My issue with the cross leg sit/stand was that it just did not replicate anything that we'd have done instinctively during our development from infants to adults. The bear crawl to side sit and the lunge to sit were far more natural progressions for me and these are the movements that I practice.
Thanks for this. I am 84 and work out every morning, I found the cross leg sit and stand position very difficult. However I was able to do the sit and stand you showed, and was able to do it using one arm. I am hoping to make 100 yrs.
Eat only highly nutritious food. Stay away from sugar, artificial sweeteners, pop, empty calories etc.... health is promoted more by what we eat than anything else, but exercise is important to. And most important is to repent of ours sins and call upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins. This life is like a blade of grass, bur our souls are eternal and wil either spend eternity with God and Jesus Christ or in everlasting torment. You must be born again. Read John 3:3, John 14:6, Romans 10:9.
Thanks for this common sense approach to getting down to and up from the floor. As you mentioned, I feel that the cross leg sit down/get up method does not take into account people with injuries. I have a complete rupture of my right ACL, not repaired, and my knee is extremely vulnerable. I was very active prior, lunges and squats were mainstays of my exercise regimen along with yoga, many miles of walking, step exercise, weight lifting. However after my injury, exercises like typical squats and lunges, even bicycle riding can no longer be done without extreme pain (physical therapy was no help at all). I am still active but have learned to modify all my activities via trial and error. I learned to do modifications like dead lifts for weights and kettle bell swings/ bear crawl for cardio, as well as walking. In order to get to the floor, and back up, I use the same method you show. Thanks for validating that this is an alternative to good health (versus an early death sentence!).
hey JW, there's a thing called frailty. it measures how exposed an individual in age from >60y. is to fatal or health reducing outcome of situations, f.e. from falling. and as you know, people like your mom or other examples are exeptions to the rule. If people are rather agile than unflexible, then their reflexes and self-awareness when mobile should be increased. the more people fall and the worse or harder they recover from pain / operations, etc, the shorter in absolute numbers their life will be. but the longer i think about it, the lesser i perceive your comment as "thumbs down" to this video. Greetings :)
Neither of my parents could have done this test, he lived to 84 and she lived to 96. I can get down but fall for the last inch or so, rising is impossible because I cannot shift my weight forward enough. Am I a zombie? I can easily and quickly sit on the floor and rise again multiple times in a row, but I need to use my arm to slowly sit the last inch or so and to transfer my weight to the supporting foot. It’s not so much about strength and balance, flexibility is my Achilles heel (no pun intended)
Now we have this miracle called UA-cam. I am 54 and want to work on my knees lasting me my whole life, hopefully I’ll be privileged to live as long as your momma did!❤
I just learned about the sitting-rising test today (30 minutes ago to be exact). I’m 65 and I’m fairly certain I haven’t been able to sit to stand without support for well over 6 years so evidently I’m on borrowed time ;) I really like this guy’s approach. It’s very sensible and doable.
Don't worry, I know people in their 80s who have never been able to do it. Last year, I lost to cancer a very fit friend aged 58 who was definitely able to do that and a lot more.
I love your message and instruction. We all know people that have ongoing falls and we all know it’s downhill from there. Thanks for bringing this up and sharing! I am 63 and no one has ever asked me if I have trouble getting up from the floor. I don’t however I can see a difference from 10 years ago. Doctors should be addressing and educating their patients starting at 55 and continuing on.
You're right about people hurting themselves just trying to do the sit/stand! I would never ask my mother to try that. Your bear crawl is brilliant. I will be integrating that into my routine, as my knees are shot. Lots of people have problem knees from 65 onward, it seems!
You make so much sense!! The other test was ridiculous!! Some people are more flexible in their knees and hips and can cross their legs easily.Your test and skill is more in line with how we move naturally!
If you are healthy, it's not ridiculous, it's a piece of cake. Also getting up from sitting WITHOUT using arms to push off the floor, just using your legs and core strength. Doing deep squats, pistol squats and what not. The problem of most of these physiotherapists is that their work focuses on patients that are already broken. Then they view that condition as "normal aging", but it's not, it's a disability that starts early on because of lack of physical exercise.
Great video. So happy to see the Sitting Rising test debunked, I am a fit 5'6" 130 lb. woman. I have NEVER at any stage in my life, been able to do that test. I should have been dead decades ago according to the estimates but have so far made it to seventy three. So take heart all of you that can't do this test, the chances are that your body is just not made that way and you are not doomed to die within the next six years.
Right, I would say that is a pretty irresponsible way of communicating possible death if someone can not do a certain exercise. Which is why I did not pick up the new book from some doctor that claimed that.
There is no evidence of a string causal relationship between skilled movement and mortality. There is a weak causal relationship between skilled movement and injuries. Posture and movement are useful as measures of inefficiency or mechanics but not predictors of mortality. There are more centenarians with rounded backs and "poor" posture than ones with straight backs and "ideal" posture. What centenarians demonstrate is that they move as little as needed.
@@dm5129 I would pick up that book, set it on the floor and repeat, as slowly and smoothly as I could, 50 times while feeling what I was doing. Then return it to the shelf, and walk away. : - D -I've rarely found a book from a doctor or therapist that wasn't trying to sell something, few about exercise that accurately described exercise in an instructive way, fewer that described position to someone who didn't already know it, fewer that described discovering efficient position and efficient movement. -Videos are often better when listened to without watching and then critically watched without listening. Those who didn't and don't need to work are bad guides for those who do. When a demonstrator doesn't look like he is uncomfortable, has to work to do something, or doesn't look like he needs to do the exercise to become fit, be suspicious. If he/she didn't need to go through the struggle to get there, they are less likely to understand what that struggle requires.
Thanks for showing the microsteps. A good FMT showed me how to get up and down without aggravating my chronic knee injuries, chronic shoulder injuries, and disc damage. And FWIW, my mother lived happily to age 89 and could not get to the floor or back up for at least 18 years before she passed.
