Tests
Five tests, three times
The same measures clinics and the survival studies use, done at home in about ten minutes. Week 0: all five. Week 6: chair stand, single-leg stance, TUG. Week 12: all five.
30-Second Chair StandHow many times you can stand up from a chair and sit back down in 30 seconds, arms crossed. It measures leg strength and power — the strength you use to get out of a chair, climb stairs and catch yourself.
+2 stands or moreSingle-Leg StanceHow long you can stand on one leg, eyes open, up to 45 seconds. It measures static balance — the system that keeps you upright when you step off a curb or turn in the kitchen.
+5 seconds or more4-Meter Gait SpeedYour usual walking speed over 4 meters (about 13 feet). One of the most studied predictors of survival in older adults.
+0.10 m/s or moreTimed Up & GoThe time to stand from a chair, walk 3 meters (10 feet), turn, walk back and sit down. It combines strength, balance and walking in one number and is used in fall-risk screening.
1.0 second faster or moreGrip StrengthMaximum squeeze on a hand dynamometer. Optional in this program: it is a strong marker of overall muscle strength and survival, but it is not a program target — we train legs, hips and balance, not the hand.
tracked, not scored
+2 stands or moreSingle-Leg StanceHow long you can stand on one leg, eyes open, up to 45 seconds. It measures static balance — the system that keeps you upright when you step off a curb or turn in the kitchen.
+5 seconds or more4-Meter Gait SpeedYour usual walking speed over 4 meters (about 13 feet). One of the most studied predictors of survival in older adults.
+0.10 m/s or moreTimed Up & GoThe time to stand from a chair, walk 3 meters (10 feet), turn, walk back and sit down. It combines strength, balance and walking in one number and is used in fall-risk screening.
1.0 second faster or moreGrip StrengthMaximum squeeze on a hand dynamometer. Optional in this program: it is a strong marker of overall muscle strength and survival, but it is not a program target — we train legs, hips and balance, not the hand.
tracked, not scored
What counts as a real change
Tests wobble from day to day, so the program uses published thresholds for a change that is bigger than the noise:
- Chair stand: +2 repetitions or more — the anchor-based major clinically important improvement was 2.0–2.6 reps in a physiotherapy trial, PMID 21335930.
- Gait speed: +0.10 m/s or more — "substantial change" in older adults, PMID 16696738 (small meaningful change is about 0.05 m/s).
- Timed Up & Go: 1.0 second faster or more — thresholds of 0.8–1.4 s in the same trial, PMID 21335930.
- Single-leg stance: +5 seconds — a program convention, not a published threshold; we say so.
- Grip: tracked, not scored — the program trains legs, hips and balance.
Grip strength (optional)
Maximum squeeze on a hand dynamometer. Optional in this program: it is a strong marker of overall muscle strength and survival, but it is not a program target — we train legs, hips and balance, not the hand.
- Sit with the elbow bent at 90 degrees, forearm neutral, dynamometer handle set to fit.
- Squeeze as hard as you can for 3 seconds; three tries per hand; record the best.
- Skip this test if you do not own a dynamometer — nothing in the program depends on it.
Norms in the Movement Lab: Dodds et al. 2014 centiles from twelve British studies, PMID 25474696; EWGSOP2 weakness cut-offs 27 kg (men) and 16 kg (women), PMID 30312372.
Test-day rules
- Same chair, same hallway, same shoes, same time of day each time.
- Rested: no strength session the day before a test day.
- Someone nearby the first time, and for the balance test at any age.
- Do the tests in the Movement Lab; it scores them against the norms and keeps them on your device. Enrolled participants copy them into their record from the week 1, 6 and 12 pages.
Stop and rest if you notice: Chest pain or pressure · Sudden or unusual breathlessness · Dizziness, light-headedness or feeling faint · A racing or irregular heartbeat · Sudden, sharp or worsening pain · Anything that frightens you. Stop, sit, and rest. If symptoms do not settle within minutes, or you have chest pain, fainting, or one-sided weakness or slurred speech, call 911.