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About this tool
Score a one-minute sit-up test against age and sex fitness bands, with any test length normalised to 60 seconds.
The Situp Standard Benchmark converts a bent-knee sit-up test into a rating from Excellent down to Very poor using the Golding/YMCA 60-second sit-up norms, split by age band and sex. If your test did not run for exactly 60 seconds, the count is scaled linearly to a one-minute equivalent first so it can be compared with the published table. You get the band you landed in, the rep range for every band in your age group, and the number of reps that would move you up one level.
Open Situp Standard Benchmark on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Add your input to the workspace.
Adjust the options until the result looks right.
Copy or download the output and put it to work.
A 30- or 120-second count is normalised to the 60-second standard before scoring.
Finer than a pass/fail: Excellent, Good, Above average, Average, Below average, Poor, Very poor.
Cut-offs fall with age, so a 55-year-old is not judged by a 22-year-old's table.
On the YMCA norms a man aged 18-25 needs 35 sit-ups in 60 seconds for Average and 50 or more for Excellent; at 46-55 those thresholds drop to 22 and 36. For women aged 18-25 Average starts at 29 and Excellent at 44, falling to 14 and 28 by 46-55.
Lie on your back with knees bent about 90 degrees, feet flat and held down, hands across the chest or fingertips at the temples. Curl up until the trunk clears the floor, return until the shoulder blades touch, and count complete reps for exactly 60 seconds. Resting is allowed but the clock keeps running.
Yes, but the score has to be scaled. This tool multiplies a 30-second count by two to reach a 60-second equivalent. That scaling assumes a steady pace, and most people slow down in the second half, so a scaled short test usually reads slightly high — treat it as an estimate.
They mainly measure abdominal muscular endurance, not maximal strength or deep-core stability, and they load the lumbar spine in repeated flexion. Plank hold time or a curl-up test with a lower range of motion are gentler alternatives. If you have back pain or a known disc issue, ask a physiotherapist which test is appropriate before doing a maximal sit-up test.