Longevity tests: rising, chair, balance and VO₂max
An online tool for assessing functional fitness, mobility and endurance. Four validated tests — the sitting-rising test, the 30-second chair stand, one-leg balance and VO₂max via the Queen's College step test — with exact norms by age and sex, a metronome, an audio timer and a per-session history. VO₂max gives you a fitness age. This is a self-check of physical fitness, not a medical diagnosis.
How to take them
Enter age and sex so results are compared with scientific norms.
Find a wall, a sturdy chair and a clear non-slip patch of floor near a support.
Sitting-rising, the 30-second chair stand, one-leg balance and VO₂max — then save the results.
Repeat once a month and see how your numbers move relative to the norms.
Check mobility, leg strength, balance and endurance by scientific protocols
1Your profile
Age and sex are only used to compare your results with scientific norms, and are saved in this browser.
2Sitting-Rising Test
Sit down on the floor and stand back up using as few supports as possible. Captures whole-body strength, flexibility and coordination at once.
Barefoot, in loose clothing, on a non-slip floor next to a wall or a stable chair. From standing, sit down on the floor and then stand back up — trying not to help yourself with hands, knees or forearms. Afterwards, tick every support you did end up using.
- You start at 10 points: 5 for sitting down and 5 for standing up. Each half is scored separately and never drops below zero.
- Supports add up. Every support on a hand, knee, forearm or the side of a leg costs 1 point; a clear wobble costs 0.5. Leaning on a knee and the side of a leg while standing up is −2, not −1.
- An asymmetric rise, a twisted torso, crossed legs or simply "ugly" technique cost nothing on their own — only supports and wobbles count. Each type of support is ticked once per half: both hands on the floor is one "hand support".
Protocol: Brito L. B. B. et al., European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2014 (4,282 people aged 51–80). The score comes from an observational mortality study — it is not a verdict or a diagnosis.
330-Second Chair Stand
How many times you fully stand up and sit down in 30 seconds. A classic measure of leg strength and endurance.
A sturdy armless chair against a wall. Sit in the middle, back straight, arms crossed on your chest. On the cue, stand up fully and sit back down as many times as you can until time runs out. Tap the button on each stand.
Count yourself or tap the button on each stand — you can correct the number afterwards.
Norms by age and sex
Norms: Rikli R. E., Jones C. J., Senior Fitness Test (norm = 25–75% interquartile range). Ranges cover ages 60–94; for younger ages the 60–64 band is shown as a reference.
4One-Leg Balance
How many seconds you can hold on one leg. A simple yet powerful marker of balance and fall risk.
Stand next to a wall at arm's length, so you can grab it at any moment. Press "Start": after the three beeps, shift your weight onto one leg and lift the other off the floor. Stay up for as long as you keep your balance. The cap is 60 seconds.
Holding with eyes closed is far harder — always stay next to a wall or a helper.
While the test runs, "Start" is replaced by a "Stop" button that ends the timer. Press it the moment your raised foot touches the floor, you grab the wall, or you put the foot down yourself. At 60 seconds the timer stops on its own.
Average values by age
Reference: Springer B. A. et al., 2007 (age averages). The 10-second eyes-open threshold follows Araujo C. G. et al., 2022 (ages 51–75).
5VO₂max and fitness age
Maximal oxygen uptake is the headline measure of endurance. Fitness age follows from it: the age at which your VO₂max equals the population average.
Take the VO₂max your watch or a lab test already measured — then we add no error at all. If you do not have one, measure it here with a three-minute step test: you need a step about 41 cm high and sound for the metronome.
Garmin, Apple Watch, Polar, Huawei and other heart-rate watches report this value, as does a clinical exercise test. If you took it from another calculator, remember that calculator has an error of its own.
- You need a stable step about 41 cm high (a standard stair is usually 15–18 cm, so use a sturdy bench, an aerobic step platform or two stairs). Keep a handrail within reach.
- Step for three minutes to the metronome in an up-up-down-down pattern: 24 full cycles per minute for men, 22 for women. The metronome sounds even when the beep setting is off — the pace is impossible to hold without it.
- The moment the signal ends, sit down. From the 5th to the 20th second of recovery, tap the button on every heartbeat — 15 seconds. Beats × 4 gives your recovery heart rate, and VO₂max follows from it.
Pick a sex in the profile: both the reference table and the step-test formula differ for men and women.
Average VO₂max by age
Reference: Loe H. et al., PLOS One, 2014 — HUNT3 Fitness Study, 4,631 healthy people aged 20–90 (means by age and sex). Step test: McArdle W. D. et al., 1972 (Queen's College step test), correlation with direct measurement r ≈ 0.75.
6Your fitness profile
Every result sits next to the published norm for your age and sex, labelled with where you stand against it.
7History and trend
Results are saved in this browser — take the tests once a month and watch how the numbers change.
