Wow, that's seriously impressive! It definitely points to strong muscles, which is fantastic. But, you know, overall health is like a puzzle. Grip strength is just one piece. To really know how healthy you are, you'd want to look at other factor also like your heart health, how well you move, and just how you're feeling in general.
By the way, I had polio at age 6. I had muscle testing last year they put small needled all over my body and made me flex things. Im probably incorrect about the terms or amounts but was told people have a number of contacts to each muscle (I think he said 5?) and that polio had wiped out 1, leaving me with 4. (May have been 4, leaving me with 3? ANyway, he was shocked by my strength . I asked how strong I would have been if I had not had polio and he said: God, you would have been a beast!” I have aortic valve stenosis and other problems so I guess my strength at 71 either doesnt help OR I would have been a mess or dead otherwise lol Finally back to what I first said—people may mistake this info and think they can strengthen their hands and have better heart health…or am I the only one who came to that possible conclusion that people would?
Great article Neha! It is definitely something which people don't think about but it is a valuable marker.
In our research in aging and cognitive function, grip strength is used throughout (RCTs and cohort). I'm pretty sure it is quoted somewhere as 'an indispensable marker' due to all of these links with a lot of age related problems.
But really nice article with how to get the grip better. The good thing with grip is, you can pick up a gripper pretty easily and it can just be in the house so have a squeeze now and then. Very handy for older populations, which it will bring the most benefit to!
Undoubtedly this is an inspiring article. I knew grip strength was important to partake the joys of modern living but not implications and the messages that your grip strength reveals. Minf
Mind blowing. Another important thing is the flexibility of the fingers abd the thumb. High degree of flexibility of the fingers gives dexterity and maintains your range of movement of your hand , wrists and the elbows, because you can do some wonderful things with your hands when
You are an aged person. It shows in your way of eating drinking and hence the pleasure of eating to doing finer things, some of which are related to the elderly's vision. That's the physical and mechanical part but the mental emotional part is equally important. An opener that refuses to open is best done by tying a strong rope like thing on the opening thing and twisting the thread/rope with a screw driver and the rest follows. My purpose is to show the pleasure and joy that comes from using your hands. To have it going to end of your life are the exercises shared. Great! I loved reading it.
Because its not causal, won’t training grip strength specifically result in misleading indicators? I can have super strong crush grip if all I do is squeeze a gripper all day but if I do no other exercise and eat poorly, I’m unlikely to be healthy and wont be optimizing my lifespan…and, how was grip strength tested - was there a specific tool that was used?
You're right to question that. Isolating grip strength can create a skewed picture. It's one piece of the puzzle, but a significant one. And like I said it's used as one of the health marker. Grip strength reflects overall muscle function, not a substitute for a full health assessment. Generally, grip strength is measured using a dynamometer. This is a device specifically designed to quantify the force exerted by the hand. Different types of dynamometers exist, but they all essentially work by measuring the amount of force applied when squeezing the device.
Hi and thanks for the post! Agree that this is a great measure for overall health since it is so simple to measure. You can just hang from a bar and see how long you can make it. Btw, this is an exercise I do at least once every week and I hang for about one minute :)
I came back here because I studied grip strength and heart health. Studies show a relation but made it sound like increasing your grip through training would decrease your risk of heart problems--which makes no sense to me at all. I can work my hands all day long and dont understand how just having stronger hands would make a difference---surely they must just be pointing out that people who have been exercising have better heart health anyway? Can one 'grip train their way' into better heart health?
The studies show a correlation, not necessarily a direct causation. This means when research shows a link, it doesn't always mean one directly causes the other. Studies often use grip strength as a biomarker or indicator of overall muscle strength and vitality. People with good grip strength often engage in more overall physical activity, which is what truly benefits heart health. And as I mentioned in my article, grip strength itself is still incredibly important. It's a key indicator of overall muscle strength. If your grip is weak, it often signals weakness in other muscles, increasing your risk of falls, injuries, and decreased independence as you age.