Doc, you're great! It is so refreshingly wonderful to see people who speak with intelligence, based on logic and analysis as well as science. Let me shake your hand in the virtual world. I work with exercise for the elderly, (as well young, wide age range really) and i see how some of the older people are approaching the point where these movements start to become a problem. Thank you for dotting the i's and crossing the t's on this subject. I am definitely coming back to learn more. Glad to have discovered your "youtube clinic". P.S. I definitely did notice that you made an effort to maintain the correct spine position during the bear-crawl...
This video is important; in that, it reinforces the notion of "do what you can do safely", for me the cross-leg sitting rising would be very dangerous, so I don't do it. What you propose is a safe exercise I can do and will do. Thank you very very much for debunking a dangerous exercise. At 70 I was still doing my 50 pullups a workout, the decline has been rapid, I'm only 79 but having been misdiagnosed on a couple of occasions things are not as they were. Thank you for posting this very important video.............. (John Perth Australia)
My father is 93 and he was never into workouts. He could hardly stand up from what he sat on. Yet he was brisk with his other movements. It's all about developing your muscles, bones, joints, etc. Nothing to do with longevity.
I am 80, recovering from hip fracture partial hip replacement, 4 months out from surgery. The way you broke this down is helpful, particularly for strengthening the needed muscles.
Helpful! Thanks. I do yoga & am pretty flexible, but I can’t do the usual sitting/rising test w/o a hand. Those pronouncements re: longevity & simple tests like this can be frightening to folks. I like your 3-part motto too at the end.
Oh man. Thank-you. The sit stand thing was depressing me. Yes, I'm 56 and overweight, but I have a very physical job and my joints have had some long historical abuse. The floor is no problem for me, but that cross leg test was impossible. Thank-you again.
The test is a statistical indicator of death risk backed up by longitudinal studies. Being overweight is obviously going to pose a problem, and is one of the risk factors that the test accounts for. People don't die from not doing the test - they die from factors that make the test harder to do. Having more weight to lift off the ground is one of those factors. A larger waist could also get in the way at the bottom part of the movement, where you have to lean your upper body far forward to get your center of gravity over your feet and avoid falling backwards. The weight penalty itself is similar to any exercise that requires lifting one's weight against gravity, such as chinups, climbing hills on a bicycle, etc. So if you gave people a chinup test, you'd probably find that the ones who can do chinups live longer on average than the ones who cannot. The test is probably just showing what we already know: that being overweight shortens a person's life, on average. I wouldn't get depressed about it - I would just eat less and exercise more. Losing weight isn't rocket science. The hard part is overcoming the urge to overeat and to eat junk food. But that's similar to overcoming any kind of addiction. Search for "surfing the urge" for videos on one method to do it. It's also easy to train progressively for the test, by sitting on progressively lower platforms. The test becomes harder the closer one gets to the floor. So start out by sitting on a platform of whatever height lets you complete the movment, such as a chair or footstool. Then try to lower the platform an inch per week or whenever you can. I also found that holding light weights in my hands, like water bottles, made the test easier at first, since I had a tendency to roll backwards at the bottom. Having to lift a little more weight was offset by the benefit of a counterbalance by holding the bottles as far forward as I could reach. I got past the need for bottles by stretching my back and hamstrings. My flexibility is still rather poor but I'm working on it.
I just came from a sit that showed the 10/10 sit to rise test. I think the test needs to test many things. Someone on this site said injuries. Also, natural flexibility and body shape would play a factor. A person with short torso and long legs will have a much tougher time than someone with shorter legs. Thank you for you common sense approach. Now I don't feel like I will die next year.
This is great - breaking movement down into manageable parts and encouraging people to just get started! I did a bootcamp a few years ago and was able to run skip hop and jump but the bear crawl was the most exhausting! It requires arm muscle and I don't know about most older women (I'm 65) but it's easy to neglect the arms :)
God bless you for this YT! Another YT suggests I'm a goner in six years and I'm only 57! (Somewhat disabled due to MS) Now I have some exercises to do!
To my knowledge I've never done the stand up without using hands exercise, even when very young. I can't do it now, not even close, but I can do a wide range of other exercises.
I haven't gotten off the floor by myself in years!!!!!!!! I was trying your method and I was able to do it, im so excited!! maybe I'll have longer than 6 years lol!!
This was such a helpful video! I have wanted a good way to strengthen my thighs to lift up and down from the floor. I am going to start these exercises now.
Thank you for this. After menopause I suddenly gained a lot of weight and I found the sit/stand test difficult to do. I was horrified as I am quite active and have very good flexibility. For example, despite my newly aqcuired belly, I can easily put the palms of my hands flat to the floor with my legs together (classic toe touch pose). I can even lay flat on the floor, cross my arms over my chest and sit up using my abdominal muscles. But I can't do the sit/stand test reliably. But your video helps me to see that the test is conclusive of poor health.
Hi! At 68 yo, I am able to sit without any support, but not do the “stand “ part. I have absolutely no trouble getting up from the floor using all the other techniques you modeled. I hope that’s the most important part! Of my two boys (aged 31 & 33) the 31 yo could easily sit to stand, but my 33 yo couldn’t get up as easily. That reassured me that this test is no indicator of longevity 🙄😕 My husband, who’s VERY fit and daily walks 10,000 to over 20,000 steps, also had trouble with the sit-to-stand. Loved your demonstrations and newly subscribed! Thanks for such valuable info. ☺️
Absolutely, I have numerous knee injuries from sports and couldn’t have done this test in my 20’s, I’m currently 64 and still won’t twist my knees like that because I’ll end up injuring myself.
Eminent common sense. I'm a fairly fit 70 - swim and Zumba once a week, walk, and yoga 4 times but found stand/sit test hard. The first thing I noticed was alarm bells through crossing ankles. This is a downright dangerous movement because it distorts the knee joints as you go down. Knees vary a lot and mine are proportionally large. They would not do certain things even in my fit and fleetfooted childhood.
Found this very helpful. I have major left shoulder issue and leg problem. We’re in process of moving and my mattress is on the floor. It has been really painful until I learned how to do it.
To negative comments, I realize that the title doesnt quite match the video but in the end does it matter? I was focusing on the exercises and I think its fantastic. Just see it for that and stop whining.
