As of: March 16, 2024, 5:34 p.m
By: Alexandra Grauvogl
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Grip strength can be determined using a dynamometer.
But you can also use a normal body scale.
© IMAGO / Science Photo Library
How long will I live?
How high is my risk of heart disease?
Although self-tests cannot answer questions like these clearly, they can still provide clues, as scientific studies show.
Four self-tests for your health - and how you can improve the values.
Health checks at the doctor typically include blood pressure measurements, listening to the lungs or blood tests.
In addition to these medical tests that you should have carried out regularly, there are also simple self-tests that you can do at home.
These can provide interesting clues about longevity and heart health, as several studies suggest.
Here you will find out how you can test yourself and improve if necessary.
Balance test: What balance can say about life expectancy
A 2022 study showed that adults' ability to pass a 10-second balance test appears to correlate with their life expectancy.
In the study, 1,702 adults aged 51 to 75 were asked to stand on one leg for ten seconds.
Those who successfully completed the entire course had a lower risk of dying from any cause over a seven-year period.
The research team was unable to provide a clear answer as to why this connection exists.
Poor balance is linked to an increased risk of falls, which particularly - but not only - affects older people.
In addition, good balance is a prerequisite for remaining mobile, being able to move around easily and therefore not being restricted in everyday life.
How to test yourself:
Stand barefoot, upper body upright, arms hanging loosely next to your body, looking forward
Raise one leg by bending the knee and resting the foot lightly on the calf of the supporting leg
Try to maintain your balance for as long as possible, but at least 10 seconds.
The test can be tried on both legs, but is also considered passed if the 10 seconds can only be completed on the “chocolate leg”.
A little wobbling is normal.
If you didn't pass the balance test, you can work on your balance:
Perform everyday activities on one leg, e.g.
B. Brushing your teeth
Do balance exercises such as toe stands regularly
Strengthen your core muscles with suitable exercises such as forearm supports, push-ups, crunches, etc.
Studies show that gentle exercise such as yoga, tai chi and cycling can improve balance, especially in older people
Talk to your doctor about how you can reduce your risk of falling
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Push-up test: Push-up performance apparently says something about heart health
A study published in 2019 suggests that the amount of push-ups a person can do may be an indicator of heart disease risk.
Researchers at Harvard University examined data from 1,104 healthy firefighters in their middle age of 40.
As part of a test, these men completed as many push-ups as they could, synchronized to a metronome that beat 80 beats per minute.
As soon as the rhythm could no longer be maintained, the test was ended.
The men also performed a treadmill test.
After a ten-year period, it was found that those who were able to do 40 or more push-ups had a 96 percent reduced risk of heart disease compared to those who could only do ten or fewer push-ups.
The number of push-ups completed was found to be just as significant in predicting heart disease as the results of treadmill tests.
Due to the sample size (male, athletic, middle-aged), the results of the study cannot be fully applied to the general public.
Nevertheless, the performance of push-ups says something about muscle strength and endurance.
According to medical studies, both have a major influence on general health and healthy aging.
How to test yourself:
Perform push-ups with correct technique at a controlled pace (fluid, without pauses in the starting position)
As soon as you can no longer complete a clean repetition, the test is over
If you can do 40 or more push-ups, you are one of the top performers.
But even fewer push-ups are an indicator of well-trained muscles in the upper body and torso.
You can read here how many push-ups men and women should be able to do in different age groups.
Do you want to improve your push-up performance?
Our PDF library contains training plans for different fitness levels as a free PDF download:
6-week “Learn Push-Up” training plan for beginners
4-week training plan “Do more push-ups” for advanced users
8-week push-up challenge “100 push-ups in a row” for professionals
It is also recommended to integrate other push-up variants into your training in addition to the classic push-up in order to continually expose the muscles to new stimuli.
Recovery heart rate: Indicator of heart disease and fitness
According to US experts at the Cleveland Clinic, the recovery pulse or heart rate recovery (HRR) is a measure of the heart's ability to return to its normal resting rhythm after training has ended.
