Grip Strength and Longevity: Why Doctors Measure It and How to Improve Yours
A squeeze of a hand dynamometer predicts heart attacks, strokes and early death better than blood pressure did in one of the largest studies ever run, which included Pakistan. Grip strength has become a favourite 'longevity marker' online. Here is what it actually measures, what is normal, why South Asians score lower, and how to get stronger in a way that matters.
By Taha Raza
Published
Grip strength has gone from a physiotherapy test to a social-media 'longevity metric', with videos of dead hangs and grip trainers promising a longer life. The research behind it is real and large. What it means is often misunderstood.
Why is grip strength linked to living longer?
Because grip reflects how strong your whole body is, and muscle strength reflects your health, activity and fitness. The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study, published in The Lancet in 2015, measured grip in 139,691 adults aged 35 to 70 in 17 countries of every income level and followed them for a median of 4 years. Each 5 kg lower grip strength was linked to a 16 percent higher risk of death from any cause, 17 percent higher cardiovascular death, 7 percent more heart attacks and 9 percent more strokes. Grip predicted death better than systolic blood pressure. A 2018 BMJ analysis of 502,293 UK Biobank participants found the same pattern for heart disease, lung disease and several cancers.
These are observational studies. Weak grip can be a result of illness, inactivity and poor nutrition as much as a cause of anything. That is why the useful message is not 'squeeze harder', but 'stay strong'.
What is a normal grip strength?
| Measure | Men | Women | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peak median (age ~26–42) | 51 kg | 31 kg | 12 British studies, 49,964 people (Dodds 2014) |
| Low strength — sarcopenia threshold | Under 27 kg | Under 16 kg | European consensus (EWGSOP2, 2019) |
| Muscle weakness in UK Biobank | Under 26 kg | Under 16 kg | Celis-Morales 2018, BMJ |
| Risk per 5 kg lower grip | +16% risk of death | +20% risk of death | UK Biobank, 502,293 adults |
Grip rises to a peak in early adult life, stays fairly steady to midlife, then declines. In the British data, weak grip affected 23 percent of men and 27 percent of women by age 80. A 2016 PURE paper on 125,462 healthy adults found grip was highest in Europe and North America and lowest in South Asia — Pakistan, India and Bangladesh — South East Asia and Africa, and recommended judging results against regional reference ranges. Part of that gap is smaller body size, but low protein intake and little strength training play a part too: South Asia had the lowest share of calories from protein in that study.
How do I test my grip strength?
- A hand dynamometer is the standard. Physiotherapists and some clinics have one, and inexpensive digital ones are sold online.
- Sit or stand with your elbow bent at about 90 degrees by your side, squeeze as hard as you can for 3 seconds, rest, and take the best of 2–3 tries with each hand.
- Retest every few months under the same conditions. The trend matters more than one number.
- Dead-hang time from a bar is a popular home test of grip endurance, but it depends heavily on body weight and has no agreed health norms.
How do I improve my grip strength?
Mostly by lifting things. Heavy pulling and carrying exercises train your grip hard, alongside your back, legs and core — so they build the whole-body strength that grip is a marker of.
| Exercise | How | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift or Romanian deadlift | Double overhand grip as long as you can hold it; no straps on warm-up sets | 3 × 5–8, once or twice a week |
| Farmer's carry | Heavy dumbbells or full water bottles/bags in each hand, walk tall | 3–4 × 30–40 m |
| Dead hang | Hang from a pull-up bar with straight arms, shoulders slightly engaged | 3 × as long as you can, build to 30–60 s |
| Rows and pull-ups | Dumbbell rows, inverted rows or pulldowns; squeeze the handle hard | 3 × 8–12 |
| Towel or thick-handle holds | Wrap a towel round a dumbbell handle to make it thicker | 3 × 20–30 s holds |
| Plate pinch | Pinch two weight plates smooth sides out and hold | 3 × 15–30 s |
Train grip after your main lifts, not before, so tired hands do not limit your back and leg work. Add weight or time each week. For older parents, carrying shopping bags, standing up from a chair without using the hands, and a simple strength programme at home do the same job — our strength training after 50 guide has a plan.
Do grip trainers and hand grippers help?
They will make your hands stronger, which is useful for climbers, wrestlers and people with weak grip after an injury. They will not, on their own, give you the health benefits linked to grip in the big studies, because those benefits reflect overall muscle, fitness and activity. Think of a gripper as an extra, not a replacement for full-body strength training. Enough protein matters too — see our protein guide.
This article is general information, not medical advice. A sudden loss of grip strength, numbness or tingling in the hands, or weakness on one side needs prompt medical assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is grip strength a predictor of longevity?
Grip reflects overall muscle strength, which reflects health and activity. In the PURE study of 139,691 adults, each 5 kg lower grip was linked to a 16 percent higher risk of death, and grip predicted death better than systolic blood pressure.
What is a good grip strength for my age?
Average grip peaks around 51 kg for men and 31 kg for women between their late 20s and early 40s, then declines. Under 27 kg for men or 16 kg for women counts as low strength in the European sarcopenia definition. South Asian values run lower than European ones.
Can I increase my grip strength?
Yes, at any age. Deadlifts, farmer's carries, dead hangs, rows and thick-handle holds build grip within weeks. Add them after your main lifts two or three times a week and increase weight or time gradually.
Will a hand gripper make me live longer?
Not on its own. The health link reflects whole-body strength, fitness and activity. A gripper strengthens the hands, but full-body strength training is what most likely carries the benefit.
How long should I be able to dead hang?
There is no agreed health standard, and hang time depends strongly on body weight. As a training goal, building from a few seconds to 30–60 seconds over several weeks is reasonable.
Sources
- Leong DP et al. Prognostic value of grip strength: findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. The Lancet, 2015
- Celis-Morales CA et al. Associations of grip strength with cardiovascular, respiratory, and cancer outcomes and all cause mortality: prospective cohort study of half a million UK Biobank participants. BMJ, 2018
- Leong DP et al. Reference ranges of handgrip strength from 125,462 healthy adults in 21 countries: a prospective urban rural epidemiologic (PURE) study. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 2016
- Dodds RM et al. Grip strength across the life course: normative data from twelve British studies. PLoS One, 2014
- Cruz-Jentoft AJ et al. Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis (EWGSOP2). Age and Ageing, 2019
More guides
- Does Your Metabolism Slow Down After 30? What a Study of 6,421 People Actually Found'After 30 your metabolism slows down' is one of the most repeated lines in fitness — and the biggest study ever done on it says it isn't true. Here is what changes with age and what doesn't, why weight still creeps on in your 30s and 40s, how much muscle really burns, and a plan for each decade.
- Strength Training After 50: Why Muscle Matters More With Age, and a Safe Way to Start (for You or Your Parents)After 50, muscle and strength drain away every year, and weak legs — not age itself — are what take away independence. Walking alone does not rebuild them. Here is what the research shows strength training does at any age, two simple tests, a safe home plan and how much protein older adults need.
- Lifting Weights as a Teenager: Is It Safe, and How to Build Muscle at 14–19The growth-plate myth, what the sports-medicine consensus actually recommends, a three-day plan that fits school and exams, how much to eat, and the straight answer on steroids and SARMs — for teenagers and the parents who worry.