Consider what life could be like without strong, healthy muscles. Many daily tasks and activities depend on a strong, stable lower body, like walking a golf course and swinging a club, bending down to lift heavy grocery bags, and even catching yourself from a stumble. Leg strength is essential in order to live an active lifestyle well into your 70s—and beyond.
“Maintaining leg strength and endurance is vitally important, as your legs are critical for ambulating, climbing stairs and even just getting up from a chair, which promotes functional independence into your later years. Strong leg muscles also support your knee and hip joints, which make these everyday movements much easier. Furthermore, lower-body strength helps you maintain good balance, which can reduce the risk of falls,” explains Emily Hollon, a Certified Pilates Instructor and the Founder and Owner of Core Collective, who has more than a decade of experience working with all age groups.
But how strong are your legs, and how do you compare to others in your age group? We learned some crucial scoop. According to Hollon, if you can hold this standing position for two minutes after hitting 65, your leg strength is considered “top-tier.” Kudos to you, and keep up the stellar workouts!
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The Standing Exercise To Do for 2 Minutes
The chair sit-to-stand is considered an effective test of leg strength and endurance for those 65+, Hollon tells us. Of course, you begin from a standing position, but you then lower your glutes toward the chair—without touching it—before pressing through your feet to rise back up.
“Stop shy of lowering all the way down to a seated position. Aim to lower yourself down to at least a foot above the chair, or as low as you can without compromising your form,” Hollon instructs. “Ensure you keep your feet flat on the floor, push your hips back and hinge slightly forward, keeping your back straight.”
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What Makes It Effective for Testing Leg Strength
This movement activates your glutes, quads, and hamstrings to keep your hip and knee position solid against gravity. Repeatedly rising from a “seated” position for more than two minutes without tiring signals excellent leg strength and endurance for individuals over 65 years of age.
“The added benefit of this test is that it allows clients to evaluate their progress over time, as they can easily measure both how close to the chair they’re able to hover and how long they’re able to hold the position (and how many sit-to-stands they’re able to complete, assuming they’re testing this, as well),” Hollon says.
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