Am I healthy?--Im 71 and at a PT used a metered hand gripper--squeezed 210 pounds
Wow, that's seriously impressive! It definitely points to strong muscles, which is fantastic. But, you know, overall health is like a puzzle. Grip strength is just one piece. To really know how healthy you are, you'd want to look at other factor also like your heart health, how well you move, and just how you're feeling in general.
By the way, I had polio at age 6. I had muscle testing last year they put small needled all over my body and made me flex things. Im probably incorrect about the terms or amounts but was told people have a number of contacts to each muscle (I think he said 5?) and that polio had wiped out 1, leaving me with 4. (May have been 4, leaving me with 3? ANyway, he was shocked by my strength . I asked how strong I would have been if I had not had polio and he said: God, you would have been a beast!” I have aortic valve stenosis and other problems so I guess my strength at 71 either doesnt help OR I would have been a mess or dead otherwise lol Finally back to what I first said—people may mistake this info and think they can strengthen their hands and have better heart health…or am I the only one who came to that possible conclusion that people would?
Nice read
Thank You!
Love this.
Great article Neha! It is definitely something which people don't think about but it is a valuable marker.
In our research in aging and cognitive function, grip strength is used throughout (RCTs and cohort). I'm pretty sure it is quoted somewhere as 'an indispensable marker' due to all of these links with a lot of age related problems.
But really nice article with how to get the grip better. The good thing with grip is, you can pick up a gripper pretty easily and it can just be in the house so have a squeeze now and then. Very handy for older populations, which it will bring the most benefit to!
Undoubtedly this is an inspiring article. I knew grip strength was important to partake the joys of modern living but not implications and the messages that your grip strength reveals. Minf
Mind blowing. Another important thing is the flexibility of the fingers abd the thumb. High degree of flexibility of the fingers gives dexterity and maintains your range of movement of your hand , wrists and the elbows, because you can do some wonderful things with your hands when
You are an aged person. It shows in your way of eating drinking and hence the pleasure of eating to doing finer things, some of which are related to the elderly's vision. That's the physical and mechanical part but the mental emotional part is equally important. An opener that refuses to open is best done by tying a strong rope like thing on the opening thing and twisting the thread/rope with a screw driver and the rest follows. My purpose is to show the pleasure and joy that comes from using your hands. To have it going to end of your life are the exercises shared. Great! I loved reading it.
How do I measure my various types of grip strength?
Whoops reading comments I see you mention a dynometer…
Because its not causal, won’t training grip strength specifically result in misleading indicators? I can have super strong crush grip if all I do is squeeze a gripper all day but if I do no other exercise and eat poorly, I’m unlikely to be healthy and wont be optimizing my lifespan…and, how was grip strength tested - was there a specific tool that was used?
You're right to question that. Isolating grip strength can create a skewed picture. It's one piece of the puzzle, but a significant one. And like I said it's used as one of the health marker. Grip strength reflects overall muscle function, not a substitute for a full health assessment. Generally, grip strength is measured using a dynamometer. This is a device specifically designed to quantify the force exerted by the hand. Different types of dynamometers exist, but they all essentially work by measuring the amount of force applied when squeezing the device.
Hi and thanks for the post! Agree that this is a great measure for overall health since it is so simple to measure. You can just hang from a bar and see how long you can make it. Btw, this is an exercise I do at least once every week and I hang for about one minute :)
Thankyou. Yes, Dead hangs are great for working on grip strength!
I came back here because I studied grip strength and heart health. Studies show a relation but made it sound like increasing your grip through training would decrease your risk of heart problems--which makes no sense to me at all. I can work my hands all day long and dont understand how just having stronger hands would make a difference---surely they must just be pointing out that people who have been exercising have better heart health anyway? Can one 'grip train their way' into better heart health?
The studies show a correlation, not necessarily a direct causation. This means when research shows a link, it doesn't always mean one directly causes the other. Studies often use grip strength as a biomarker or indicator of overall muscle strength and vitality. People with good grip strength often engage in more overall physical activity, which is what truly benefits heart health. And as I mentioned in my article, grip strength itself is still incredibly important. It's a key indicator of overall muscle strength. If your grip is weak, it often signals weakness in other muscles, increasing your risk of falls, injuries, and decreased independence as you age.