4 simple tests that track healthy aging

The short answer

Grip strength, push-ups, getting up off the floor, and standing on 1 leg are each linked in cohort studies to how long people lived or how often they had heart problems. These studies show association in adults from their mid-30s to 80, 2 of them only in people over 50, and they cannot tell you how long you will live. Each one is easy to measure and retest every few months, which makes them useful milestones for training.

How to read these tests

Each study below measured a group of people once, then counted deaths or heart events over the following years. People who scored better did better on average, though a test result travels with many other things, such as overall health and how active someone is. The researchers adjusted for some of these, never all of them. The ages of the people studied matter too. Most of these groups were in their 50s to 80s, and the push-up study was the only one centered on younger adults. If you are under 50, treat each test as a measure of function you want to keep for decades, rather than a forecast.

Retesting yourself every few months is the most useful way to use these tests. A longer hang or a cleaner rise off the floor shows that your training is working.

Grip, and the dead hang

The largest of these studies measured grip strength with a hand dynamometer in 139,691 adults aged 35 to 70, across 17 countries with very different incomes (Leong 2015). Over a median of 4 years, each 5 kg (11 lbs) lower grip went with a 16% higher rate of death from any cause. Grip was linked to death more closely than systolic blood pressure was.

In 139,691 adults in 17 countries, each 5 kg (11 lbs) lower grip strength went with a 16% higher rate of death from any cause.

A dead hang is a different measure. It tests how long you can hold your own body weight from a bar, which is grip endurance, while the studies measured the most force a hand could squeeze once. The research behind the app found no study linking hang time itself to lifespan. Hang time is a practical grip test that needs only a bar, and it improves with training.

To test it, hang from a pull-up bar with straight arms and start a timer. Use the same bar and grip every time so the numbers compare.

Push-ups

This study tested push-ups in 1,104 male firefighters, average age 40, and followed them for 10 years (Yang 2019). Men who did more than 40 push-ups had a 96% lower rate of heart and blood vessel events than men who did fewer than 10, after adjusting for age and body mass index. The study counted only 37 events in total, so the range that fits the data runs from about 64% to 99% lower, and the authors called for larger studies in more varied groups.

Everyone in the study was a male firefighter fit enough for the job. There is no matching study in women, so for women the push-up count works best as a measure of upper-body and trunk capacity, rather than the same risk figure.

To test it, do 1 unbroken set with your chest dropping to about fist height and full lockout at the top, and stop at the first pause. The study paced push-ups to a metronome at 80 beats a minute, so a self-paced count is a close guide to that threshold rather than the same test.

Sit-to-rise

This test asks you to sit down on the floor and stand back up, using as little support as you can. In 2,002 adults aged 51 to 80, followed for a median 6.3 years, lower scores went with higher death rates (Brito 2014). Each 1 point higher on the 10 point score went with 21% better survival. People scoring 0 to 3 had about 5 times the adjusted risk of people scoring 8 to 10.

To test it, start at 10. Sit to the floor and stand back up, and take 1 point off for each hand, knee, forearm, or side of a leg you lean on, and half a point for a visible loss of balance. A score of 8 or more is a good checkpoint. If you are under 50, read it as a mobility milestone.

Single-leg balance

In 1,702 adults aged 51 to 75, about 1 in 5 could not stand on 1 leg for 10 seconds (Araújo 2022). Over a median 7 years, 17.5% of that group died, against 4.6% of those who could. After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and other conditions, the risk was 1.84 times higher. The authors noted the study did not account for things such as recent falls or physical activity.

Stand on 1 leg, eyes open, beside a wall or counter you can reach, and time how long you hold it. Test both legs, 1 at a time. 10 seconds is the pass mark the study used.

How Peak Hybrid tracks these

The Body tab has 4 capacity tests, covering the dead hang, push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-to-rise. You run each test yourself and log the result, and the tab shows your best and your trend over time. The app logs the other 4, so time the balance test on your own. Pull-ups have no direct longevity study behind them, so they are shown as a strength milestone. The whole Body tab is free.

For training the capacities these tests measure, Foundations teaches the squat, hinge, press, and pull. With bodyweight only, its push-ups start with your hands on a bench and move to the floor as you get stronger. Full Body adds strength and muscle if you already lift. Durability builds calf and single-leg strength in 2 short sessions a week. The details are on the plans page.