The video has good advice on practical techniques for getting on and off the floor. In no way does it "debunk" the observed statistical meaning of the sit-rise test. The video title is false advertising. Pointing out lies is not "whining." Few people over the age of 50 can score a 10 on the sit-rise test. And guess what - people over 50 have a higher risk of death. It's called getting older. But by controlling the factors the make the test difficult - such as not being overweight, maintaining strength through frequent exercise, and flexility from stretching, a person can score a ten into later age. There was also a longitudinal study out of the Cleveland Clinic that found the more aerobically fit a person is, the lower their death risk is. The study found no upper limit of benefit from aerobic fitness. The most fit people for their age and sex had the lowest death risk in the study. But of course not everyone can be in the top 2% of aerobic fitness. The point is if you want to live longer, try to remain as fit as you can. That will help your odds.
I've always put a hand down because I've never thought of doing it without. The SRT move is hard work to get back from though I imagine I could practice and get it. I naturally just put a hand behind, put my feet together and stand.
Great job, and explanation, I am 68 years old, I did 200 push-ups, 200 kettle bell swings, 200 ab rolls, 10 flights with 35 lb. Kettle bell, then run 4 flights, 5 sets, total of 20, then I walk with 22 lb. Weighted vest for 50 mintiest, up and down hills, all in one day. I still cannot do the sit / stand test, I hope all that work is for nothing.
Absolutely fantastic! Just what I need and right when I needed it. I couldn't work out how to get my mobility back after an accident kept me inactive for too long. This'll do it. Thank you!
Yes, I think you're right. Someone came up with this cross legged no hands stand, and made something bogus of it. A lot of people's knees are not perfect enough to do that. And I don't think it means "death" in a shorter time.
Brilliant. Those functional exercises make for a terrific workout, all the while helping people move better and more safely in daily life. Thanks for this.
I really really appreciate this vid ! There's osteoarthritis and small bone growths in the ole hips and decreased outer rotational flexibility as a result .. So warrior 2 yoga pose is challenging for example ..I see merit in attempting these exercises ..And they are exercises ! ..to increase mobility and flexibility .. I will add to my yoga regimen ..Thank you Doc!
I'm 70 and cannot get off the floor when I am down. I have to call emergency. My right knee is prosthetic and I can't bend well enough to do a Downward Dog. How can I learn to get off the floor on my own? I love your video. It gives me hope. I'm also very overweight so that's a problem.
Good information. The lunge, as you mentioned, is an extremely useful exercise to master; I quite by accident discovered that it is useful for avoiding falls/pulled groin muscles in the event you slip on something. If you feel a foot loose traction, bending both knees and transitioning that slide into a lunge movement/position results in a fairly gentle landing on one knee, rather than an uncontrolled fall. I have used this trick many times on wet floors in public places to save myself injury and embarrassment. It of course requires a little practice at the movement in advance to make the reaction a reflex, but well worth the time, as a pulled groin is misserable.
@@ppmppm7010 When I say many times, I mean over the course of my entire life. And my point is, if you learn this technique, it can help prevent injury in old age. I’ve known of a lot of elderly people who become badly injured slipping and falling, so training in a ‘safe fall’ reflex seems wise.
I found this to be a natural movement for me. In high school I could easily cross my legs, sit down and stand back up with almost no effort. Now at age 73 I have to do this movement which is also totally natural to me, but my issue is not the movement or leg strength; it's arm and shoulder strength and finding footing that will allow the twist with shoes on the dirt or grass. That's where I'm up and down a lot; in the garden weeding or harvesting. I don't want to get my knees on the wet or muddy ground, but I often just have to in order to get up the first way you suggested to Bob.
I teach 6th grade. Many of my students fail the sit-stand test. Only two of my students are overweight, and most of them are pretty fit in other ways. I wouldn't put a lot of stock in one test like that!
Katie Burgess absolutely agree. So much pressure on your ankles in that sill position. I first saw this and believed it. After trying it I caused foot problems and I’m used to hiking up steep hillsides every day.
I remember doing the sit-stand "test" as a child, mainly as a trick. Only much later in life did I become aware that it has become an actual test, or at least a statistical indicator of death risk. I found I couldn't do it at first, mainly because I had lost a lot of flexibility, making the bottom few inches of the movement hard. But after a few months of daily stretching I got the movement back, and now it's easy again. So my question is how valid the test is if you train for it. And I imagine the 6th graders could be trained for it too. It's easy to make a progression, by sitting on progressively lower platforms. Lots of people can't do chinups either, but they can train up to them.
@@danielmocsny5066 if we are training for this doesn't it mean that we are strengthening our core, trunk, and legs? Which means our parameters for longevity is better now? Wouldnt the passing of this test be basically a output of our health?
@@danielmocsny5066 agreed. A 6th grade child would never be handed a college level test and expected to pass it without studying first, but are expected to pass a physical test without training.
Ok I did the "drive away" part, then I came up all the way, but I needed to keep both hands on the floor and push off. That's the best I can do for now. And, as you said about the person in the beginning, I myself also have bad knees and legs also. I did manage to "come down" similarly to what you did (with one hand after reaching the floor or something like that), and if it wasn't for my knees hurting on the inside, I believe I could have switched hands and come back up pushing off with only the one hand, but I needed the other hand because my knees were hurting too much inside. If I had stronger arms, I believe I could do it, but I'm female and my arms are very weak!!! I'm not afraid of getting down on the floor. I'm just unhappy with myself because I can't do this sit/floor thing the right way as there's no way I can cross my legs or feet without my heels coming off the floor and my knees hurt a lot also!!! Sorry this is long.
I have arthritis in my left big toe joint. I use it I can get up but bear crawl ouch. I have been doing yoga for 50 years so I have ability to get up and down. Thank you.
I couldn't do it 25 years ago and I can't do it now. I ride my bike in the Swiss mountains every day and can cycle through a thousand vertical meters including 15 percent gradients no problem but not only can I not do the sit and stand but I can't get any leverage at all. Either I am the wrong shape, my center of gravity is just too far back, or my technique is somehow wrong.
