The ability to stand up unassisted from a ground-seated position — without using the hands, arms or furniture — is more than a party trick. It is one of the most powerful predictors of longevity and functional independence. In fact, the “sit-to-rise test” (SRT), which scores how many points you lose for using a hand, knee or support to stand from the floor, has been used in large population studies and shown a strong correlation with lower mortality risk over a 6–12 year period. Put simply: if you can comfortably lower yourself to the floor and rise again using only your legs and core, you are statistically more likely to live longer — and live better.
Why this ability matters
Standing from the ground demands a blend of balance, hip and ankle mobility, lower-body strength, core stability and proprioception (your body’s spatial awareness). Losing any one of these — especially flexibility or single-leg stability — forces older adults to compensate with hands, chairs, or walls. That might not seem dramatic… until a fall occurs. Most fall-related injuries become catastrophic not because of the fall itself, but because the individual can’t easily recover from the floor.
Regular floor-to-stand movement trains the body to maintain strength in full range, not just the shallow “gym range” of squats and machines. It keeps the hips mobile, the ankles supple, the vestibular system responsive — all crucial in preventing falls in the first place.
Cultures that never lost this
Many Asian, African and Mediterranean cultures have floor-based lifestyles: eating low to the ground, resting in deep squat positions, folding laundry on mats, sleeping on futons or tatami. Daily “micro-movements” — squatting, kneeling, cross-leg sitting — are baked into life, not isolated as exercise. These populations often maintain hip and ankle mobility deep into old age and report lower incidence of fall-related injuries compared to fully chair-bound Western populations.
The contrast is striking: in societies where sitting is almost always done at 90° on chairs, knees and hips simply stop being asked to move through full range. The nervous system gradually forgets how to coordinate those positions. The ability is lost not through age itself, but through disuse.
How to incorporate floor transitions into daily life
You do not need to schedule an extra “exercise session” — just interrupt your chair culture.
– Take work calls from the floor (kneeling, cross-leg, squat — vary the positions every couple of minutes).
– Watch TV or read on the floor, then deliberately stand up without using hands.
– Do tasks “the inconvenient way” — fold laundry or stretch while sitting on a mat.
– Treat floor sitting like brushing teeth — a hygiene behaviour, not a workout.
The goal is exposure. Re-educate your nervous system that the floor is not a foreign land. The longer you avoid the floor, the harder it becomes to return to it later.
Key exercises to maintain this ability as we age
These do not need to be intense — they need to be frequent and varied.
1. Deep squat sit — hold for 30–60 seconds
Let heels stay down. Use counterbalance initially if needed (e.g. door frame).
(Visit this link for Deep Squat demo)
2. 90-90 hip transitions
Sit with both knees bent at 90° on the floor, then rotate both legs to the opposite side. Amazing for hip rotation and control.
(Visit this link for 90-90 Hip Transitions instructions)
3. Turkish get-up (bodyweight only at first)
This is the gold standard full-body floor-to-stand pattern. Very slow, controlled, single-rep form builds resilience.
(Visit this link for Turkish Get-Up)
4. Kneel → half-kneel → stand repeats
Start on both knees. Step one foot forward (half-kneeling lunge). Stand. Reverse. Hands only if necessary.
(Visit this link for K- HK- S instructions)
5. Single-leg sit-to-stand from a low surface
A bridge between chairs and the floor. Progressively lower the surface over time.
(Visit this link for Single leg sit to stand instructions)
What “good” looks like
Being able to lower yourself to the floor and rise again with:
- No hand assistance
- No wobble or pause halfway
- Smooth and breathing-controlled
- Confidence on both left and right lead legs
…is a strong marker of neurologic and muscular integration. It is closer to “youthfulness” than any number on a blood test.
The truth about ageing
Losing floor-to-stand capacity is not inevitable. It is environmental. The elderly individuals who can still drop into a squat, sit cross-legged, and rise with grace are almost always those who never stopped doing it.
So do not wait until it becomes difficult. Move between the floor and standing several times every single day — not just in workouts, but woven into life. Use the floor the way our ancestors did. Freedom from fear of falling is one of the most powerful contributors to health span — because independence is dignity, and moving fluidly through space without hesitation is the clearest expression of physical confidence we can preserve for life.
Image by jcomp on Freepik
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