Grip-strength exercises will make everyday actions easier and may even add years to your life.
Struggling to open the lid on a jar of pickles or carry your groceries from your car to your house is, at the very least, mildly annoying. But these subtle signs of poor grip strength may actually hint at your overall health and longevity, too.
According to an October 2019 review in Clinical Interventions in Aging, good grip strength is an accurate gauge of current health and fitness and future physical, emotional, and mental well-being. On the other hand, poor grip strength is associated with early death from any cause.
That’s right, if you want to stay healthy for years to come — and be able to conquer simple tasks without feeling miffed — look no further than grip-strength exercises, the unsung heroes of a solid resistance-training routine.
Why You Need Good Grip Strength
“Grip strength reflects total-body strength, particularly in the upper body,” says Jakub Szylak, a Coach X at Equinox Coral Gables. In fact, researchers in the Clinical Interventions and Aging review found that better grip strength is associated with stronger muscles and bones. When you’re lifting a barbell off the ground for a deadlift, for instance, being able to hold onto the bar is arguably the most important factor in the amount of weight you can lift. Think about it: Without forearms and hands strong enough to clench onto a heavy load, you won’t be able to perform a set, let alone do a single rep, even if your brawny posterior chain muscles are up for the challenge.
Even if you’re not looking to lift heavy, having good grip strength is also important for functional health, according to Szylak. “Strong grip strength predicts better functional ability, independence, and reduced risk of falls as you age,” he says.
Whether you realize it or not, you utilize the muscles throughout your forearms and hands to carry your duffle bag through the airport, haul a laundry basket through your apartment building, and grasp onto the staircase railing when you accidentally miss a step. There’s a performance element to it, too: You need to be able to firmly clutch your golf club, baseball bat, or tennis racket if you want to smash the ball powerfully.
Lastly, “research shows that weaker grip strength is associated with increased early mortality risk, cardiovascular disease, and mobility issues in older adults,” Szylak says. This is evidenced by a July 2015 study in The Lancet — researchers found that poor grip strength was a “strong predictor” for “all-cause death, cardiovascular death, and cardiovascular disease.” And a January 2023 study in the Alzheimer’s & Dementia Journal supports the idea that better grip strength is linked to better mobility as you age.
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How to Improve Your Grip Strength
The key to boosting your grip strength is working the muscles in your forearms and hands, and there are a few ways to do this, in and out of the Club, according to Szylak.
When you have a few minutes of downtime during your day, squeeze a tennis ball, stress ball, or hand gripper, he suggests. Don’t have any of those tools? No problem. Try twisting a wet towel with both hands to strengthen your forearms and grip. You can make everyday activities a grip-strength challenge, too; try parking farther away from the grocery store when you go shopping so you have to carry your overflowing bags a bit longer, Szylak recommends.
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In the Club, incorporate a few tried-and-true grip-strength exercises into your training routine, including Szylak’s favorites.
1. Farmer’s Carry
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand with your arms at your sides.
Keeping your core engaged, squeeze your shoulder blades down and back to stabilize the weights.
Walk forward for a set amount of time or distance. Use heavier weights or walk longer distances to progress.
2. Dead Hang
Step up onto a box or bench below a pull-up bar.
Grab the pull-up bar with both hands shoulder-width apart, your palms facing away from you. Wrap your thumbs around the bar.
Step off the box and allow your body to hang below the bar, legs extended toward the floor. Keep your arms fully extended with no bend at your elbows.
Completely relax your body and hang for a set amount of time. Increase the amount of time spent in your dead hang to progress.
3. Plate Pinch
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a weight plate in each hand between your thumb and fingers, and your arms at your sides.
Hold this position for a set amount of time. Use heavier weights or increase the amount of time holding the plates to progress.