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Can you get down to the floor and back up without your hands?

The sitting-rising test checks strength, balance and flexibility in one move. A 2025 study found it predicted survival over 12 years.

By Bernard Aoun, MDUpdated September 2026
An older adult rising from the floor on a mat at home

Getting down to the floor and back up again sounds simple. It isn’t. It takes leg strength, balance, flexibility and coordination, all at once. That’s exactly why a Brazilian research team has spent years studying it.

How the test is scored

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You start with 10 points. Sitting down cross-legged on the floor is worth 5, and standing back up is worth 5. You lose 1 point each time you use a hand, forearm, knee or the side of your leg for support, and half a point for a noticeable wobble.

Died during about 12 years of follow-up

By sitting-rising test score

Score 0–4needed a lot of support

42.1%

Score 10no support at all

3.7%

Araujo et al., European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2025. Differences in age and health explain some of this gap. After accounting for them, the lowest scores still carried about 4 times the risk of natural death and 6 times the risk of heart-related death.

Each point lower on the test was linked with about a third higher risk of dying from natural causes. As always, this is a link, not proof: people who struggle with the test often have other health problems too.

Trying it safely

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  1. Don’t do it alone. Have a partner nearby to steady you and keep score.
  2. Clear a space, put down a mat or rug, and keep a sturdy chair within reach.
  3. Skip the test if you have hip, knee or back problems, or balance trouble. The chair stand test is a safer alternative.

Improving your score

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The skills behind this test are all trainable: squats or sit-to-stands for leg strength, standing on one leg for balance, and gentle hip and ankle stretches for flexibility. The research team reports that people of all ages have improved their scores with practice.

Try it yourself. Try the chair stand test instead

This article is for general education and is not medical advice for any individual.

References
  1. Araujo CGS, et al. Sitting–rising test scores predict natural and cardiovascular causes of deaths in middle-aged and older men and women. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2025. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf325
  2. Brito LBB, et al. Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality. Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2014;21(7):892–898.
Cite or share this article

Bernard Aoun, MD. Can you get down to the floor and back up without your hands?. Tortoise Time. Updated September 2026. https://www.tortoisetime.com/learn/sitting-rising-test

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Keep the testing method, population and limitations with any quoted finding. A page update is not evidence of an independent medical review.