A Simple Way to Practice Getting Up From the Floor
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Getting down to and rising from the floor combines lower-body strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, and movement confidence. In this clip from Dr. Kelly Starrett's FoundMyFitness interview with Dr. Rhonda Patrick, he presents floor sitting as a practical way to rehearse this everyday skill and maintain movement choices across adulthood. In more than 2,000 adults ages 51 to 80, higher Sitting-Rising Test scores were associated with longer survival, making floor-transfer ability a useful marker of functional capacity. [1]
Floor time can include cross-legged sitting, kneeling, side-sitting, or sitting with the legs extended. Changing among comfortable positions exposes the hips and knees to ranges that chair sitting may not use often. Range of motion remains trainable with age, and regular stretching can improve it. The useful goal is enough mobility and strength for valued activities, with cushions, hands, or stable furniture used when support makes the movement safer. [2]
Practicing the transition itself can help build confidence and preserve a specific movement option. Small pilot studies suggest that supervised floor-rise training can improve the skill, while broader fall-prevention programs have the strongest evidence when they combine balance, functional exercise, and resistance training. Older or fall-prone adults can begin with chair sit-to-stands or supported half-kneeling and progress according to joint health, balance, and confidence. [3] [4]
- ^ Brito LB; Ricardo DR; Araújo DS; Ramos PS; Myers J; Araújo CG (2014). Ability to sit and rise from the floor as a predictor of all-cause mortality. Eur J Prev Cardiol 21, 7.
- ^ 10.1016/j.jshs.2023.06.002
- ^ 10.3390/jcm14155293
- ^ Sherrington C; Fairhall N; Wallbank G; Tiedemann A; Michaleff ZA; Howard K, et al. (2020). Exercise for preventing falls in older people living in the community: an abridged Cochrane systematic review. Br J Sports Med 54, 15.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Why does sitting on the floor matter, especially as people get older?
Dr. Kelly Starrett: The ability to get down to and rise from the floor reflects strength, balance, coordination, and flexibility. Loss of transfer ability can contribute to loss of independence, but it is not established as the number-one reason people enter nursing homes.
Floor sitting can be a practical way to vary posture and rehearse the exact task of getting down and up. A person might sit with the legs straight, cross-legged, kneeling, or side-sitting. These positions can expose the hips and knees to tolerable ranges that chair sitting may not use often.
Twenty to thirty minutes is a practical suggestion, not a validated clinical dose. People should change positions, use cushions, and avoid forcing painful end ranges.
Philip Beach has proposed that kneeling changes hip loading and joint position. This is a conceptual model. Clinical trials have not shown that kneeling automatically recenters the hip or improves joint congruency.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Would older adults benefit even more from practicing the transition? They can use their hands or a couch for support.
Dr. Kelly Starrett: Yes. Supported practice is appropriate. Range of motion remains trainable with age, although aging, osteoarthritis, injury, and neurologic disease can still reduce it. More range is not always better. The useful goal is enough strength and mobility for the activities a person values.
Dr. Rhonda Patrick: My mother has orthostatic tremor. Her legs shake when she stands still, and sitting or moving helps. She has become comfortable getting on the floor to play with family.
Dr. Kelly Starrett: That is a personal adaptation, not evidence that floor sitting treats orthostatic tremor. More broadly, practicing supported floor transfers can preserve that specific movement option and may improve confidence.
Floor work should complement proven fall-prevention training, which combines balance, functional exercise, and resistance work. Older or fall-prone adults should practice near stable support or with a physical therapist. People with severe joint disease, recent surgery, osteoporosis, dizziness, or neurologic conditions need individualized guidance.
The goal is not to force one posture. It is to maintain useful movement choices and the ability to participate in life.
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