{"id":857853,"date":"2026-09-23T14:26:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T14:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/857853\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T14:26:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T14:26:25","slug":"im-a-trainer-one-everyday-move-gets-harder-with-age-and-may-reveal-a-hidden-fitness-weakness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/857853\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m a Trainer: One Everyday Move Gets Harder With Age and May Reveal a Hidden Fitness Weakness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting off the floor probably isn\u2019t how most people measure fitness. But the deceptively ordinary movement requires strength<\/a>, mobility and balance at the same time\u2014and losing the ability to do it comfortably could reveal weaknesses that matter more with age.<\/p>\n

According to The New York Times<\/a>, getting off the floor is an important skill for staying independent as you age. Physical therapist Ashley Katzenback recommends practicing it once a day: Get down on the floor, then stand back up.<\/p>\n

Related: Study of Nearly 88,000 Adults Finds a Surprising Exercise Benefit as You Get Older<\/a><\/p>\n

Why Getting Off the Floor Matters<\/p>\n

The stakes extend beyond convenience. CDC data updated this month<\/a> show more than 14 million Americans 65 and older report falling each year. Falls are the leading cause of injury in that age group.<\/p>\n

Getting back up combines several physical qualities that are often trained separately. Fitness coach Sarah Fuhrmann, who specializes in functional aging, calls floor movement an essential life skill, whether you\u2019re gardening, playing with grandchildren or reaching beneath furniture.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tell my clients, \u2018We\u2019re not going to be the \u2018I\u2019ve fallen and I can\u2019t get up\u2019 lady!\u2019\u201d Fuhrmann told the Times.<\/p>\n

Related: Popular Muscle Supplement Did Something Unexpected After One Sleepless Night, Study Finds<\/a><\/p>\n

One Simple Test Has Been Linked to Longevity<\/p>\n

There\u2019s another reason to pay attention. A 2025 study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology<\/a> followed 4,282 adults ages 46 to 75 for a median 12.3 years. Participants performed a sitting-rising test, earning higher scores for getting down and back up without using a hand or knee for support or becoming unsteady.<\/p>\n

Researchers described the test as simultaneously assessing \u201cmuscle strength\/power<\/a>, flexibility, balance, and body composition.\u201d Lower scores were associated with higher natural and cardiovascular mortality, even after researchers adjusted for several variables. The study was observational, so the test shouldn\u2019t be treated as proof that getting off the floor extends your life.<\/p>\n

Next: Trainer: 5 Moves to Keep Your Knees Pain-Free<\/a><\/p>\n

Train the Weak Links<\/p>\n

The Times routine breaks the skill into pieces, including glute bridges, kneel-to-stands, half-kneeling liftoffs, lateral step-ups and box squats<\/a>. \u201cOne of the best ways to practice this skill is straightforward,\u201d the Times reports: simply practice getting down and standing back up.<\/p>\n

Related: Trainer: Why Men Over 40 Should Be Doing Box Squats for Long-Term Strength<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Men’s Journal<\/a> on Sep 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Fitness<\/a> section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getting off the floor probably isn\u2019t how most people measure fitness. But the deceptively ordinary movement requires strength,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":857854,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[337,97],"class_list":["post-857853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/857854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}