I’m late 60’s and have a toddler great grandson. He likes me to play on the floor with him, I think it’s keeping me young. I also do yoga, which includes downward facing dog and lunges
I can get down and up off the floor but not the way you or the others talking about the sit/rise test discuss. With me it's basically getting down on hands and knees, then bringing one knee forward and pushing off with both hands. That means of course I fail the sit/rise test but I can (so far) always get down and get up.
I can do over 200 push-ups in one set, in strict form, but I can’t do the sitting/rising test. So my days are numbered? I’d love to be able to do the sitting rising test, too! I can do 10+ chin up anytime I want to. But, because I can’t do the sitting/rising test I must be a dead man walking?
I always had trouble crossing my legs while sitting, my knees stick straight up practically. This goes back to elementary school. So, this test is a problem. Otherwise , I'm in pretty good shape. Anyone else have this difficulty with leg crossing?
Thank you, I have just had my second knee replacement not able to knell on my knees, I am over weight wanting to get on the floor for exercise, not I can try your idea .
The problem for me is that I am over weight and I absolutely can not get up off the floor once I am down. Due to this I can't start on the floor and practice getting strong enough to get up. I have nobody to help me get back up. I'll have to lose weight and strengthen my legs and back prior doing anything on the floor.
I'm 100% plant based, workout at the gym, walk miles and miles at work, do lots of yoga but have a torn miniscus in my right knee so I could only do that like Bob does. Great video
This obsession with getting up off the floor without using your hands drives me crazy. I have 2 perfectly functioning arms, with hands attached. Why wouldn’t I use them??!
This is unnecessarily complicated for me. I get up from sitting on the floor by placing my feet next to each othe just in front of me, and stand up. Same method in reverse for sitting down. I am 55.
yes thanks for this! sooo much good info to aim for:) will pin this to my pinterest board and watch it daily! yes keep moving. My mom needs to try to aim for this but you know "im too old";(
Ok, here is what i dont get. I cannot stand with crossed legs. It's like a vice that holds them together. However, if my feet are apart, in a squat position I can do it no problem. Why do the feet have to be cross legged??? I dont get it.
My mom passed yesterday at 93. Never exercised a day in her life and simply passed of old age. Zero diseases, cancer, etc and no way could she do any of this. DEBUNKED
By far this is the most responsible video I’ve seen regarding this longevity test. Another video said I will die in 6 years and I’ve not been able to achieve 8 points or more since my 20s. Needless to say, that other doctor turned off his comments section lol
I'm not old, nor sick in any way, can run an 8 minute mile (or faster) and cycle and generally active. I was never able to do the sitting/rising test, even when I was 5, 15, 25 or 35. Its about balance and flexibility. I am not going to die in the coming 6 years, that is totally and utterly misleading. I may be able to do if I practiced some yoga and improved my flexibility and technique, but don't really see the benefits of that. I am not going to be rising/sitting like this ever.
I could not get up without using more support because my sides and core are weak. You suggested just trying to get up on the hip a little every day. I shall try that. In the meantime you have any other hints please. Fever from the lunge position, I need to put a hand on the floor and other hand on my knee to get up. I am 82 and do exercises daily. Any help will be appreciated.
It's impossible for me to stand from a sitting position on the floor without putting one hand on the floor to propel me up Standing from sitting on a chair is easy though. There has to be some reason its easier from a chair than on the floor. I think it's due to the shape of your legs cause on a chair they are already in the right place and on the floor they are crossed. Also when I was trying to go down and bending my knees in that fashion I felt it was dangerous and gonna injure me so I just decided not to do it 🙃 I also cannot do situps without my feet being held down by someone, or I place them under something but again all I'm really doing there is propelling myself up with my legs right? Even when I do that my lower back hurts and it's been like that even when I was skinny Im 42 now and I've been like this since my early 20s though so it's not an old age thing but obviously exercise is harder for me now than it was when I was 21
A lot of people dont have good knees or wrists. Thats a lot of weight on one wrist from the bear crawl. Whats wrong with going down on 2 knees then sitting?
My issue with the cross leg sit/stand was that it just did not replicate anything that we'd have done instinctively during our development from infants to adults. The bear crawl to side sit and the lunge to sit were far more natural progressions for me and these are the movements that I practice.
Thanks for this. I am 84 and work out every morning, I found the cross leg sit and stand position very difficult. However I was able to do the sit and stand you showed, and was able to do it using one arm. I am hoping to make 100 yrs.
I hope you do and beyond..Good Luck..keep your wheels in motion...!!
Good to know...I was afraid I was doomed at the age of 46 for not being able to do this. You’ve given me hope! :)
@@NicE-jq3wv you can do it, 46 isnt old..!!
Eat only highly nutritious food. Stay away from sugar, artificial sweeteners, pop, empty calories etc.... health is promoted more by what we eat than anything else, but exercise is important to. And most important is to repent of ours sins and call upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from your sins. This life is like a blade of grass, bur our souls are eternal and wil either spend eternity with God and Jesus Christ or in everlasting torment. You must be born again. Read John 3:3, John 14:6, Romans 10:9.
@@jeffparkinson5005 Are you a Seventh Day Adventist? They are taught by their religion to not eat meat.
Thanks for this common sense approach to getting down to and up from the floor. As you mentioned, I feel that the cross leg sit down/get up method does not take into account people with injuries. I have a complete rupture of my right ACL, not repaired, and my knee is extremely vulnerable. I was very active prior, lunges and squats were mainstays of my exercise regimen along with yoga, many miles of walking, step exercise, weight lifting. However after my injury, exercises like typical squats and lunges, even bicycle riding can no longer be done without extreme pain (physical therapy was no help at all). I am still active but have learned to modify all my activities via trial and error. I learned to do modifications like dead lifts for weights and kettle bell swings/ bear crawl for cardio, as well as walking. In order to get to the floor, and back up, I use the same method you show. Thanks for validating that this is an alternative to good health (versus an early death sentence!).
My Mom could never have done that (sitting rising test) in her adult life. She lived to age 94.
I have people who never moved and lived to their 90's
hey JW, there's a thing called frailty. it measures how exposed an individual in age from >60y. is to fatal or health reducing outcome of situations, f.e. from falling. and as you know, people like your mom or other examples are exeptions to the rule.
