ABSTRACT Rationale: Muscular strength and power are key to independence and successful aging. Muscular strength declines with age, however muscular power is associated with daily activities, functional independence, and critical to preventing falls. Additionally, muscle power declines at a greater rate than muscle strength. Handgrip measures are commonly used to assess muscle strength because of their ease of use, standards are available, and measures are associated with cognitive decline. In women, power training improved cognition (Yoon et al., 2017) yet association of lower limb power, assessed with a validated chair stand test (CST) (Sherwood et al., 2019), to cognitive function has yet to be established. Purpose: To assess the association of handgrip strength and lower limb power to cognitive performance. Methods: 18 participants (9 females, 9 males 70.3 ± 9.41 years) were recruited from campus and community centers. Lower limb power was assessed during a CST using a linear position transducer. Cognitive assessments included Mini-Mental State (3MS), Trailmaking A & B, and Animal Naming. Summed peak handgrip strength was measured using a Jamar dynamometer. Pearson correlational analyses were used to assess relationships between variables. Results: Peak handgrip strength to all cognitive measures were weak (r<0.4), as were peak lower limb power to 3MS and Trailmaking A & B, r = 0.01, -0.4, and -0.35 respectively. Conclusions: Data collection is ongoing. Associations to 3MS were particularly weak with a suspected ceiling effect contributing. Upon completion of data collection, a multiple regression analysis may be necessary to ascertain confounding variables. Presentation Given October 8th, 2020