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BACKGROUND: The impact of ventral hernias on physical function remains unclear. This study evaluated the association between hernia repair and patient functional status over time. STUDY DESIGN: As part of the "Pilot Trial of Abdominal Core Rehabilitation To Improve Outcomes After Ventral Hernia Repair" (NCT05142618; 12/02/2021), we analyzed prospective data between April 2022 and August 2024. Patients completed timed up and go (TUG) and 5 times sit-to-stand (5×STS) tests preoperatively and at 4 weeks, 10 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. Generalized estimating equations modeling and quadratic trend analyses assessed changes in functional test scores over time. RESULTS: Among 127 participants (mean age 51 years, mean BMI 33.07 kg/m 2 , 61% male, mean hernia width 7.02 cm [SD 6.91 cm]), preoperative mean TUG was 8.48 seconds (SD 2.22 seconds) and 5×STS was 14.34 seconds (SD 5.25 seconds). Functional test scores worsened at 4 weeks postsurgery (TUG estimate 0.94 [SE 0.35], p = 0.007; 5×STS estimate 1.81 [SE 0.73], p = 0.014). Thereafter, only 5×STS demonstrated significant improvement at 10 weeks (estimate -1.13 [SE 0.35], p = 0.001), 6 months (estimate -1.32 [SE 0.34], p < 0.001), and 1 year (estimate -1.50 [SE 0.31], p < 0.001). 5×STS's rate of improvement slowed over time, indicating a plateau effect (linear term estimate -0.121 [0.04], p = 0.002; quadratic term estimate 0.002 [SE 0.0007], p = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Physical function testing provides a practical means to assess longitudinal functional status after ventral hernia repair. In this study, 5×STS performance had early decline, progressive recovery, and plateau by 1 year after surgery. TUG showed little long-term change. These findings establish 5×STS as a valuable tool for tracking functional status trajectories and highlight the need to further evaluate rehabilitation strategies to optimize patient outcomes.