Health 13/08/2025 20:33

Where Do You Stand on the Sitting-Rising Test?

Medscape recently published an article mentioning our latest research on physical fitness and overall health. In this paper, we described significant association between low scores on the sitting-rising test (SRT) and higher mortality due to natural and cardiovascular causes in men and women aged 46-75 years. Medscape readers posted several interesting and pertinent comments about the findings, which deserve a response. But before providing my thoughts about these comments, let’s go back in time for a bit of context.

The Evolution of Fitness Metrics

I was a teenager when I first read the book Aerobics, by Dr Kenneth Cooper. Motivated to try out what I had learned, I convinced our high-school PE teacher to apply Cooper’s 12-minute test to our class by running laps around the basketball court to estimate aerobic fitness. A few years later (1974), when entering medical school, I was fortunate to have my VO2 effectively measured in a maximal test undertaken in the university’s exercise physiology laboratory. Soon I was working in the same lab as a research assistant. 

It did not take too long to realize that fitness involved more than “just” aerobic capacity. I first studied flexibility and proposed the Flexitest as an assessment tool to evaluate the maximal physiologic passive range of motion in several joint movements.

News in the same category

News Post

Never store your cooked rice without knowing this

Never store your cooked rice without knowing this

Leftover rice may seem harmless, but if stored the wrong way, it can quickly become a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria. Experts warn that this common mistake, known as “fried rice syndrome,” can cause serious foodborne illness within hours.

Facts 14/08/2025 11:29