Get Grippy With It: Why Grip Strength is Important

Having a strong grip means more than being able to rep out pull-ups or win at tug of war. Grip strength is crucial for daily tasks such as opening jars, carrying groceries and even applying makeup. More importantly, grip strength is a predictor of longevity and overall health.

Why is grip strength important?

A literature review conducted by scholar and physical therapist Richard Bohannon indicates that grip strength is often viewed as a biomarker, similar to other measures that help predict health status. Bohannon found that grip strength is a good way to assess several other risks and indicators of morbidity and mortality.

Grip strength is closely associated with overall muscle strength. It is also associated with bone mineral density, an indicator of the risk of bone fractures. While these physical measures seem to be a clear connection to a test of physical strength, there are other conditions that are also seen as related to grip strength. Weaker grip strength has been correlated with sleep impairment, cognition and depression.

Grip strength is also a strong predictor of future outcomes such as overall mortality, cardiovascular and cancer risks as well as daily function over time. Weaker grip strength has also been associated with higher rate of hospitalization as well as more likely complications from hospitalizations.

What can I do about it?

To get a baseline measure of grip strength, you can purchase a dynamometer (around $25 online). You can also ask your doctor for an assessment at your next visit. Another alternative is to use a non-digital scale held in front of the body with elbows at 90 degrees and push down on the scale. For both methods, repeat three times and take the average.

Now that you have a baseline, you can work to improve grip strength and start putting deposits in your grip bank to help delay or avoid health problems as you age. There are three different components of grip strength: crushing (how strong your grip is using fingers and palm of hand), pinching (how firmly you can pinch between fingers and thumb), and support (how long you can hang from something or hold onto something).

Routinely performing these accessory exercises can help build your grip over time to make daily tasks easier as well as a step for preventing other diseases.

Exercises

Farmer’s carry

Carrying an object such as a kettlebell, dumbbell, pail or suitcase in each hand (or one hand at a time to start) for a certain distance. Gradually add distance (increasing time under tension) and weight (the heavier the weight, the more it will challenge your grip). Think of this as practice for carrying in all the groceries in one trip!

Plate pinch carry

Similar to the farmer’s carry, a plate pinch carry will have you pinching objects between your thumb and fingers. Weight plates or other objects gripped between the fingers will work for this activity. This tests a different measure of grip strength than the farmer’s carry.

Plate pinch pass

Using the same object and grip as the plate pinch carry, practice moving this object back and forth from hand to hand. You can circle it around your body multiple times, passing back and forth from hand to hand, then change direction after a few turns around the body.

Dead hang

Using a pull-up bar (or monkey bars or any other elevated item that will support your weight), practice holding on to the bar and hanging as long as possible. Start with 10 seconds and gradually increase by 10 seconds, aiming to be able to hold on for a minute or longer.

Stress ball

You know those freebies they give out at fairs and trade shows? Grab them! Use a stress ball, tennis ball, or even barbell clips and squeeze over and over again throughout the day. Make sure to balance both sides with equal squeezes.