Aging Specialists Suggest Hand Grip as a Sign of Your Aging Progression-explained Why It's Significant
Boosting Grip Strength: A Key to Enhanced Health and Fitness
Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow, common overuse injuries affecting the tendons between the hand and elbow, can be alleviated, and even prevented, by focusing on grip strength training. According to ISSA-certified personal trainer, Kirk Anderson, this approach is particularly beneficial for older adults, mental health, joint and spinal health, and functional daily tasks.
For older adults, focused resistance training that improves grip strength can help prevent or treat sarcopenia, the age-related muscle loss, thereby enhancing muscle function and overall health. Stronger grip strength has also been linked to lower risks of anxiety and depression, with studies showing that low grip strength associates with higher odds of these mental health disorders.
Improved grip strength can also benefit shoulder and spinal health. Exercises like dead hangs, which develop grip strength, improve shoulder mobility, joint stability, and spinal decompression, reducing back pain and improving posture. Additionally, grip strength training contributes to lowering blood sugar, blood pressure, and inflammation, helping to reduce risks of diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.
Functional daily tasks requiring enhanced grip strength, such as carrying heavy groceries or maintaining hold during physical activities, directly benefit from grip strength training. For those with a well-established workout routine, grip strength exercises will look different from beginners.
In the context of improving grip strength, Anderson emphasizes that for most people, their grip is the limiting factor in lifting heavy weights. He suggests integrating grip strength work into rehab for tennis elbow or golfer's elbow, overuse injuries.
Medical professionals use grip strength as a metric for current health status and a predictor of future outcomes. Ingrid Anderson, Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and owner of Intown Physical Therapy, measures the grip strength of her clients over 60 using a dynamometer. A 2015 study determined that grip strength was a more powerful predictor of cardiovascular mortality than systolic blood pressure.
While a firm handshake may be important, not everyone should order a grip strength trainer in hopes of boosting their longevity. The importance of grip strength primarily lies in its role as a good indication of overall strength. Grip strength has been correlated with an impressive number of health factors, including overall strength, upper limb function, bone mineral density, fractures, falls, malnutrition, cognitive impairment, depression, sleep problems, diabetes, and quality of life.
However, Anderson rarely recommends grip-specific training outside of a doctor or PT's office. He notes that if grip is a limiting factor in lifts, it can be targeted for improvement. A 2019 literature review indicates that grip strength can be assessed to estimate flexibility, balance skills, and coordination skills.
In summary, grip strength training is a valuable tool for older adults to counter muscle decline, for supporting mental well-being, enhancing joint and spinal health, and improving functional capabilities involving hand and forearm strength. By focusing on grip strength training, individuals can potentially reap numerous health benefits and improve their overall quality of life.
- For older adults, enhancing grip strength through focused resistance training can help prevent age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia), thereby improving overall health and functional daily tasks.
- Stronger grip strength has been linked to lower risks of anxiety and depression, with studies showing that low grip strength associates with higher odds of these mental health disorders.
- Improved grip strength can also benefit shoulder and spinal health, as exercises like dead hangs increase shoulder mobility, joint stability, and reduce back pain.
- Grip strength training contributes to lowering blood sugar, blood pressure, and inflammation, helping to reduce risks of diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.
