The get-up test: floor to standing, no hands

The get-up test: sit on the floor, then stand up without using your hands, knees or forearms, leading with each leg in turn. It checks leg strength, balance and hip mobility in one go, which is the strength and balance work the NHS asks for on at least 2 days a week (checked 29 August 2026).

What the get-up test is

The third of the five Ready Body tests, and the one people are most surprised by. It takes ten seconds and needs a patch of floor.

How to do it.

Clear a space about two metres square, away from the coffee table corner. A rug or a mat is kinder than bare boards.
Sit on the floor. Cross-legged or with your legs out in front, whichever you would naturally do.
Stand up without using your hands, knees or forearms. Nothing but your feet touches the floor on the way up. No pushing off a knee, no hand on the sofa.
Sit back down the same way, under control, no hands, no thump.
Do it again leading with the other leg. Most people have a strong side and a side that quietly does not work. Finding out which is half the value of the test.

Warm up first with a couple of minutes of walking and five slow sit-to-stands from a dining chair. Have someone in the room the first time if your balance is a worry.

The pass standard

Up and down smoothly on both sides, without a wobble that makes you reach for something. Slow is fine. Grunting is allowed. Reaching for the sofa, dropping onto a knee, or rolling onto your side and levering up is a not-yet rather than a pass.

Score it honestly on the weaker side. Passing on the left and failing on the right is a fail, and it is also the most useful thing the test can tell you, because it points straight at the leg to work on.

What it maps to in a real emergency

Three things, all of them ordinary.

Getting up after a slip, on a wet floor, an icy path or in the dark during a power cut. Getting down to help someone else who has fallen and then back up again, which is much harder than it looks when you are also holding a phone. And staying independent in the everyday sense, because a body that can get off the floor unaided is a body that can get out of a bath, into a loft hatch, or under a sink to turn off a stopcock.

The NHS’s falls prevention guidance leads with being active every day and doing activities that improve strength and balance at least twice a week. This test is a check on exactly that work. The NHS also asks adults 65 and over for strength, balance and flexibility activities on at least 2 days a week, alongside the same 150 weekly minutes as everyone else.

If a fall has already happened in your house, the NHS is specific about what to do: see a GP if you are worried about your balance or mobility or you have had a fall, get help from NHS 111 if someone may be in pain, injured or unwell, and call 999 if someone may have injured their head, back, neck or hip, or cannot get up.

The four-week progression

The same plan as on the tests page. Two sessions a week, ten minutes each, next to something solid you could grab if you needed to.

Week	Sit-to-stand	Kneel-to-stand	Floor work
1	Dining chair, 3 sets of 8, hands crossed on chest	2 sets of 5 each side, hand on a chair	Get down and up any way you can, twice a week
2	Sofa height, 3 sets of 8	2 sets of 6 each side, fingertip support	From a cushion, stand with one hand, 5 each side
3	Low stool, 3 sets of 10	3 sets of 6 each side, no support	From a cushion, no hands, 5 each side
4	Low stool, 3-second lowering, 3 sets of 8	3 sets of 8 each side, no support	From the floor, no hands, 5 each side

Week 5 is the retest, both sides.

Sit-to-stand is on the NHS’s own list of strength exercises, which it suggests doing at least twice a week and describes as gentle and easy to follow, with the advice to build up slowly and increase repetitions gradually. Kneel-to-stand is our addition, because it is the missing rung between a chair and the floor: from kneeling, bring one foot forward into a half-kneel, then drive up through that front leg without a hand down.

Finish each session with two minutes of balance work from the NHS’s list, such as a heel-to-toe walk along the kitchen worktop and a one-leg stand, done near a wall or a stable chair.

How to make it easier

Start higher. Dining chair, then sofa, then a low stool, then a cushion on the floor, then the floor. Each step down is a few weeks apart, not a few minutes.
Allow one hand. A single fingertip on a chair leg is a huge amount of help and still trains the legs.
Lower yourself with control instead of standing up. Sitting down slowly from a chair builds the same muscles and is easier to manage.
Use a half-kneel. Getting up via one knee is the practical version most people use, and it is worth being good at even if the no-hands version is a way off.
Work on the floor at all, regularly. Sitting on the floor to watch television, then getting up however you can, is the whole test in slow motion.

If chair height is where you are, strength after sixty has the gentler version of all five tests and a two-session weekly pattern to go with them.

