Methodology · scoring v1.2.0
Most fitness assessments hide their reasoning. This one does not, including the places where the honest answer is that a threshold is coach-set rather than drawn from a dataset.
Each test has two numbers set for your age and sex. A standard you should clear, and a target that is what great looks like at your age.
Your result is placed on a 0–100 scale with the standard pinned at 40 and the target at 90 — so 40 means the same thing on a 10-point test as on one measured in seconds, and four unrelated tests can be averaged fairly.
The plain average of the four screen tests, weighted equally. The Cooper run is scored separately.
It comes out of the average rather than counting as zero, and your scorecard is marked partial. Not owning a pull-up bar says nothing about your body.
Every test carries its tier, and the tier travels onto your scorecard.
Every dataset behind these thresholds was collected on European, American or Brazilian populations. Treat your score as a comparison against a foreign yardstick — and, far more usefully, against your own result four weeks from now.
Your own standard and target for each test are shown on your scorecard, set by your age band and sex.
From standing, sit down on the floor and stand back up without support.
Source — Brito et al. 2014 — 2,002 adults, scoring protocol published, linked to all-cause mortality.
Limitation — We use whole points only. The published protocol also deducts half a point for unsteadiness; we leave that out because it is hard to judge on yourself.
Stand on one leg with your eyes closed. Time it.
Source — Published age norms exist for the eyes-closed single-leg stand. The 10-second mortality finding (Araujo et al. 2022) is for the EYES-OPEN stand, so we do not apply it to the eyes-closed protocol.
Limitation — The 60+ protocol uses eyes OPEN. That is a different, easier test than the eyes-closed one used below 60, so a 60+ result is not comparable to a younger person’s score.
At 60+ — Eyes OPEN at 60 and over. Stand next to a wall or chair you can reach.
Hang from a bar with a strong grip, arms fully extended, spine straight. Time it.
Source — Thresholds set from training practice, not from a normative dataset. Grip strength itself is a well-established biomarker (Bohannon 2019), but the dead hang is our proxy for it, not the measured thing.
Limitation — This test penalises body mass. A heavier person with excellent grip will score worse than a lighter person with weaker hands. A grip dynamometer measures the underlying quality far better.
Back flat against a wall, knees bent to 90 degrees, thighs parallel to the floor. Time it.
Source — Thresholds set from training practice, not from a normative dataset.
Cover as much distance as you can in 12 minutes.
Source — Cooper normative tables, decades of use. Cardiorespiratory fitness is strongly linked to long-term mortality (Mandsager et al., JAMA Netw Open 2018).
The full age and sex tables are not published, but we are happy to talk about any specific number. Write to prabal.support@gmail.com.
These tests are for adults without pre-existing medical conditions. If you have a heart condition, a recent injury, a joint replacement, problems with dizziness, or you are unsure for any reason, consult your doctor first. This is a capability baseline, not a medical assessment.
The research behind the tests and their thresholds.
Brito, L. B. B., Ricardo, D. R., Araújo, D. S. M. S., Ramos, P. S., Myers, J. & Araújo, C. G. S. Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 21(7), 892–898 (2014).
Araujo, C. G., Silva, C. G. S., Laukkanen, J. A., et al. Successful 10-second one-legged stance performance predicts survival in middle-aged and older individuals. British Journal of Sports Medicine 56(17), 975–980 (2022).
Read the sourceBohannon, R. W. Grip strength: an indispensable biomarker for older adults. Clinical Interventions in Aging 14, 1681–1691 (2019).
Read the sourceMandsager, K., Harb, S., Cremer, P., et al. Association of cardiorespiratory fitness with long-term mortality among adults undergoing exercise treadmill testing. JAMA Network Open 1(6), e183605 (2018).
Read the sourceCooper, K. H. A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake: correlation between field and treadmill testing. JAMA 203(3), 201–204 (1968). The 12-minute run and its normative tables.
Wider reading sits in the Evidence Room.
Ten minutes will tell you where you actually stand.
About 10 minutes. No equipment beyond a wall. No sign-up to see your result.