frustrated with tests administered to determine long-term health. He wanted something that would quickly get through to his patients’ brains and beautifully illustrate his deep concerns about their health.
He thought other tests had too many variables at stake: Did you have the right equipment to administer the test, was the administrator an accurate data collector, etc. This complicated things enormously but more than that didn’t allow impactful conclusions to be drawn, and the potential seriousness of the situation to be conveyed.
Necessity is the mother of invention!
I make up stuff for clients all the time on the spot because in my case, they need something to work in a certain way without another muscle dominating or interfering. This doctor took it a step further and added research to support his position. He came up with a beautifully simple solution. No equipment needed, and just a few rules on what to look for. What did he call it?
The Sitting to Rising Test.
He tested it on 2000 patients ages 51 to 80 and published his results in the European Journal of Cardiology.
“People who scored less than 8 points on the test, he found, were twice as likely to die within the next six years compared with those who scored higher; those who scored three or fewer points were more than five times as likely to die within the same period compared with those who scored more than eight points”.
Here is the most interesting conclusion:
“Overall, each point increase in the SRT score was associated with a 21% decrease in mortality from all causes.”
21% decrease? That is very significant!! I know you are anxious to try this simple test- so how do you know how to score it?
“The two basic movements in the sitting-rising test – lowering to the floor and standing back up- are each scored on a 1-5 scale, with 1 point subtracted each time a hand or knee is used for support and .5 points subtracted for loss of balance; this yields a single 10 point scale. ”
Let’s go!
Here it is: Take your shoes off and give yourself some room. Can you cross your feet and go from a standing position, sink all the way down to sitting “criss cross applesauce” and then stand back up again? Sounds easy enough. Be careful though….don’t lose your balance!
Start of the SRT
Dropping Midway
Sitting
Rising from sitting
Rising Halfway up
Finish -Ta Da!
Be careful and don’t cheat! Here are some examples of cheating:
Rising- lower leg cheat
Rising – hand on the ground cheat
Rising – hand on the knee cheat
Rising – elbow on the ground cheat
Rising – balance cheat
Good job testing your flexibility, strength, and balance. How did you do? Let us know in the comments below!
We were doing this the other morning. Now L thinks she is doomed.
Dear Jon,
Please tell Leslie she is not doomed. You guys are so funny. It really is remarkable how such a seemingly easy test can provide so much information, though, eh?
Thank you as always for your input and comments! 🙂 Laura
love it! good info/test. and the photos made my day. i heart Laura
Jenny Jen,
You are so sweet. I am glad that you liked the information and test. That’s the beauty, eh? Simple and to the point. Those Brazilians don’t mess around with soccer or with their health! 🙂 Laura
Oh, Oh! Better plan my funeral or figure out how to get stronger. Was able to get down to the floor without touching with some effort, not so good coming even part way. Shall I keep practicing the initial squat and give myself some credit for coming up using one hand? Thanks Marta
Hi Marta,
Thank you for the comment! Yes, please, work on the initial squat. Pay attention to what muscles are perhaps restricting you from completing it in it’s entirety. This requires a lot of lateral stabilization…so I will hop on my glute bandwagon again and tell you to get after those muscles in particular. You get credit for coming up on one hand, just not full credit! It is a mere .5 point deduction, so don’t fret. 🙂 Keep up the good work! 🙂 Laura
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Ok! I did it, but here’s the thing. What’s the doctor say about which leg to cross in front. With my right leg in front of the left it was no problem. I’ll live forever! With my left leg in front of the right, it was a far more difficult endeavor to stand up. Thanks for this interesting test. 🙂
Hi KJ– isn’t that interesting! I find that most people have a strong hip and a not-so-strong hip. That is excellent information for you to be in possession of– now you can target the not-so-strong hip, as it will make life difficult for the rest of your body if you don’t! Thanks for commenting! 🙂
Woot! I’m just shy of my 54th birthday, and I aced this – even though I’ve been almost completely sedentary for more than 2 years now. Yes, of course I need to find some way to change that, but this was encouraging. Thanks for the post!
Hi Kayla, So glad you liked the test. I have always been a fan of simplicity. It will be interesting to see if you develop any tight spots as you transition back into working out….that seems like a really nice and easy way to check in with your body. Brilliant! 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
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