It is the difference between peak heart rate during exercise and heart rate shortly after you stop.
The HRR is measured in beats per minute (bpm).
Heart rate recovery is used by medical professionals to diagnose and treat cardiovascular diseases.
Athletes calculate them to assess their physical fitness, because a quicker return to normal heart rate after exercise indicates a better training condition.
How to test yourself:
The peak heart rate is usually reached at the end of intensive workouts or training sessions, for example during a 400-meter run or a HIIT session in the gym.
Measure your heart rate immediately at the end of the exercise.
To do this, place your fingers on the artery on the side of your neck or wrist and count the pulse beats for 15 seconds.
Multiply the value by 4 to get the peak heart rate.
Repeat the measurement after one minute.
The difference between the two measurements is your HRR.
The analysis can of course also be carried out using wearables with heart rate measurement, for example fitness trackers on the wrist or heart rate straps around the chest.
According to the US experts, the pulse should fall by 18 or more beats
after one minute after exercise
to speak of a good HRR.
According to studies, if the heart rate remains elevated after exercise, this can indicate an increased risk of heart disease (such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, high blood pressure) and an increased risk of death.
However, the HRR depends on some individual factors, such as age and gender, so that no generally valid values for self-diagnosis can be defined.
If you notice any abnormalities, be sure to speak to your doctor.
You can improve your HRR through regular (endurance) training:
Moderate endurance training, at least 30 minutes, five times a week - this is the recommendation of the German Heart Foundation.
However, beginners would benefit from everyday activities (e.g. climbing stairs instead of escalators).
For those with pre-existing health conditions, it is essential to create a suitable training program in consultation with a doctor.
Better trained people should follow an individual training plan to improve endurance and HRR.
A performance diagnostic examination and/or the support of a fitness trainer can be helpful.
Are you not enthusiastic about classic endurance sports such as running, cycling or swimming?
Then try the effective cardio and strength training of jumping rope.
Follow the training plan for rope jumping beginners or push yourself to your limits with the 500K workout in 30 minutes.
Grip Strength: The Connection to Fitness, Longevity, and Brain Function
In adults of all ages, grip strength has been shown to be a reliable indicator of total body muscle strength and mass, bone mineral density, and nutritional deficiencies.
In older adults, grip strength is used as an indicator of vitality and an accurate predictor of deterioration in physical and mental function.
This in turn enables a prediction of life expectancy.
A paper has been published in the renowned scientific journal “Plos One” that defines
standard values for grip strength
for both genders in different age groups and body sizes:
Men
Women
Men achieve the greatest grip strength between the ages of 30 and 49 and is 54 kilograms.
Women between the ages of 35 and 44 weigh 34.5 kilograms.
Deviations in grip strength of nine (men) or six kilograms below the average age are considered clinically relevant.
For example, when muscle loss becomes pathological with age (sarcopenia).
How to test yourself:
The easiest way to determine grip strength is with a dynamometer.
The devices are available to buy from around 20 euros and deliver accurate results.
A less accurate method is to take a body scale between your thumbs and the remaining fingers and press them together firmly.
The kilogram number that can be read on the scale should correspond to the grip strength.
Of course, opening a mason jar is also a grip strength test.
Here you won't get any value that you can compare with standard values.
If you find it difficult to open such jars or other screw caps, you can assume that your grip strength is not good.
In this case, you should improve your strength through training in order to benefit health, for example through:
2-3 training sessions per week that strengthen muscles throughout the body (more on the topic: How often you should train to build muscle)
Muscle training can include bodyweight exercises (exercises with your own body weight), such as push-ups, squats or sit-ups, as well as classic equipment training (leg press, bench press, lat pull-down, etc.) in the gym.
Exercises, intensity and scope of training should be adapted to the individual fitness level.
Talk to your doctor or a trained trainer about this.