If people are rather agile than unflexible, then their reflexes and self-awareness when mobile should be increased. the more people fall and the worse or harder they recover from pain / operations, etc, the shorter in absolute numbers their life will be. but the longer i think about it, the lesser i perceive your comment as "thumbs down" to this video.
Greetings :)
Neither of my parents could have done this test, he lived to 84 and she lived to 96. I can get down but fall for the last inch or so, rising is impossible because I cannot shift my weight forward enough. Am I a zombie?
I can easily and quickly sit on the floor and rise again multiple times in a row, but I need to use my arm to slowly sit the last inch or so and to transfer my weight to the supporting foot. It’s not so much about strength and balance, flexibility is my Achilles heel (no pun intended)
Now we have this miracle called UA-cam. I am 54 and want to work on my knees lasting me my whole life, hopefully I’ll be privileged to live as long as your momma did!❤
@@weihawang4246 I know I'm late to the game, but it's not about lifespan, but healthspan. My mom is 93 and hasn't been healthy in at least 15 years.
I just learned about the sitting-rising test today (30 minutes ago to be exact). I’m 65 and I’m fairly certain I haven’t been able to sit to stand without support for well over 6 years so evidently I’m on borrowed time ;)
I really like this guy’s approach. It’s very sensible and doable.
Don't worry, I know people in their 80s who have never been able to do it. Last year, I lost to cancer a very fit friend aged 58 who was definitely able to do that and a lot more.
Thanks this is helpful
My mother and mother-in-law both lived into their 90s nether would have been able to do it since they were teenagers.
I love your message and instruction. We all know people that have ongoing falls and we all know it’s downhill from there. Thanks for bringing this up and sharing! I am 63 and no one has ever asked me if I have trouble getting up from the floor. I don’t however I can see a difference from 10 years ago. Doctors should be addressing and educating their patients starting at 55 and continuing on.
You're right about people hurting themselves just trying to do the sit/stand! I would never ask my mother to try that. Your bear crawl is brilliant. I will be integrating that into my routine, as my knees are shot. Lots of people have problem knees from 65 onward, it seems!
Thank you! I couldn't do the cross stand and felt so vulnerable. I can easily sit and stand with your method,,,feel so much better about myself!
awesome explanation. thank you for NOT just showing off the movements but teaching g the progression. I need to watch my grandkids more often
This is superb! You were just what I was looking for!! Thank you for creating this channel.
You make so much sense!! The other test was ridiculous!! Some people are more flexible in their knees and hips and can cross their legs easily.Your test and skill is more in line with how we move naturally!
If you are healthy, it's not ridiculous, it's a piece of cake. Also getting up from sitting WITHOUT using arms to push off the floor, just using your legs and core strength. Doing deep squats, pistol squats and what not. The problem of most of these physiotherapists is that their work focuses on patients that are already broken. Then they view that condition as "normal aging", but it's not, it's a disability that starts early on because of lack of physical exercise.
Great video. So happy to see the Sitting Rising test debunked, I am a fit 5'6" 130 lb. woman. I have NEVER at any stage in my life, been able to do that test. I should have been dead decades ago according to the estimates but have so far made it to seventy three. So take heart all of you that can't do this test, the chances are that your body is just not made that way and you are not doomed to die within the next six years.
Right, I would say that is a pretty irresponsible way of communicating possible death if someone can not do a certain exercise. Which is why I did not pick up the new book from some doctor that claimed that.
There is no evidence of a string causal relationship between skilled movement and mortality. There is a weak causal relationship between skilled movement and injuries. Posture and movement are useful as measures of inefficiency or mechanics but not predictors of mortality. There are more centenarians with rounded backs and "poor" posture than ones with straight backs and "ideal" posture. What centenarians demonstrate is that they move as little as needed.
@@dm5129 I would pick up that book, set it on the floor and repeat, as slowly and smoothly as I could, 50 times while feeling what I was doing. Then return it to the shelf, and walk away. : - D
-I've rarely found a book from a doctor or therapist that wasn't trying to sell something, few about exercise that accurately described exercise in an instructive way, fewer that described position to someone who didn't already know it, fewer that described discovering efficient position and efficient movement.
-Videos are often better when listened to without watching and then critically watched without listening. Those who didn't and don't need to work are bad guides for those who do. When a demonstrator doesn't look like he is uncomfortable, has to work to do something, or doesn't look like he needs to do the exercise to become fit, be suspicious. If he/she didn't need to go through the struggle to get there, they are less likely to understand what that struggle requires.
Thanks for showing the microsteps. A good FMT showed me how to get up and down without aggravating my chronic knee injuries, chronic shoulder injuries, and disc damage. And FWIW, my mother lived happily to age 89 and could not get to the floor or back up for at least 18 years before she passed.
Doc, you're great! It is so refreshingly wonderful to see people who speak
with intelligence, based on logic and analysis as well as science.
Let me shake your hand in the virtual world. I work with exercise for the elderly,
(as well young, wide age range really) and i see how some of the older people
are approaching the point where these movements start to become a problem.
Thank you for dotting the i's and crossing the t's on this subject. I am definitely
coming back to learn more. Glad to have discovered your "youtube clinic".
P.S. I definitely did notice that you made an effort to maintain the correct spine
position during the bear-crawl...
Excellently proved. Excellently demonstrated. Thank you!
Very many thanks indeed for a really interesting and informative video, so vital to all of us who have knee problems. Much appreciated ❤
This video is important; in that, it reinforces the notion of "do what you can do safely", for me the cross-leg sitting rising would be very dangerous, so I don't do it. What you propose is a safe exercise I can do and will do. Thank you very very much for debunking a dangerous exercise. At 70 I was still doing my 50 pullups a workout, the decline has been rapid, I'm only 79 but having been misdiagnosed on a couple of occasions things are not as they were. Thank you for posting this very important video.............. (John Perth Australia)
My father is 93 and he was never into workouts. He could hardly stand up from what he sat on. Yet he was brisk with his other movements. It's all about developing your muscles, bones, joints, etc. Nothing to do with longevity.
