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Fit&Well reported on a floor-to-stand fitness test shared by coach Yancy Culp and a 2014 study that linked lower sitting-rising test scores with higher mortality rates. The test may flag areas of strength, mobility or balance to work on, but it cannot diagnose a condition or determine an individual’s future health.
Fit&Well has reported on a floor-to-stand fitness test that asks people to sit on the floor and rise without using their hands, and on research associating lower scores with higher mortality rates. The test may offer a prompt to examine mobility, strength and balance, but the research describes an association, not proof that difficulty rising causes poor health or predicts an individual’s lifespan.
The test was one of five suggested by Yancy Culp, an exercise coach, Spartan DEKA co-creator and senior director, to help people check whether they can perform basic physical tasks. The other checks are standing on one leg while doing a task, holding a plank for 30 seconds, completing two reverse lunges and walking briskly for 20 minutes. The Fit&Well writer said they could not rise from the floor without their hands.
The floor-to-stand challenge is described in the report as a variation of the sitting-rising test, developed by Brazilian researchers in the 1990s to assess muscular strength and flexibility. A study published in 2014 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found an association between lower test scores and higher mortality rates. The supplied report does not provide the study’s sample details, effect size or other information needed to assess how the finding applies to different people.
In an email to Fit&Well, Culp recommended a daily movement he calls “knee rolls” to work on hip and general mobility. The drill involves sitting with knees bent and lower legs on the floor, then moving both knees from one side to the other while keeping the feet in contact with the ground. Culp suggested repeating it for 20 reps and said people may use their hands for stability. The report does not establish that this drill improves test scores or changes health outcomes.
What the Floor Test Can Signal
Being able to lower to the floor and stand again without hand support draws on more than one physical ability. As presented by Culp, the challenge is a practical check-in, not a clinical assessment. Difficulty completing it may encourage someone to notice limits in mobility, leg strength or balance and discuss them with a qualified professional, particularly if the difficulty is new or worsening.
The study’s mortality association is a reason the test has attracted attention, but it should not be read as an individual forecast. A test result alone cannot explain why someone struggles, establish a diagnosis or show that practising one movement will reduce mortality. Age, health conditions, injury and familiarity with the movement may all affect performance; the supplied report does not quantify those factors.
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The Study Behind the Test
The sitting-rising test has been used as a measure of physical ability, with the version discussed in the Fit&Well report asking a person to sit on the floor and stand up while using as little support as possible. The report links its origins to Brazilian researchers in the 1990s and cites a 2014 paper in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology for the association between lower scores and mortality.
Fit&Well framed the test as one item in a broader set of five basic fitness checks. Culp’s stated purpose was to help people “check in with their body” and see whether they can still manage everyday movements. That framing matters: the article describes a self-check, not a validated home diagnosis or a substitute for a medical evaluation.
““Improving hip and overall mobility is very important for this one.””
— Yancy Culp, exercise coach, in an email to Fit&Well
Limits of the Evidence and Test
The source material does not include the 2014 study’s participant numbers, follow-up period, score thresholds or size of the reported association. It is therefore not possible from this report alone to say how strongly a particular score relates to mortality, or whether the finding applies equally across age groups and health conditions.
It is also unclear whether inability to rise without hands reflects a specific limitation for any one person. Pain, injury, balance concerns, mobility restrictions or other factors could affect performance. Culp’s knee-roll advice is a coach’s recommendation reported by Fit&Well; no evidence in the supplied material shows that the drill changes the study’s health outcomes. Anyone with pain, a recent injury, a medical condition or a risk of falling should avoid forcing the test and seek appropriate professional guidance.
A Safe Way to Follow Up
Readers who want to try the movement should use a clear, stable space and avoid treating the result as a pass-or-fail health verdict. If getting to or from the floor feels unsafe, causes pain or has become harder recently, a clinician or physical therapist can help assess possible causes and suggest suitable exercises.
Culp’s proposed knee rolls are a mobility drill, not a proven treatment. People can use their hands for support as he advises, and should stop if the movement causes discomfort. The report offers no follow-up data on the writer’s progress or on whether the exercise improved their ability to stand. For now, the evidence described supports using the test as a prompt for conversation—not as a standalone measure of future health.
Key Questions
What does the floor-to-stand test involve?
It asks a person to sit on the floor and stand back up without using their hands. The Fit&Well report presents it as one of five basic fitness checks suggested by coach Yancy Culp.
Does struggling with the test mean I have a health problem?
No. The test is not a diagnosis, and difficulty can have many possible explanations. If the problem is new, worsening, painful or makes you feel at risk of falling, speak with a qualified health professional.
What did the 2014 study find?
As summarized in the Fit&Well report, the study found an association between lower sitting-rising test scores and higher mortality rates. The report does not provide enough study details to interpret the size of that association or apply it to an individual.
What are knee rolls?
They are a seated movement recommended by Culp: keep the lower legs on the floor and move both knees from one side to the other, with the feet staying in contact with the ground. Culp suggested 20 repetitions daily and said the hands may be used for stability.
Should I practise standing up without my hands?
Do not force the movement if you have pain, an injury, a condition affecting movement or concerns about falling. The report does not establish the test as a required exercise; professional guidance can help identify a safe approach.
Source: rss
