A five minute self-check

How strong are you, really?

Four simple tests you can do at home, right now. The core two take five minutes and need nothing but a chair. At the end you get your numbers, how they sit against published averages for your age, and one job: beat them in eight weeks.

Four tests · a chair · an eight-week retest

Five minutes from now, this is yours.

The hero test

Eyes closed, one foot. How long can you go?

Balance is one of the quietest things midlife renegotiates, and one of the most trainable. In a 549-person study, the average eyes-closed single-leg hold looked like this:

In your 40s13SEC

In your 50s8SEC

In your 60s4SEC

Averages, not verdicts. Combined adult norms from Springer et al., 2007. Your number today is a starting point, and starting points move.

↓What you'll do

Four tests. One guide. Your pace.

Tap start and the test walks you through everything, one screen at a time, with a spoken count so your eyes can stay closed when they need to be. Do the core two, or all four. Skip anything that doesn't feel right today.

The eyes-closed balance hold

Hands on hips, one foot up, eyes shut. The phone counts out loud.

The 30-second chair stand

Stand, sit, repeat. A sturdy chair and thirty seconds.

The push-up test

Knees down, no clock. Go until form breaks. Optional.

The 2-minute step test

March in place, knee to the mark. Staying power. Optional.

For later

Somewhere you can't test right now?

This page tends to find people on the couch, on the train, in the pickup line. Leave your email and we'll send you The Stronger Test, so it's waiting when you're near a chair and a counter.