Grip Strength: More Important Than We Think

Grip Strength can be described as a measure of upper limb strength. Essentially, the amount of force you can exert when you clench your hand around an object. It is an often-overlooked aspect of MSK health, but it has been reported that Grip Strength tends to decline around 50 years of age, which can eventually begin to affect day-to-day activities. But improving or maintaining good Grip Strength is important in keeping our joints and muscles in our hands, wrists and forearms healthy and strong.

There are three types of Grip Strength:

1. Crush Grip – This is probably the one we are most familiar with; this is the strength to squeeze an object between our fingers and palms (think a stress ball).

2. Pinch Grip – This is the strength to pinch an object between our fingertips and thumb., without the use of the palm. This is not as common as the Crush Grip, but we use our Pinch Grip strength when using keys in our doors at home.

3. Support Grip – This is the ability to hold an object in your palm for an extended period of time (sometimes known as hold-time). This is often used when hanging from a bar in the gym, or carrying bags, laundry baskets or pushing a shopping trolley.

Although we may think of Grip Strength as just something for day-to-day tasks, it can play a role in being an indicator of several conditions, such as cognitive function, diabetes and obesity, as well as the instinctive thought of upper-limb heath.

It is an easy-to-measure indication of how strong the rest of your body may be, mostly using the Crush Grip method. The table below shows the average Grip Strength by age and sex:

Age Men Women

20-30 48-55kg 26-32kg

31-40 45-52kg 25-29kg

41-50 42-49kg 22-27kg

51-60 39-45kg 20-25kg

61-80 12-22kg 17-22kg

Whether you are within these average groups or not, there is always something we can do to keep our grip strong, and by association, keep the rest of our body in good working order.

Below are some exercises you can do to keep your Grip Strength working well:

Isolation Exercises:

• Ball Squeezes – take a squeezable ball in the palm of your hand and squeeze it for five seconds before releasing. Repeat this 10-12 times.

• Towel Wrings – Soak a small towel in water and hold it at either end. Twist the towel in opposite directions to wring the water out. Then, reverse the direction of movement and repeat the wringing. Repeat this 10-12 times.

Functional Exercises:

• Dead Hangs – Hold on to a bar and just hang – that is it. (This will also target other muscles groups to help with shoulder mobility and stability).

• Farmer’s Carry – Start standing and hold a weight (it could be a dumbbell or a heavy shopping bag). Walk for 30-60 seconds while gripping the weight.

Grip Strength can be an important indicator of muscle strength, but it can also be an indicator of other conditions that may affect your life. Whether you are a professional athlete or just trying to improve your overall health, working on your Grip Strength could be an activity that can have a positive impact on your life generally.