Grip Strength and What It Predicts

Grip strength is measured by squeezing a handheld device as hard as you can for a few seconds. Across large groups of people it predicts death from any cause and from heart disease, and in one large study it did so more strongly than systolic blood pressure. That is not because the hands are special. It is because of what grip stands in for.

Why a hand squeeze reflects the whole body

The forearm works in nearly every demanding movement. A strong grip usually goes with a strong body, and a weak one often points to low muscle mass and strength elsewhere, not just in the hands. The squeeze also measures how well the nervous system can fire muscle on command, which fades with age and inactivity faster than muscle size does.

So the dynamometer reading is a quick window into total muscle and total strength, and muscle is the body's reserve. It is the main place blood sugar is stored after a meal. It is what gets drawn down during an illness or after surgery. It is what helps catch a stumble before it becomes a fall. Adults lose roughly 3 to 8 percent of it per decade after about 40 without resistance training.

What the numbers say

In a large international study following adults over several years, each 5 kilogram drop in grip strength went with roughly a 16 percent higher risk of dying from any cause, and the relationship held after accounting for age, activity and the usual risk factors.

Typical values for healthy adults under 60 sit around 40 to 50 kilograms for men and 25 to 30 for women. The cutoffs used to flag low muscle function are below 27 kilograms for men and below 16 for women.

One thing to be clear about. Squeezing a spring loaded gripper every day will raise the number without changing anything underneath. Grip predicts because it reflects whole body strength, so the way to improve what it predicts is to build strength everywhere and let grip come along.

How to train it

• Deadlifts and rows, done without straps most of the time, so the hands carry the load.
• Loaded carries. Pick up something heavy in each hand and walk 30 to 40 yards.
• Dead hangs and pull ups. Hanging from a bar for time is a grip test on its own.

Two to three strength sessions a week built on those movements usually move grip and everything behind it.

We measure grip, dead hang and the main lifts twice a year and track them against standards, because a number that drops between tests is an early sign that something in the plan needs to change.

That's the kind of thing we measure.

This article is educational and is not medical advice.

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