I am 80, recovering from hip fracture partial hip replacement, 4 months out from surgery. The way you broke this down is helpful, particularly for strengthening the needed muscles.
Helpful! Thanks. I do yoga & am pretty flexible, but I can’t do the usual sitting/rising test w/o a hand. Those pronouncements re: longevity & simple tests like this can be frightening to folks. I like your 3-part motto too at the end.
Oh man. Thank-you. The sit stand thing was depressing me. Yes, I'm 56 and overweight, but I have a very physical job and my joints have had some long historical abuse. The floor is no problem for me, but that cross leg test was impossible. Thank-you again.
The test is a statistical indicator of death risk backed up by longitudinal studies. Being overweight is obviously going to pose a problem, and is one of the risk factors that the test accounts for. People don't die from not doing the test - they die from factors that make the test harder to do. Having more weight to lift off the ground is one of those factors. A larger waist could also get in the way at the bottom part of the movement, where you have to lean your upper body far forward to get your center of gravity over your feet and avoid falling backwards. The weight penalty itself is similar to any exercise that requires lifting one's weight against gravity, such as chinups, climbing hills on a bicycle, etc. So if you gave people a chinup test, you'd probably find that the ones who can do chinups live longer on average than the ones who cannot. The test is probably just showing what we already know: that being overweight shortens a person's life, on average. I wouldn't get depressed about it - I would just eat less and exercise more. Losing weight isn't rocket science. The hard part is overcoming the urge to overeat and to eat junk food. But that's similar to overcoming any kind of addiction. Search for "surfing the urge" for videos on one method to do it.
It's also easy to train progressively for the test, by sitting on progressively lower platforms. The test becomes harder the closer one gets to the floor. So start out by sitting on a platform of whatever height lets you complete the movment, such as a chair or footstool. Then try to lower the platform an inch per week or whenever you can. I also found that holding light weights in my hands, like water bottles, made the test easier at first, since I had a tendency to roll backwards at the bottom. Having to lift a little more weight was offset by the benefit of a counterbalance by holding the bottles as far forward as I could reach. I got past the need for bottles by stretching my back and hamstrings. My flexibility is still rather poor but I'm working on it.
I just came from a sit that showed the 10/10 sit to rise test. I think the test needs to test many things. Someone on this site said injuries. Also, natural flexibility and body shape would play a factor. A person with short torso and long legs will have a much tougher time than someone with shorter legs. Thank you for you common sense approach. Now I don't feel like I will die next year.
This is great - breaking movement down into manageable parts and encouraging people to just get started! I did a bootcamp a few years ago and was able to run skip hop and jump but the bear crawl was the most exhausting! It requires arm muscle and I don't know about most older women (I'm 65) but it's easy to neglect the arms :)
Great details on how you have to do
the excersices , your posture, your
balance and use of each part of the body…. Thank you so much…👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👍👍👍❤️
God bless you for this YT! Another YT suggests I'm a goner in six years and I'm only 57! (Somewhat disabled due to MS)
Now I have some exercises to do!
Lol I just saw that video you are referring to right before I saw this one.
To my knowledge I've never done the stand up without using hands exercise, even when very young.
I can't do it now, not even close, but I can do a wide range of other exercises.
I haven't gotten off the floor by myself in years!!!!!!!! I was trying your method and I was able to do it, im so excited!! maybe I'll have longer than 6 years lol!!
Very practical and reassuring for someone like me who finds the "no hands" approach so difficult.
This was such a helpful video! I have wanted a good way to strengthen my thighs to lift up and down from the floor. I am going to start these exercises now.
Thank you for this. After menopause I suddenly gained a lot of weight and I found the sit/stand test difficult to do. I was horrified as I am quite active and have very good flexibility. For example, despite my newly aqcuired belly, I can easily put the palms of my hands flat to the floor with my legs together (classic toe touch pose). I can even lay flat on the floor, cross my arms over my chest and sit up using my abdominal muscles. But I can't do the sit/stand test reliably. But your video helps me to see that the test is conclusive of poor health.
Hi! At 68 yo, I am able to sit without any support, but not do the “stand “ part. I have absolutely no trouble getting up from the floor using all the other techniques you modeled. I hope that’s the most important part! Of my two boys (aged 31 & 33) the 31 yo could easily sit to stand, but my 33 yo couldn’t get up as easily. That reassured me that this test is no indicator of longevity 🙄😕 My husband, who’s VERY fit and daily walks 10,000 to over 20,000 steps, also had trouble with the sit-to-stand. Loved your demonstrations and newly subscribed! Thanks for such valuable info. ☺️
Thanks for pointing out that the 'sitting rising' test can be dangerous for some people to try and do.
Wow, that was easy! Didn't know I could get up off the floor! Thanks! I am 86 and my balance is bad, but I did that! OK, repetition. now!,
Absolutely, I have numerous knee injuries from sports and couldn’t have done this test in my 20’s, I’m currently 64 and still won’t twist my knees like that because I’ll end up injuring myself.
Eminent common sense. I'm a fairly fit 70 - swim and Zumba once a week, walk, and yoga 4 times but found stand/sit test hard. The first thing I noticed was alarm bells through crossing ankles. This is a downright dangerous movement because it distorts the knee joints as you go down. Knees vary a lot and mine are proportionally large. They would not do certain things even in my fit and fleetfooted childhood.
This is the exact movement I'm working on in my jiu-jitsu. It's called "getting up to base". I appreciate the breakdown.
Found this very helpful. I have major left shoulder issue and leg problem. We’re in process of moving and my mattress is on the floor. It has been really painful until I learned how to do it.
Thanks for this much more sensible video!! I'm a yoga teacher and agree entirely!!
To negative comments, I realize that the title doesnt quite match the video but in the end does it matter? I was focusing on the exercises and I think its fantastic. Just see it for that and stop whining.
The video has good advice on practical techniques for getting on and off the floor. In no way does it "debunk" the observed statistical meaning of the sit-rise test. The video title is false advertising. Pointing out lies is not "whining."
