How to Measure Your Grip Strength: A Key Indicator of Overall Health and Fitness

Grip strength may seem like a small aspect of fitness, but it’s actually one of the best indicators of overall health, endurance, and muscle function. Whether you’re an athlete, weightlifter, or just someone looking to stay fit, measuring your grip strength can offer insights into your upper body strength and even predict long-term health outcomes.

In this post, we’ll guide you through how to measure your grip strength, why it’s important, and what your results say about your fitness level.

Why Measure Your Grip Strength?

Your grip strength reflects the power of your forearms, hands, and overall upper body strength. Strong grip strength is essential for activities like lifting weights, climbing, and even day-to-day tasks like opening jars or carrying groceries. Research has also shown that grip strength is linked to better heart health, reduced risk of injury, and increased longevity. As you age, being able to grab a railing or other object to prevent a fall becomes extremely important.

If you participate in sports like tennis, rock climbing, or weightlifting, or if you’re aiming to build functional strength, grip strength is a crucial aspect of performance. Measuring your grip strength allows you to track improvements, spot weaknesses, and adjust your training accordingly.

What You’ll Need

• A hand dynamometer: This is the most accurate tool for measuring grip strength. It’s a handheld device that records the maximum force you can generate by squeezing.

How to Measure Grip Strength with a Hand Dynamometer

Using a hand dynamometer is the most reliable way to measure grip strength. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Warm up: Just like any other physical test, warming up your hands, wrists, and forearms with some light stretching or squeezing exercises will help you perform your best.
2. Adjust the dynamometer: If the dynamometer is adjustable, set it to a comfortable position for your hand. Your palm should be centered on the handle, with your fingers and thumb wrapped around it. Set the dynamometer to pounds.
3. Stand or sit with proper posture: Stand up or sit in a chair with your back straight, feet flat on the floor, and your arm relaxed at your side. If you’re sitting, rest your forearm on a table but leave your wrist and hand free to move.
4. Squeeze as hard as you can: Hold the dynamometer in one hand, and squeeze with as much force as possible for about 3-5 seconds. Keep your arm still—don’t swing it or use your body weight to press. Only the muscles in your hand and forearm should be working.
5. Record your result: Once you release the grip, record the number displayed on the dynamometer. The measurement will typically be in pounds of force.
6. Repeat on the other hand: Repeat the process for your other hand to compare the grip strength between both sides of your body.
7. Perform multiple trials: For accuracy, it’s recommended to perform the test 2-3 times per hand and take the average of those numbers as your final result.

Interpreting Your Grip Strength Results

Grip strength varies depending on your age, gender, and overall fitness level. Once you add your value to the Fit Forward checkin and view the dashboard, you will see age based stats on where your grip strength falls based and be able to track improvements over time.

If your grip strength falls below average, don’t worry—grip strength can improve significantly with focused training.

How to Improve Your Grip Strength

Grip strength can be trained and improved with regular exercise. Here are some exercises to help boost your grip strength:

• Deadlifts: One of the best exercises for building overall grip strength, especially when lifting heavy weights without straps.
• Farmer’s Walks: Grab a pair of heavy dumbbells or kettlebells, and walk a set distance or for a set amount of time while maintaining a strong grip.
• Plate Pinches: Hold two weight plates together (smooth side out) and pinch them between your fingers for as long as possible.
• Hand Grippers: These small, handheld devices are designed specifically to improve grip strength. Use them for reps or timed holds.
• Towel Pull-ups: Drape a towel over a pull-up bar, grab each end, and perform pull-ups. The towel creates a thicker grip, which forces your forearms to work harder.

How Often Should You Measure Your Grip Strength?

Fit Forward will ask for you updated grip strength once every 3 months. This allows you to track progress and adjust your training program based on your results. By incorporating grip-specific exercises, you’ll not only see improvements in your grip strength but also in overall upper body strength and endurance.

Final Thoughts

Grip strength is more than just a measure of how firmly you can shake hands—it’s a key indicator of your overall fitness and functional strength. By regularly measuring and working on your grip strength, you can enhance your performance in a wide variety of sports and everyday activities. Whether you’re using a dynamometer, testing your grip endurance, or simply incorporating more grip exercises into your routine, tracking your progress will lead to stronger, healthier hands and a better overall fitness level.