Sit and Stand: Your Guide to Core Strength and Healthy Aging

When was the last time you thought about how you stand up from a chair? Is it something you think about or something you just do? For most of us, it’s an automatic movement, but did you know that moving from a seated position to a standing position can be a way to determine how well you are aging? This simple action can also reveal a lot about your core strength, and learning how to build core strength now can help you maintain independence, balance, and stability as you age.

Physicians often use the sit-to-stand test in older adults to assess strength and balance. But what about you? This test can be performed anywhere at any time. You could do it now!

Try the Sit-to-Stand Test

According to the CDC, the average STS test scores for each age group are:

Grab a timer and set it for 30 seconds. Now sit in the center of a straight-back chair. Cross your arms, placing each hand on the opposite shoulder. Rise to a standing position and repeat, counting how many times you can rise in 30 seconds. How did you do?

Why Core Strength Matters

Core strength became a buzzword in the 1990s, leading to several fitness crazes and becoming a token phrase to drive people into trendy exercise classes. But the reality is, learning how to build core strength isn’t just a fad. Fitness professionals, who are form-focused, have long known that strengthening the core isn’t just about rock-hard abs or flat stomachs. It’s not just about being able to deadlift big weights or doing a back squat. It’s about learning to engage the muscles in your torso to move throughout your day. These muscles assist you in all your everyday movements, from getting out of a chair to walking across a room.

Did you know that core strength is a key factor in one’s ability to stand from a chair without assistance? If you’re under 60, you probably haven’t thought about it much, but core strength is something everyone should prioritize. If you’re wondering how to build core strength that supports real-life movement, it starts with awareness and consistent practice.

Your Core and Aging Gracefully

As you age, do you want to be able to:

• Stand up from a seated position without assistance?

• Avoid swaying side to side or tilting while walking?

• Balance on one leg to put your pants or shoes on?

• Not have to rely on your arms to go up and down stairs or shift your body position?

If you are already struggling with these tasks—or if you want to prevent those struggles—learning how to build core strength now is one of the most effective things you can do for your future self.

Understanding Your Core

So, how do you build core strength that actually supports aging and function? First, understand what your core is. Your core is your torso, or all the muscles that surround your spine, including the abdominals, back, pelvic floor, and diaphragm. These muscles appear in five layers of functionality:

• Bracing muscles

• Flexion muscles

• Extension muscles

• Lateral movers

• Rotators

With our clients, we talk about having an active core. So, let’s briefly walk through each of these muscle groups to become familiar with how they help—and how they’re involved when you begin working on how to build core strength intentionally.

Exploring Your Core Muscles

Let’s begin with the bracing muscles. These are the ones that would naturally tighten if someone were to tickle your midsection. Try tightening those now. When you’re tightening those muscles, you aren’t changing your shape or moving, just creating tension in your midsection. This is one protective mechanism for your spine that you can control. You should be able to breathe and talk while bracing.

Now try your flexion muscles. These are your crunch muscles, the ones that curl your spine forward. While standing, try engaging your flexion muscles and creating a forward curve in your spine.

Next, activate your extension muscles. These run all the way up your back and allow you to arch or extend your spine. Place your hands on your hips and gently extend yourself backward. Can you feel those muscles?

We then move on to the lateral movers and rotators. These muscle groups control your movement from side to side and help rotate your torso. Do a side bend to the left and then to the right. Now rotate left and then right. All of these movements are important to master when learning how to build core strength across all planes of motion.

Mastering Bracing for Core Stability

In our consultations, we always begin with teaching bracing techniques. Bracing is the most common abdominal engagement in most movement patterns. A well-braced torso gives you the stability you need to lift, protects your spine during movement, and maximizes your strength output.

Bracing involves tightening and engaging your core muscles to create a stable midsection. It’s one of the first things we teach when guiding clients on how to build core strength properly. It’s important to first learn how to do this while breathing, and then progress to briefly holding your breath to create more abdominal tension.

Practice this: Take a breath in, and as you do so, tighten—almost pushing that tension downward into your pelvis—and hold for just a few seconds. You don’t want to do this for too long, as it may affect pressure in your head. Over time, you’ll master how to stabilize your torso and brace your spine—an essential part of building core strength that supports real-life movement.

You can use this bracing skill anytime you’re preparing to lift or push something. Take, for example, lifting a heavy object off the ground. While we haven’t taught you how to do that yet, mastering the bracing technique is step one in how to build core strength safely.

Learn More with Body Outfitters

For a visual walkthrough of bracing, check out our Core Basics video: https://youtu.be/cRs4BgyLpEQ. This video reinforces what you’ve learned here and demonstrates key techniques on how to build core strength through bracing.

Our mission at Body Outfitters is to have a positive impact on your health and wellness. Reach out to find out more about personal training at Body Outfitters. For more instruction on how to build core strength, follow our blog or subscribe to our YouTube channel @bodyoutfitters.

If you would like to receive weekly videos from our Starting Strength Series, please fill out a contact form and specify “Starting Strength” in the comments.

Ready to build a stronger core and age gracefully?
Contact Body Outfitters today to start your journey toward better health.