Five-Times Sit-to-Stand
Page updated: Evidence reviewed: What this means
The five-times sit-to-stand test (5xSTS) records the time needed to rise from a chair five times with the arms folded across the chest. In the SHARE protocol, timing stopped when the participant was fully standing after the fifth rise; it did not include a final return to the seat. These weighted reference values come from Grgic et al. 2025, an analysis of 45,470 participants aged 50+ from 14 European countries in SHARE wave 5. Data were collected in 2013, and more than 99.5% of participants lived at home. Participants performed one timed trial after first showing that they could complete a single rise. The methodology records the percentile mapping and age-cell counts. The test is also called the FTSST or five-repetition sit-to-stand test. Lower times are faster. No values are shown below age 50 because the source did not cover that age range.
How to Perform This Test (Protocol)
- Equipment
-
- Chair (height and design not reported in the SHARE article)
- Stopwatch
- Protocol Steps
-
- First confirm that the participant can complete one sit-to-stand transition. SHARE timed only participants who completed this preliminary trial.
- Begin seated with the arms folded across the chest.
- The examiner says 'Ready' and 'Stand' and starts the stopwatch.
- Stand and sit repeatedly as quickly as possible, keeping the arms folded, until five rises have been completed.
- Stop the stopwatch when the participant is fully standing after the fifth rise. Do not include a final return to the seat.
- Scoring
SHARE recorded one timed trial in seconds; lower times are faster. The article does not state the recording precision.
- Notes
The article does not report chair height. Protocols that end seated, use a different chair height, allow the arms, or select the best of several trials should not be compared directly with these values.
Data source: SHARE (5xSTS) About this study
Reference population: 45,470 SHARE wave 5 participants aged 50+ from 14 European countries; 24,562 women and 20,908 men
Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Norms Chart by Age and Sex (seconds)
| Age | Sex | Percentile | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 95th | ||
| 50-54 | Male | 5.0 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 11.5 | 19.0 |
| Female | 6.0 | 7.5 | 10.0 | 11.5 | 18.0 | |
| 55-59 | Male | 5.0 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 11.5 | 18.0 |
| Female | 6.0 | 8.5 | 10.0 | 12.5 | 20.0 | |
| 60-64 | Male | 6.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 12.5 | 18.0 |
| Female | 6.0 | 8.5 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 20.0 | |
| 65-69 | Male | 6.0 | 8.5 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 20.0 |
| Female | 7.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 14.0 | 22.0 | |
| 70-74 | Male | 6.0 | 8.5 | 11.0 | 14.0 | 20.0 |
| Female | 7.0 | 9.5 | 12.0 | 14.5 | 20.0 | |
| 75-79 | Male | 7.0 | 9.5 | 12.0 | 14.5 | 22.0 |
| Female | 7.0 | 9.5 | 12.0 | 16.0 | 23.0 | |
| 80-84 | Male | 8.0 | 10.5 | 13.0 | 16.0 | 23.0 |
| Female | 8.0 | 11.5 | 13.0 | 17.0 | 25.0 | |
| 85-89 | Male | 7.0 | 10.0 | 13.0 | 16.5 | 25.0 |
| Female | 9.0 | 12.5 | 15.0 | 19.0 | 28.0 | |
| 90+ | Male | 9.0 | 12.0 | 15.0 | 17.5 | 26.0 |
| Female | 7.0 | 12.0 | 15.0 | 20.5 | 28.0 | |
What to expect by age group
Among participants aged 50 to 54, the median time was 9 seconds for men and 10 seconds for women. The estimated middle 50% ran from 7.5 to 11.5 seconds for both sexes. Median time reached 15 seconds at age 90+ for men and women. These are reference percentiles for people who completed the preliminary rise and timed test, not diagnostic cutoffs. Lower times are faster.
| Age | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| 50-54 | 7.5 to 11.5 | 7.5 to 11.5 |
| 55-59 | 7.5 to 11.5 | 8.5 to 12.5 |
| 60-64 | 8.0 to 12.5 | 8.5 to 13.0 |
| 65-69 | 8.5 to 13.0 | 9.0 to 14.0 |
| 70-74 | 8.5 to 14.0 | 9.5 to 14.5 |
| 75-79 | 9.5 to 14.5 | 9.5 to 16.0 |
| 80-84 | 10.5 to 16.0 | 11.5 to 17.0 |
| 85-89 | 10.0 to 16.5 | 12.5 to 19.0 |
| 90+ | 12.0 to 17.5 | 12.0 to 20.5 |
Detailed Breakdowns
Select an age group and sex below for detailed percentile charts, tables, and ratings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the five-times sit-to-stand test measure?
It records the time needed to complete five chair rises without using the arms. Performance depends on lower-limb strength, balance, movement speed, technique, and the chair used. A percentile describes how a result compares with this SHARE sample; it is not a diagnosis.
What is the protocol for the five-times sit-to-stand test?
The full step-by-step protocol is detailed in the 'How to Perform This Test (Protocol)' section above.
How is this different from the 30-second chair stand?
The 30-second chair stand counts completed rises during a fixed 30 seconds. The five-times sit-to-stand test fixes the task at five rises and records elapsed time. Their scores and reference values are not interchangeable.
Why does this metric only cover ages 50 and over?
The reference values come from SHARE wave 5, which sampled adults aged 50 and older and their spouses. This analysis provides no values below age 50.
Where do the percentile values come from?
Grgic et al. (2025, DOI) report weighted performance percentiles, where a higher percentile means a faster time. FitnessNorms reverses that direction for ascending numeric storage. P5, P50, and P95 map directly to source P95, P50, and P5. P25 is estimated from source P70 and P80, and P75 from source P20 and P30, using the midpoint of each adjacent pair.
Are these percentiles clinical cutoffs?
No. These percentiles describe the age- and sex-specific distribution in the SHARE analysis. The sample covered a broad range of health and mobility, but only people who completed a preliminary chair rise entered the timed test. The values are not sarcopenia or fall-risk cutoffs.