Few people over the age of 50 can score a 10 on the sit-rise test. And guess what - people over 50 have a higher risk of death. It's called getting older. But by controlling the factors the make the test difficult - such as not being overweight, maintaining strength through frequent exercise, and flexility from stretching, a person can score a ten into later age. There was also a longitudinal study out of the Cleveland Clinic that found the more aerobically fit a person is, the lower their death risk is. The study found no upper limit of benefit from aerobic fitness. The most fit people for their age and sex had the lowest death risk in the study. But of course not everyone can be in the top 2% of aerobic fitness. The point is if you want to live longer, try to remain as fit as you can. That will help your odds.
Thank you for this very helpful video. I'm practising and hope to be able to do the full up and down soon.
Makes so much sense
I've always put a hand down because I've never thought of doing it without. The SRT move is hard work to get back from though I imagine I could practice and get it. I naturally just put a hand behind, put my feet together and stand.
Great job, and explanation, I am 68 years old, I did 200 push-ups, 200 kettle bell swings, 200 ab rolls, 10 flights with 35 lb. Kettle bell, then run 4 flights, 5 sets, total of 20, then I walk with 22 lb. Weighted vest for 50 mintiest, up and down hills, all in one day. I still cannot do the sit / stand test, I hope all that work is for nothing.
Brilliant! I have knee problems and this is such a great move
Absolutely fantastic! Just what I need and right when I needed it. I couldn't work out how to get my mobility back after an accident kept me inactive for too long. This'll do it. Thank you!
Yes, I think you're right. Someone came up with this cross legged no hands stand, and made something bogus of it. A lot of people's knees are not perfect enough to do that. And I don't think it means "death" in a shorter time.
Brilliant. Those functional exercises make for a terrific workout, all the while helping people move better and more safely in daily life. Thanks for this.
I really really appreciate this vid ! There's osteoarthritis and small bone growths in the ole hips and decreased outer rotational flexibility as a result .. So warrior 2 yoga pose is challenging for example ..I see merit in attempting these exercises ..And they are exercises ! ..to increase mobility and flexibility .. I will add to my yoga regimen ..Thank you Doc!
I'm 70 and cannot get off the floor when I am down. I have to call emergency. My right knee is prosthetic and I can't bend well enough to do a Downward Dog. How can I learn to get off the floor on my own? I love your video. It gives me hope. I'm also very overweight so that's a problem.
Thanks for this Iam 74years old this Excise for easy to get up from floors
Good information. The lunge, as you mentioned, is an extremely useful exercise to master; I quite by accident discovered that it is useful for avoiding falls/pulled groin muscles in the event you slip on something. If you feel a foot loose traction, bending both knees and transitioning that slide into a lunge movement/position results in a fairly gentle landing on one knee, rather than an uncontrolled fall. I have used this trick many times on wet floors in public places to save myself injury and embarrassment. It of course requires a little practice at the movement in advance to make the reaction a reflex, but well worth the time, as a pulled groin is misserable.
You need to change your environment if you've had to employ some of these tactics many times
@@ppmppm7010 When I say many times, I mean over the course of my entire life. And my point is, if you learn this technique, it can help prevent injury in old age. I’ve known of a lot of elderly people who become badly injured slipping and falling, so training in a ‘safe fall’ reflex seems wise.
This is gold, thank you! Blessings
I found this to be a natural movement for me. In high school I could easily cross my legs, sit down and stand back up with almost no effort. Now at age 73 I have to do this movement which is also totally natural to me, but my issue is not the movement or leg strength; it's arm and shoulder strength and finding footing that will allow the twist with shoes on the dirt or grass. That's where I'm up and down a lot; in the garden weeding or harvesting. I don't want to get my knees on the wet or muddy ground, but I often just have to in order to get up the first way you suggested to Bob.
I teach 6th grade. Many of my students fail the sit-stand test. Only two of my students are overweight, and most of them are pretty fit in other ways. I wouldn't put a lot of stock in one test like that!
Katie Burgess absolutely agree. So much pressure on your ankles in that sill position. I first saw this and believed it. After trying it I caused foot problems and I’m used to hiking up steep hillsides every day.
I know I never moved like that even as a kid! I can spiral.
I remember doing the sit-stand "test" as a child, mainly as a trick. Only much later in life did I become aware that it has become an actual test, or at least a statistical indicator of death risk. I found I couldn't do it at first, mainly because I had lost a lot of flexibility, making the bottom few inches of the movement hard. But after a few months of daily stretching I got the movement back, and now it's easy again. So my question is how valid the test is if you train for it. And I imagine the 6th graders could be trained for it too. It's easy to make a progression, by sitting on progressively lower platforms. Lots of people can't do chinups either, but they can train up to them.
@@danielmocsny5066 if we are training for this doesn't it mean that we are strengthening our core, trunk, and legs? Which means our parameters for longevity is better now? Wouldnt the passing of this test be basically a output of our health?
@@danielmocsny5066 agreed. A 6th grade child would never be handed a college level test and expected to pass it without studying first, but are expected to pass a physical test without training.
Just what I needed. Fantastic! And I have tries lots of exercise programs, this s spot on.
From Guyana - Thank you doctor. You are a h umanitarian exemplar.
Brilliant advice, many thanks.
Just what I need. Bob sound like me at the minute. I'll get working on this. Thank you.
Loved this. Got really afraid because I became so week on propranolol I can't get up and down.
your so right. But the bear crawl is not doable with bad knees and hip.
Super helpful. I was worried about the sit stand test, even though I scored 7-8. This gave me more options. Thanks
Ok I did the "drive away" part, then I came up all the way, but I needed to keep both hands on the floor and push off. That's the best I can do for now. And, as you said about the person in the beginning, I myself also have bad knees and legs also. I did manage to "come down" similarly to what you did (with one hand after reaching the floor or something like that), and if it wasn't for my knees hurting on the inside, I believe I could have switched hands and come back up pushing off with only the one hand, but I needed the other hand because my knees were hurting too much inside. If I had stronger arms, I believe I could do it, but I'm female and my arms are very weak!!! I'm not afraid of getting down on the floor. I'm just unhappy with myself because I can't do this sit/floor thing the right way as there's no way I can cross my legs or feet without my heels coming off the floor and my knees hurt a lot also!!! Sorry this is long.
