Tool
30-Second Chair Stand: A Home Leg-Strength Check
What it does
Count how many times you can stand up from a chair in 30 seconds and see where your count falls against CDC's reference numbers for adults 60 and over. It is a screening number, not a diagnosis. If you save it, Fit after 50 can choose a fitting daily step and remind you when a retest is due.
If either is not true today, please do not do this check. A clinician or physical therapist can assess your leg strength safely.
Read this first
- CDC designed this test for clinicians to use with patients. This is a self-guided version with extra safety steps. If you cannot do it safely, do not do it.
- CDC lists below-average counts by age and sex from 60 to 94, and says a below-average score indicates a risk for falls. There are no CDC reference numbers under 60, so we show your count only.
- A below-reference count is not a diagnosis. It is a reason to practice leg strength and to talk with a clinician or physical therapist.
- CDC gives no retest interval. If you are practicing, about four weeks is our own suggestion.
Related: Strength training after 50: where to start and Everyday capability after 50.
About the evidence on this page
- Review status
- Claims source-checked
- Last updated
- Claims source-checked
- Clinician review
- None recorded. No physician or other licensed clinician has reviewed this page.
The protocol and every reference number were read from CDC's STEADI document. This is a self-guided adaptation of a clinician-administered test, and no clinician has reviewed the adaptation. The checks were prepared with AI assistance and the ratings are proposed, pending confirmation by a person.
Claims we checked
- Moderate evidenceCDC's STEADI 30-Second Chair Stand lists below-average scores by age and sex for adults 60 to 94, and says a below-average score indicates a risk for falls.Supportive guidance exists, with more limits or less consistency than a strong rating.This rating is proposed, pending confirmation by a person.Limits: We checked what CDC's document says. We did not review the studies behind the reference numbers. CDC designed the test for clinicians to use with patients. Fit after 50 offers a self-guided version with extra safety steps. It does not diagnose anything, and the reference numbers start at age 60.
- Strong evidenceGuidelines support muscle-strengthening activity for adults, including older adults.Consistent support from authoritative guidelines for the narrow claim made here.Limits: A chair-based set is a low-volume option, not a universal prescription. Stop for pain or loss of balance.
Sources
- STEADI Assessment: 30-Second Chair Stand, CDC, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2017)
- Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2018)
- WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, World Health Organization (2020)
Limitations
- A screening number, not a diagnosis.
- CDC's reference numbers start at age 60.
- We did not review the studies behind CDC's reference numbers.
- Talk with a clinician if you have a health condition, symptoms, or restrictions.
Update history
- : First version published.