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Muscle Loss Test For Ages 60+ (& How To Regain)
- chelsie462
- Jul 22
- 9 min read
This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in August 2024. For the original video, go to https://youtu.be/D2Brmc1zf4g
Brad: Oh, strong legs, Mike.
Mike: Do you feel like your legs are getting weaker, but aren't sure how to test it out?
Brad: Well, today we're going to show you a simple at-home test you can use for yourself and find out how strong your legs are compared to the average in your age group. So we're going to show you a legitimate test you can do at home. Now, I've used this test in the clinic for people on numerous occasions. It works well. And near the end, we're going to show you five excellent ways you can strengthen your legs at home.
Mike: So the test is called the 30-Second Sit-to-Stand Test. And as it sounds like in the title, you're going to do as many sit-to-stands as you can within 30 seconds. This test was initially created to measure leg strength, specifically in older people, 60-plus.
Brad: Right, it's actually part of a formal test under the Fullerton Functional Fitness Test Battery. Now this is something that has been used for research, for measuring strength in older people. It is an excellent test, and we'll show you how it works specifically. All right, for this test, you're going to need a chair, a firm chair without armrests, preferably with rubber tips on the end so it doesn't slide. And also, they want you to actually put the chair against the wall so it will not slide for sure. The height of the seat pan to the floor should be 17 inches. That's considered standard height. You know, if you don't have the exact height, that's okay, as long as you use the same chair from the first test to the second or third test. Mike, you want to get into how to actually do it?
Mike: So when you're performing this test, you're going to sit in the chair, have your feet roughly shoulder-width apart. They suggest scooting more towards the edge of the chair. You can stagger your stance a little bit if you want, placing one foot in front of the other. Now, when doing the test, you're supposed to cross your arms over your chest. If you cannot get up at all without using your arms for support, say you have an armchair; you're going to score a zero according to this test. However, if you want to modify it for yourself, you really can't get up without your arms. Just know for yourself, I have to use my arms, but you can still work on improving your overall score.
Brad: That's right, I actually did that on a regular basis in the clinic. I would just write on my notepad that the patient needed armrests, one or two, to stand up. And then I knew for a week later when I retest, so that we did it the same way, so you get consistent numbers.
Mike: Now, when you do this test, in order for it to count, you need to stand all the way up, straighten your knees out, and sit all the way back down. You cannot do half repetitions; they do not count. So maintain good form all the way up, all the way down. Also, do not just plop into the chair because it's going to be uncomfortable and you're probably going to hurt yourself.
Brad: Yeah, this is a no-plop zone.
Mike: So we'll get into exactly how to do the test here.
Brad: Okay, so we'll do an official test. Now, Mike is sitting there. He's got good posture, and he knows everything he just spoke about. Now I'm going to help him out. And this is a good way to do it, to have a partner help you. You don't have to. I would use your cell phone or a clock with a second hand so that you're sure you get 30 seconds. We're going to use this so you can actually see. So, Mike, I want you to stand up tall, just do a little practice one. And they recommend one or two practice ones before the official test. Okay, you feel comfortable, you're not getting dizzy?
Mike: Nope.
Brad: This would be a concern. If you get dizzy while standing, do not do the test. That is not uncommon with some people of age, or even younger people. How do we get this thing? Oh, the start button. Remember where that is? Okay, I'm going to count, not out loud. And if you're doing it by yourself, you count in your head, of course. Ready? And go ahead. There, so I'm going to observe to make sure he does everything properly. If he does one improperly, let's can you demonstrate? There, that would not count. There we go, I've already lost count already. Where are we at?
Mike: I'm on five good ones.
Brad: Okay. Good. And he's maintaining good posture; he's steady, not wobbling. If the person does wobble or seem unsteady, you note that down so that you can remember that for the next time you test. Oh.
Mike: 10.
Brad: Now, the way they would prefer you to count it is if you're halfway up or higher when the buzzer or the timer goes off, you do count that one. You get credit if you're higher than halfway.
