In short:
- Grip strength is the force of your handgrip, measured with a dynamometer, and it reflects the body’s overall muscle strength.
- In population studies, lower grip strength is linked to higher mortality and a greater risk of sarcopenia in older age.
- You can train grip strength with simple strength exercises 2–3 times per week.
- Measuring it is cheap and quick, and it also works for self-checking at home.
Grip strength, or handgrip strength, is a surprisingly informative health marker. It reflects the muscle strength not only of your hands but of your whole body, and it is easy and inexpensive to measure. This guide explains what grip strength tells you about your health, how to measure it and how to strengthen it with everyday exercises.
What does grip strength tell you about your health?
Grip strength is a good “window” into the body’s overall muscle strength and the toll of aging. In the large international PURE study, every 5 kg lower handgrip strength was associated with roughly a 16% higher risk of all-cause mortality (Leong, 2015). In data from the UK Biobank, lower grip strength was linked to higher mortality and a greater risk of cardiovascular disease (Celis-Morales, 2018). An even earlier longitudinal study showed that grip strength measured in midlife predicted the onset of mobility disability about 25 years later (Rantanen, 1999).
Why does such a simple measure say so much? Muscle strength declines with age, and this loss of strength is a central feature of sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. The consensus of the European working group EWGSOP2 names grip strength as one of the key tests for sarcopenia: low strength is defined as under 27 kg in men and under 16 kg in women (Cruz-Jentoft, 2019). This is exactly why grip strength is called a practical biomarker for aging adults (Bohannon, 2019).
How to measure grip strength
The most accurate way is a handgrip dynamometer. Sit upright with your elbow at 90 degrees and squeeze the device with maximum force for a couple of seconds. Do 2–3 attempts with each hand and note your best result. The result is compared with age- and sex-based reference values — under 27 kg in men and under 16 kg in women points to low strength (Cruz-Jentoft, 2019).
If you don’t have a dynamometer, a practical test can still give you an idea: how long you can hang from a bar, or how securely you hold a bag while carrying heavy weights. These aren’t precise measurements, but a change over time (whether your hold time gets longer) is a good indicator of personal progress.
How to train grip strength
Grip strength improves when you regularly challenge your hands with resistance. Useful exercises:
- Hanging from a bar — start with assisted or short holds and extend the time gradually.
- Carrying heavy weights (the so-called farmer’s carry) — carry weights in your hands with a steady stride.
- Squeezing exercises with a hand gripper or a soft ball.
- Pulling strength exercises such as band or dumbbell rows.
If you have back problems, choose exercises that don’t put the wrong kind of stress on your back — you’ll find advice in the articles Back pain and training and Training and back pain. Your training results also depend on recovery and enough protein in your diet; you can find simple high-protein recipes in the posts FOOD BLOG – Easy cottage cheese cake and FOOD BLOG: Easy protein dessert.
How often should you train grip strength?
For most people, 2–3 training sessions per week work well, with exercises that challenge your grip as part of general strength training. Give your muscles rest between training sessions and increase the training load gradually. General strength training strengthens your grip indirectly, because many pulling exercises require a strong squeeze.
Grip strength is part of a bigger picture — the foundation of healthy aging is regular movement, strength training and enough protein. The World Health Organization stresses the importance of maintaining physical capacity throughout life in its healthy aging initiative.
References
- Leong DP et al. (2015). Prognostic value of grip strength: findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Lancet. PMID: 25982160
- Celis-Morales CA et al. (2018). Associations of grip strength with cardiovascular, respiratory, and cancer outcomes and all cause mortality: prospective cohort study of half a million UK Biobank participants. BMJ. PMID: 29669821
- Cruz-Jentoft AJ et al. (2019). Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis (EWGSOP2). Age and Ageing. PMID: 30312372
- Bohannon RW (2019). Grip Strength: An Indispensable Biomarker For Older Adults. Clinical Interventions in Aging. PMID: 31695342
- Rantanen T et al. (1999). Midlife hand grip strength as a predictor of old age disability. JAMA. PMID: 9892452
Frequently asked questions
What is grip strength?
Grip strength is the maximum force of a handgrip, measured with a dynamometer. It reflects the body’s overall muscle strength and is also used in assessing sarcopenia.
What grip strength is too low?
According to the European EWGSOP2 consensus, low strength is indicated by a handgrip of under 27 kg in men and under 16 kg in women (Cruz-Jentoft, 2019).
Can grip strength be improved?
Yes. Regular strength exercises such as hanging, carrying heavy weights and squeezing exercises build grip gradually, as long as you increase the training load little by little.
How often should you train grip strength?
For most people, 2–3 times per week as part of general strength training works well, leaving your muscles time to recover between training sessions.
Why is grip strength important as a health marker?
In population studies, lower grip strength has been linked to higher mortality and a greater risk of later mobility disability (Leong, 2015; Rantanen, 1999), which makes it a simple, low-cost indicator of general health.
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