Sit-to-stands are among the most effective exercises for enhancing lower-body strength.
Struggling to get up off the floor after playing with your grandchildren? Consider incorporating chair squats, commonly referred to as sit-to-stands, into your routine. These exercises are excellent for building lower-body strength and improving your overall mobility.
The beauty of sit-to-stands lies in their simplicity. By repeatedly lifting your body weight against gravity, you enhance mobility and stamina. This exercise mimics everyday movements such as walking and standing, making it invaluable for maintaining your ability to perform daily tasks. Key muscle groups targeted include the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps, all crucial for these essential activities.
Additionally, sit-to-stands are a great indicator of your lower-body fitness. We encourage you to set a personal benchmark: achieving a specific number of sit-to-stands after the age of 60 can classify your lower-body endurance as elite.
This workout is quite telling of how fit your lower body is. In fact, we have a goal for you to work toward: If you can do this many sit-to-stands after 60, your lower-body endurance is considered elite.
What Makes This Exercise So Beneficial
According to Steven Pungello, Sports Rehab Chiropractor at Full Stride Spine & Sport, who specializes in treating runners and other sports injuries, the sit-to-stand is essential for those over 60 because transitioning between sitting and standing is where falls commonly occur.
“Training this movement pattern can prevent a fall/ fracture down the road,” Pungello tells us. “This exercise is similar to the squat in that it trains the glutes, quads, and core muscles. This can be a great introduction to squats if people have been sedentary for a while.”
Why Lower-Body Endurance Matters More With Age
Lower-body endurance is crucial to staying on top of things as you age, so you can continue to move and exercise.
“Keeping up with that opens the door to doing more activities and exercises. If you fatigue out too early, then you will be extremely limited on activities you enjoy AND the rehab you need to do to get them back,” Pungello says.
How To Do Sit-To-Stands
- Begin seated at the front of a sturdy chair, feet under your knees.
- Lean forward just a bit.
- Try to stand up without using your knees, hands, or additional support.
- Use control to slowly sit back down.
This Sit-to-Stand Test Reveals Elite Endurance After 60
Being able to perform 20 sit-to-stands more than 30 seconds would be considered “elite” status for those over 60. That said, performing less than that shouldn’t make you feel discouraged, Pungello says. Even completing 12 to 15 with solid form can help reduce fall risk.
“In addition to the number of reps, we can also assess how people get up,” Pungello adds. “It is typical to use your hands to push off your thighs or arm rests to get up. We also want to use this exercise to break that habit and to use your legs to get up instead.”