Mike: So I did 11, but I had that half rep, so that one does not count. But I was all the way up and did 10 consecutively. So what you would do now is look at your score compared to the chart we're showing on screen here. It's just the average range for your age group. They separate it between men and women. If you are not in that range, it's okay. Just retest each week to see if you're improving.
Brad: Very good. It's important to write it down if you're like me and not going to be able to remember it next week. Okay, let's show them some exercises they can do on a daily basis so they can retest and see if their strength in their legs has improved.
Mike: So we do want to mention, for demonstration purposes, or at least I want to mention, I was going at what I think the average patient would be going at. Technically, I could do more sit-to-stands, but I don't like to brag.
Brad: Yeah, right.
Mike: So here are the five tips we want to talk about. You're basically going to just do sit-to-stands, but focus on different parts of the form. So the first thing, if you are a beginner and you can't get up with your arms crossed, is to use the armrest; that's perfectly fine. Again, you want to have a good, wide base of support with your feet, get up, and then sit back down. Work on trying to drive as much as you can with your legs and only use your arms as needed. Don't focus on doing all the work with your arms, because you're not going to benefit your legs if you do that.
Brad: Now, there's another option to using the armrests. Say you have an armrestless chair, no armrests. You can simply elevate your butt by putting a pillow or a pad under you; usually, one or two inches is all you need to make a significant difference in getting up. So without this, I can't get up, and I'll put this cushion under here, or a pillow that elevates me about an inch or two. You'll be amazed at how much easier it is to do that. And then you work with that. And as you get stronger, simply take out the cushion or the pillow.
Mike: Another option would be if your house, you feel safe on the edge of your bed, and your bed is raised up taller than a chair, you can just try a higher surface like that as well instead of getting a pad. The next tip to be aware of is actually getting your feet underneath you, like we talked about. So some people will put their feet too far out in front of them. I can't get up like that at all without arms. I can, it's just very strugglesome.
Mike: So what you're going to do is just make sure your feet are wide, but again, bring them back more underneath you, get your knees more forward, which eludes into our next tip. Tip number four is getting your nose over your toes, shifting your center of gravity forward. If I try to go up with a straight upright back, this is pretty awkward; I kind of have to use my hands. If you shift your weight forward, getting your weight over your center of gravity, this makes it a lot easier to go forward. Just make sure you're steady. If you have balance issues, maybe put a chair in front of you or a walker if needed.
Brad: Let me add a couple of things to that. If you notice, when Mike does lean forward, look at his posture; his back stays nice and straight. He's not arching and slouching.
Brad: The other little tip that works handy that I've worked with a lot of people, I'll say, "Put your hands on your knees, lean forward with that good posture, and then push off your hands." That's a good way to add assistance and stabilize your body. So there's a lot of little tricks you can do to help yourself out.
Mike: Now the last tip is to focus on the sitting portion of this exercise. In therapy, we call the up force concentric movement, and we call this eccentric movement, meaning your legs are still working but in an eccentric way. So what we want to do is say you struggle to get up, you have to use your arms, that's fine. On the way down, try to sit slower, try to count to four seconds. Two, three, four. This is going to make your legs work a lot longer, and it's going to make you build up strength over time working in the eccentric range of motion.
Brad: Yeah, you don't have to worry about knowing the eccentric or concentric, but it does also give you a good habit of sitting down with good control, and that's a good way to be safe, particularly if you have some osteoporosis in your spine. When you plop down, you could get a compression fracture in your spine, particularly if you're older, so good habits with this get you stronger and keep you safe.
Mike: You may have noticed that I was kind of slacking earlier when I got just above the seat, I kind of started plopping. So try to focus on maintaining that slow range throughout the whole thing. It's challenging at any age.
Brad: There you go, I think we've covered these at nauseum, Mike.
Mike: We have. So there's the test. Again, retest them each week. Work on some of these tips to improve your score. If you still feel like your legs are weak and you want some other exercises to focus on, you can check out our video, "3 Leg Strengthening Exercises Every Senior Should Do."
Brad: Three leg strengthening exercises every senior should do. Who is it by?
Mike: Bob and Brad.
Brad: Bob and Brad. Yours truly, all right. Have a good day and good luck with leg strengthening.
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