How to make it harder

Start cross-legged, which removes the swing of the legs and asks more of the hips.
Add weight. Hold a 5 kg bag against your chest, then 8 kg.
Slow it down. Three seconds to sit, three seconds to stand, no bounce out of the bottom.
Do five in a row on each side without a rest, so it becomes a strength endurance test rather than a single effort.
Try it in the dark, in ordinary clothes and shoes. That is the version a real slip in a power cut will ask for.

Is it safe?

Speak to your GP first if you have not exercised for some time, or if you have medical conditions or concerns. If you have had a fall, tell your GP before you start, and ask about a falls service, which you can usually reach without a GP referral by asking at your surgery.

Do it near a wall or a stable chair, as the NHS suggests for balance work, just in case you lose your balance.
Pad your knees with a folded towel for the kneel-to-stand steps, and skip them entirely if kneeling is painful.
Keep the floor clear. The NHS’s falls advice starts with not having clutter or things you could trip on, such as loose wires and rugs, and wearing shoes or slippers that fit well, do not slip off and have a good grip.
Stop for sharp pain in a joint, particularly knees and hips, and speak to your GP or a physiotherapist before loading it further.
Do not test it alone the first time if you are unsteady, recently unwell, or worried about falling.

The get-up test is Prep Not Panic’s own standard, not a clinically validated test, and it does not diagnose anything. It is a stock-check of leg strength and balance, chosen because getting off the floor is a thing real weeks require.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a recognised medical test?

No. The get-up test is Prep Not Panic’s own standard, scored pass or not-yet, and it diagnoses nothing. What it checks is the strength and balance work the NHS asks adults to do on at least 2 days a week. If you want an assessment rather than a self-check, ask your GP surgery about a falls service.

Does it matter which leg I lead with?

Yes, and it is the most useful part. Test both. If one side is smooth and the other is not, do the four-week plan on the weaker side twice as often, and expect the gap to close within a month or two.

What if I can get down but not up?

Very common, and it means the strength is the gap rather than the mobility. Work the sit-to-stand column of the table, from a chair height you can manage, and let the floor work wait until week 3 or 4.

My knees hurt when I kneel. What should I do?

Skip kneeling and use the chair and stool progressions instead, on a folded towel if you do try it. If a joint hurts rather than a muscle, or the pain gets worse from session to session, stop and speak to your GP or a physiotherapist.

I am 75. Is this test for me?

Yes, and arguably more so, because it is the same strength and balance work the NHS asks adults 65 and over to do on at least 2 days a week. Start at chair height, near something solid, and speak to your GP first if you have health concerns.

How often should I retest?

Every three months if you passed both sides, or at the end of each four-week block if you did not. It changes faster than most fitness measures, which makes it a satisfying one to repeat.

Does being able to do this prevent falls?

We would not claim that. What the NHS does say is that strength and balance exercise at least twice a week is part of preventing falls, alongside clearing trip hazards, regular eye and hearing checks, well-fitting shoes, and asking a GP or pharmacist to review medicines that might affect balance.

Sources & review

NHS, Physical activity guidelines for older adults: be physically active every day; at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week; strength, balance and flexibility activities on at least 2 days a week; exercises to improve strength, balance and flexibility help you feel more confident on your feet; speak to a GP first if you have not exercised for some time, or if you have medical conditions or concerns. Checked 29 August 2026.
NHS, Strength exercises: sit-to-stand among its home strength exercises, to be done at least twice a week, described as gentle and easy to follow, with the advice to build up slowly and gradually increase repetitions. Checked 29 August 2026.
NHS, Balance exercises: heel-to-toe walk and one-leg stand at least twice a week, done near a wall or a stable chair in case you lose your balance. Checked 29 August 2026.
NHS, Falls prevention: being active every day and doing activities that improve strength and balance at least twice a week; clearing clutter, loose wires and rugs; shoes and slippers that fit well and grip; eye and hearing checks; medicine reviews; see a GP if you are worried about your balance or have had a fall; NHS 111 if someone may be injured or unwell; 999 if they may have injured their head, back, neck or hip, or cannot get up. Checked 29 August 2026.

The get-up test and its pass standard are Prep Not Panic’s own self-check standards. They are not medical tests and have not been clinically validated. Professional review: TBC. Review date: 29 August 2026.