Grip strength is linked to longevity. Here are 2 easy exercises to boost yours.
**Unlocking Longevity: The Surprising Benefits of Grip Strength**
Recent studies have revealed a fascinating correlation between grip strength and longevity, suggesting that a firm handshake may be more than just a social nicety. Research, including a pivotal 2019 study, indicates that individuals with stronger grip strength experience lower rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline. This connection highlights grip strength as a critical indicator of overall health and vitality. Sarah Crawford, a physical therapist, emphasizes that those with robust grip strength often enjoy better metabolic functions, including improved blood sugar regulation and hormonal balance. This suggests that enhancing grip strength could be a pivotal step towards a healthier, longer life.
To develop grip strength, individuals must engage in activities that challenge the smaller muscles of the hands and forearms. Unlike larger muscle groups, these smaller muscles require consistent and varied physical activity to strengthen. W. Zach Smith, another physical therapist, points out that grip strength is a by-product of an active lifestyle, akin to walking speed, which is also linked to longevity. Exercises such as farmer’s carries—where one walks while holding heavy kettlebells—and dead hangs, which involve hanging from a pull-up bar, are particularly effective. These activities not only improve grip strength but also enhance shoulder stability and core control. Moreover, everyday tasks, like carrying groceries or opting for stairs instead of elevators, can contribute to grip strength over time.
While many have turned to hand grippers and stress balls in hopes of boosting grip strength, experts caution that these tools are most effective when integrated into a broader strength training regimen. Smith notes that relying solely on these devices often yields minimal results. However, they can serve as useful supplements for those already engaged in strength training. Ultimately, incorporating grip-strengthening exercises into daily routines, whether through structured workouts or simple lifestyle changes, can lead to significant health benefits and potentially extend one’s lifespan. As we continue to explore the interplay between physical strength and longevity, it becomes clear that a strong grip might just be the key to a healthier future.
Grip strength is associated with slower aging and better overall health.
Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez/Getty Images
Grip strength is associated with greater longevity and lower risk of
cardiovascular disease
.
Grip strength is also linked to strength training, such as pulling or carrying heavy weights.
Exercises like farmer’s carries and dead hangs can boost grip strength.
Easily popping the lid off a jar can mean you’ll live longer — but not for the reasons you think.
Great grip strength is regarded as a
key indicator of longevity
, with one
2019 study
linking stronger grip strength with lower rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cognitive impairment.
The iron-gripped among us also experience day-to-day health benefits. “Those same people tend to have just better metabolism as well,” Sarah Crawford, a physical therapist and owner of Anchor Wellness in Cincinnati, told Business Insider. “So better blood sugar regulation, better hormonal balance, reduced inflammation.”
What do these people all have in common (besides giving firm handshakes)? Staying very active, she said. Grip strength is formed by building small muscles in the hands and forearms, which is harder to do than
building larger muscles
like your hamstrings or quadriceps.
“So if you’re keeping smaller, deeper muscles strong, you have to be keeping bigger muscles strong, too,” she said.
Sorry, simply squeezing a stress ball won’t improve your longevity.
Kinga Krzeminska/Getty Images
This is why squeezing a stress ball throughout an otherwise sedentary day won’t do anything for grip strength.
“Grip strength is really a by-product of living an active lifestyle,” W. Zach Smith, a physical therapist and owner of HIDEF Physical Therapy in Seattle, told Business Insider. He compared it to a person’s
walking speed
, another sign of longevity: “It’s based on all of the things they do in their life to stay healthy.”
Try farmer’s carries and dead hangs
A farmer’s carry, walking with a kettlebell on each side, quickly improves grip strength.
SDI Productions/Getty Images
The relationship to grip strength and
strength training
is fairly simple: grip strength is vital to progressing in pull-ups or heavy deadlifts, Crawford said. As you challenge yourself in those exercises, your grip strength improves over time.
Smith said popular exercises like
bent-over rows
, kettlebell swings, or sled pulls (where you hold a handle instead of tying the sled around your waist) all naturally build your grip strength because they involve pulling or carrying motions.
“Even rowing on a machine is going to take quite a bit of grip strength, having to pull,” he said.
Crawford said
farmer’s carries
— holding a heavy kettlebell in each hand and walking — “build grip endurance, shoulder stability, and core control all at once.”
Similar exercises, such as a suitcase carry (holding only one weight) or using a trap bar (a hexagonal barbell that you can grip on its sides), also boost grip strength, Smith said.
“Even a simple dead hang from a bar is a great grip-builder,” he said, which involves simply holding on to a pull-up bar for as long as you can.
If weight-training isn’t your thing, Smith said other workouts, like bouldering or gymnastics, also build your strength — including your grip.
Desk accessories can work — on one condition
Hand grippers are only worth trying if you already strength-train.
Stopboxstudio/Getty Images
Because of the grip strength
longevity buzz
over the past few years, Smith has seen devices like hand grippers and squeeze balls become trendier.
With his own clients, he’s seen little success when using them without additional strength training in the mix. “Building grip strength for the sake of grip strength using grip trainers rarely works, and we have had many clients try,” he said.
However, if you’re already strength training, Crawford said it doesn’t hurt to do a few desk exercises in between Zoom meetings. The hand gripper “targets the primary muscles of the hand and forearm and can be used just about anywhere,” she said. She also recommended therapy putty, which comes in different resistance levels and “helps strengthen the smaller, intrinsic muscles of the hand that we often neglect.”
Sneak in grip exercises throughout your day
Daily tasks like carrying groceries build up grip strength over time.
Zbynek Pospisil/Getty Images
You can also get creative in challenging your grip strength throughout the day. “If you’re parking further away in the grocery store parking lot and
carrying your groceries
out of the store instead of pushing them in a cart, that in and of itself will have an impact,” Crawford said.
Even fine motor tasks, like coloring with a pencil, add up over time. “Daily practices that are pretty easy to implement will positively impact grip strength,” she said — as long as you’re still hitting the gym.
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