We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how standing on one leg can reveal your brain age, while your exercise recovery rate can tell you how your heart is faring.
And while markers like how many sit-ups and push-ups you can do over time aren’t the be-all and end-all signs of your overall health, they can be surprisingly informative when it comes to spotting signs of muscle loss.
Still, not all measures of health are as athletic as that. In fact some researchers have been trying to make the case for grip strength as a biomarker for how well someone is ageing, calling it an “indispensable” way to measure older adults’ health.
It’s been linked to bone density, fall risk, cognitive ability, nutrition status, sleep, and plenty more. Perhaps that’s why Dr Ardeshir Hashmi told The Cleveland Clinic: “People who maintain their grip strength age more slowly. They stay healthier longer and are stronger throughout their bodies.”
What’s “good” grip strength by age?
You might be wondering what “good” grip strength looks like.
It can be hard to put a form number on it because everyone’s different, but one study says you have weak grip strength if you can squeeze less than 26 kg for men, and less than 16kg for women.
You can measure grip strength by using a tool called a hand dynamometer, which you squeeze as hard as you possibly can.
Another 2018 study found that on average, US participants’ grip strength in their dominant hand was roughly:
1) Age 18–24
- Men: 47 kg
- Women: 28 kg
2) Age 25–29
- Men: 48 kg
- Women: 30 kg
3) Age 30–34
- Men: 46 kg
- Women: 29 kg
4) Age 35–39
- Men: 47 kg
- Women: 29 kg
5) Age 40–44
- Men: 47 kg
- Women: 30 kg
6) Age 45–49
- Men: 42 kg
- Women: 29 kg
7) Age 50–54
- Men: 44 kg
- Women: 28 kg
8) Age 55–59
- Men: 41 kg
- Women: 25 kg
9) Age 60–64
- Men: 39 kg
- Women: 24 kg
10) Age 65–69
- Men: 37 kg
- Women: 22 kg
11) Age 70–74
- Men: 35 kg
- Women: 22 kg
12) Age 75–79
- Men: 33 kg
- Women: 20 kg
13) Age 80–85
- Men: 28 kg
- Women: 20 kg.
How can I improve my grip strength?
Men’s Health says that farmer’s carries, kettlebell swings, and deadlifts can help to strengthen your grip. But it doesn’t need to be as intense as that.
Dr Hashmi says simply squeezing a squash ball for about ten minutes a day per hand, twice a day, can help.
You can also purchase handles that are designed to be squeezed.
Because grip strength tends to decline at around 50, Dr Hashmi says, this is a good time to focus on the metric ― though he adds that the longer you spend working on it, the better.
“Eating well, focusing on getting enough protein, and exercising your whole body is important to slowing the process of ageing”, he told Cleveland Clinic.
“Focusing on your grip itself is important, but it’s just one part of it. You want to keep your whole body strong and take care of your muscles throughout your body.”