Annual ortho self-check (~20 minutes)
Use this once per year (or every 6 months) to identify the biggest opportunities in endurance, strength, power, and balance.
- Complete the tests shown on the next page for your fitness level and age.
- Click "Compute results" to see percentiles and risk flags.
- Use the Focus Areas section to decide what to prioritize this year.
Start with a profile
Enter your demographics and choose a subjective fitness level. The app will decide whether to run the VO2/Vertical jump battery or a gentler functional set.
Why track these metrics?
Understanding a few key functional health measures, like VO2 max (how efficiently your body uses oxygen), grip strength (a simple marker of overall strength), and the Timed Up and Go test (how safely you move and balance) can tell you a lot about your current health and future risk. These numbers are strongly linked with real-world outcomes like cardiovascular health, fall risk, independence as you age, and overall longevity. The advantage is clarity: instead of guessing what to do, you get a baseline and a measurable target, so your exercise, recovery, and lifestyle choices can be tailored to what your body needs most. When you track these over time, small improvements become visible, which helps motivation and consistency. The result is better function, a longer "healthy" part of life (healthspan), and more confidence and energy in day-to-day living.
Selected battery
Complete this section to log your results.
Performance dashboard
Clinical-style snapshot from your current test set.
Domain profile
Timeline and retest
Last assessment: not yet recorded.
Recommended retest: complete a battery to generate.
VO2max (treadmill)
Contraindications (expand for details)
Absolute contraindications (never do the test):
- Recent heart attack (within the past two days)
- Ongoing chest pain from unstable angina
- Heart rhythm problems causing dangerous blood pressure or circulation issues
- Active infection of the heart valves
- Severe narrowing of the aortic valve causing symptoms
- Heart failure that is worsening or not controlled
- Blood clot in the lung or leg veins
- Inflammation of the heart muscle or the sac around the heart
- Tear in the main artery leaving the heart
- Severe high blood pressure (200/110 or higher)
- Severe lung blood pressure problems
- Physical disability that prevents safe exercise
Relative contraindications (may still do the test in some cases, but need to be careful):
- Severe blockage in the main artery feeding the heart
- Moderate to severe narrowing of the aortic valve when symptoms are unclear
- Fast irregular heart rhythms that are not controlled
- Advanced heart block
- Thickened heart muscle blocking blood flow out of the heart
- Recent stroke or mini-stroke
- Confusion or inability to follow instructions
- High blood pressure over 200/110 at rest
- Untreated medical problems like severe anemia, electrolyte imbalances, or overactive thyroid
- Unable to exercise hard enough to make the test meaningful
Instructions for testing
Before You Start
Safety First:
- Only perform this test if you have been cleared by your doctor
- Make sure someone else is home with you during the test
- Have your phone nearby in case of emergency
- Stop immediately if you experience chest pain, severe shortness of breath, dizziness, or feel unwell
What You Will Need:
- A treadmill with adjustable speed and incline
- A heart rate monitor or fitness watch (optional but helpful)
- A stopwatch or timer
- Water bottle
- Towel
- Pen and paper to record your results
The Test Protocol
Step 1: Warm-Up (3 minutes)
- Start walking at a comfortable, easy pace (around 2-2.5 mph) with 0% incline
- This gets your body ready and establishes your baseline
Step 2: Find Your Walking/Running Speed (2-3 minutes)
- Gradually increase the speed until you find a pace with a comfortable stride
- For most people, this is between 3-4 mph for walking or 5-6 mph for jogging
- Once you find this speed, keep it constant for the rest of the test
- Write down this speed
Step 3: The Ramp Test (Target: 8-12 minutes)
- Keep your speed the same
- Start increasing the incline gradually
- The goal is to reach complete exhaustion in 8-12 minutes
- Increase incline by 1% per minute if sedentary, 1.5-2% if moderately active, 2-3% if very fit
- Keep going until you absolutely cannot continue (maximum effort)
- Write down final speed, incline percentage, and total time
Step 4: Cool Down (at least 3 minutes)
- Immediately reduce to slow walking (1.5-2 mph) at 0% incline
- Keep walking slowly until breathing returns close to normal
- Do not stop abruptly
Vertical jump (flight time)
Instructions: Vertical jump
Warm up, perform 2 practice jumps, then record the best attempt keeping hands on hips. Jump as high as possible while trying to keep your legs relatively straight until the apex; soften on landing to maintain control.