Thanks. I have trouble getting up. I'll practice..
Thank you. Practical and interesting.
☘️🌝🌲
Thank you for this video and ignore the trolls. I was in a severe car accident and it very hard to regain what was lost.
I have arthritis in my left big toe joint. I use it I can get up but bear crawl ouch. I have been doing yoga for 50 years so I have ability to get up and down. Thank you.
I couldn't do it 25 years ago and I can't do it now. I ride my bike in the Swiss mountains every day and can cycle through a thousand vertical meters including 15 percent gradients no problem but not only can I not do the sit and stand but I can't get any leverage at all. Either I am the wrong shape, my center of gravity is just too far back, or my technique is somehow wrong.
I’m late 60’s and have a toddler great grandson. He likes me to play on the floor with him, I think it’s keeping me young. I also do yoga, which includes downward facing dog and lunges
I can get down and up off the floor but not the way you or the others talking about the sit/rise test discuss. With me it's basically getting down on hands and knees, then bringing one knee forward and pushing off with both hands. That means of course I fail the sit/rise test but I can (so far) always get down and get up.
Cyphrinfinity me too
I can do over 200 push-ups in one set, in strict form, but I can’t do the sitting/rising test. So my days are numbered? I’d love to be able to do the sitting rising test, too! I can do 10+ chin up anytime I want to. But, because I can’t do the sitting/rising test I must be a dead man walking?
I always had trouble crossing my legs while sitting, my knees stick straight up practically. This goes back to elementary school. So, this test is a problem. Otherwise , I'm in pretty good shape. Anyone else have this difficulty with leg crossing?
Yes absolutely. It all depends on leg muscle shape and length of shins too.
alll seniors should practice doing this skill ... it could save your life
Thank you, I have just had my second knee replacement not able to knell on my knees, I am over weight wanting to get on the floor for exercise, not I can try your idea .
I knew a guy in high school that ran 4.3/40 and died in his sleep at 18. Live, love and laugh all you can. When it’s over, it’s over.
This is SO helpful, many thanks!! :)
I’m 74 and can do ten times but it bothers the arthritis in my hands. Nevertheless I will keep at it.
Thank you for this very helpful video
The problem for me is that I am over weight and I absolutely can not get up off the floor once I am down. Due to this I can't start on the floor and practice getting strong enough to get up. I have nobody to help me get back up. I'll have to lose weight and strengthen my legs and back prior doing anything on the floor.
Thank you. The sit to stand test is really depressing
I'm 100% plant based, workout at the gym, walk miles and miles at work, do lots of yoga but have a torn miniscus in my right knee so I could only do that like Bob does. Great video
Great video in many respects. Thank you.
This obsession with getting up off the floor without using your hands drives me crazy. I have 2 perfectly functioning arms, with hands attached. Why wouldn’t I use them??!
This is unnecessarily complicated for me. I get up from sitting on the floor by placing my feet next to each othe just in front of me, and stand up. Same method in reverse for sitting down. I am 55.
yes thanks for this! sooo much good info to aim for:) will pin this to my pinterest board and watch it daily! yes keep moving. My mom needs to try to aim for this but you know "im too old";(
Ok, here is what i dont get. I cannot stand with crossed legs. It's like a vice that holds them together. However, if my feet are apart, in a squat position I can do it no problem. Why do the feet have to be cross legged??? I dont get it.
My mom passed yesterday at 93. Never exercised a day in her life and simply passed of old age. Zero diseases, cancer, etc and no way could she do any of this. DEBUNKED
Thanks for the great ideas! I'll practise!
By far this is the most responsible video I’ve seen regarding this longevity test. Another video said I will die in 6 years and I’ve not been able to achieve 8 points or more since my 20s. Needless to say, that other doctor turned off his comments section lol
Beautiful explanation. Very informative, and very important and useful.
I'm not old, nor sick in any way, can run an 8 minute mile (or faster) and cycle and generally active. I was never able to do the sitting/rising test, even when I was 5, 15, 25 or 35. Its about balance and flexibility. I am not going to die in the coming 6 years, that is totally and utterly misleading. I may be able to do if I practiced some yoga and improved my flexibility and technique, but don't really see the benefits of that. I am not going to be rising/sitting like this ever.
How did they collect the data to determine the validity of the sit to stand test? Are there journal articles on it?
Thanks, I can do your version. Never could to the 10 version - you have to be a yoga to do that one.
I could not get up without using more support because my sides and core are weak. You suggested just trying to get up on the hip a little every day. I shall try that.
In the meantime you have any other hints please. Fever from the lunge position, I need to put a hand on the floor and other hand on my knee to get up. I am 82 and do exercises daily. Any help will be appreciated.
If you have knee replacement, which leg does the twist under. I assume the knee replacement leg.
This is good stuff. Getting up w/o using your knees.
It's impossible for me to stand from a sitting position on the floor without putting one hand on the floor to propel me up
Standing from sitting on a chair is easy though. There has to be some reason its easier from a chair than on the floor. I think it's due to the shape of your legs cause on a chair they are already in the right place and on the floor they are crossed.
Also when I was trying to go down and bending my knees in that fashion I felt it was dangerous and gonna injure me so I just decided not to do it 🙃
I also cannot do situps without my feet being held down by someone, or I place them under something but again all I'm really doing there is propelling myself up with my legs right? Even when I do that my lower back hurts and it's been like that even when I was skinny
Im 42 now and I've been like this since my early 20s though so it's not an old age thing but obviously exercise is harder for me now than it was when I was 21
A lot of people dont have good knees or wrists. Thats a lot of weight on one wrist from the bear crawl. Whats wrong with going down on 2 knees then sitting?
I think trying to achieve a 10/10 is downright dangerous. Especially getting up, you could hurt a knee or hip.
I'd like to know if improving your Sitting/Rising scores correspondingly improves your longevity ?
if you have knee/hip trouble, then that's obviously debilitating to your overall movement, hence lowering your lifespan
Hmmm I’m 68 and don’t use hands at all sitting on floor or getting up