Use the slow-motion guide below to capture the takeoff and landing frames, compute the flight time, and enter that value here for the most accurate vertical jump height.
How to capture flight time with slow-mo
- Use 120-240 fps slow-mo, phone on a steady surface, landscape mode.
- Frame the jumper with good contrast and steady lighting.
- Record 3-5 jumps and scrub frame-by-frame in your viewer.
- Capture the last contact frame and first landing frame, then divide by fps.
- Enter that flight time here; the helper computes the jump height.
Grip strength (dominant hand, kg)
Instructions: Dominant grip
Sit upright with elbow at 90 degrees, squeeze the dynamometer with your dominant hand for 3 seconds. Record the peak value.
Grip strength (non-dominant hand, kg)
Instructions: Non-dominant grip
Sit upright with elbow at 90 degrees, squeeze the dynamometer with your dominant hand for 3 seconds. Record the peak value.
Functional alternative
Select the functional metrics below if you are working from the low/high cutoff criteria. Each one uses the normative values from the same age-sex table.
Age-sex norms for your bracket
Grip strength (dominant hand, kg)
Instructions: Dominant grip
Sit upright with elbow at 90 degrees, squeeze the dynamometer with your dominant hand for 3 seconds. Record the peak value.
Grip strength (non-dominant hand, kg)
Instructions: Non-dominant grip
Sit upright with elbow at 90 degrees, squeeze the dynamometer with your dominant hand for 3 seconds. Record the peak value.
Timed Up and Go (seconds)
Instructions: Timed Up and Go
From seated, stand, walk 3 meters, turn, walk back, and sit at your fastest safe pace; use your usual assistive devices if needed.
Start timing on "Go" and stop when seated again.
30-second Sit-to-Stand (reps)
Instructions: Sit-to-Stand
Use a standard chair, arms folded across chest, stand fully and sit as many times as possible in 30 seconds.
Begin timing when you start the first stand.
4 Square Step (seconds)
Instructions: 4 Square Step Test
Step forward, lateral, and backward through the four squares with fastest safe pace. Keep track of total time.
Start timing on the first step and stop when both feet return to the starting square.
Your focus areas
Enter any test value and click compute to generate a summary.
Priorities
Strengths
What your training helps protect against
Complete tests to personalize this section.
Interpretation note: this tool provides exercise-related risk context and does not diagnose disease or predict individual lifespan.
Data controls
Data is stored locally in your browser.
Feedback and issue report
Risk association estimates
History
References
- Rikli R, Jones C. Functional fitness normative scores for community-residing older adults, ages 60-94. J Aging Phys Activity 1999;7(2):162-81.
- Winding S, Shin DGD, Rogers CJ, Ni L, Bay A, Vaughan C, Johnson T, McKay JL, Hackney ME. Referent values for commonly used clinical mobility tests in black and white adults aged 50-95 years. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2023;104(9):1474-1483. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2023.03.019.
- Dite W, Temple VA. A clinical test of stepping and change of direction to identify multiple falling older adults. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83(11):1566-71. doi:10.1053/apmr.2002.35469.
- Wang YC, Bohannon RW, Li X, Sindhu B, Kapellusch J. Hand-grip strength: normative reference values and equations for individuals 18 to 85 years old in the United States. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2018;48(9):685-693. doi:10.2519/jospt.2018.7851.
- Myers J, Kaminsky LA, Lima R, Christle JW, Ashley E, Arena R. A reference equation for normal standards for VO2 max: analysis from the FRIEND Registry. Prog Cardiovasc Dis 2017;60(1):21-29. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2017.03.002.
- Meulemans L, Deboutte J, Seghers J, Delecluse C, Van Roie E. Age-related differences across the adult lifespan: a comparison of six field assessments of physical function. Aging Clin Exp Res 2025 Mar 8;37(1):72. doi:10.1007/s40520-025-02965-1.