The Importance of Getting a Grip: Hand-Grip Strength & Health
Young Ju, Ph.D.
Tennis players are all too aware of the issue of grips. Whether it's some form of Eastern, Western, or Continental, the grip and the firmness of the grip we use influences how we hit the ball and sometimes how well we hit the ball. Our muscles along with our hand-grip strength decline with age. Current studies show that hand-grip strength is an important indicator of our overall health.
Skeletal Muscles
There are three main types of muscles in the body (1):
Skeletal muscles found in the body’s framework are responsible for voluntary movements, such as running and moving.
Cardiac muscles found in the heart are responsible for involuntary heart function movements.
Smooth muscles found in internal organs are responsible for involuntary movements, such as digestion, urination, and blood pressure regulation.
The majority of the muscles in the body are skeletal muscles that connect to bones, allowing a wide range of movements, postures, and functions. In an average healthy adult, skeletal muscles comprise 30-40% of the total body mass; this varies with age, gender, physical activity level, nutritional status, and underlying health conditions, etc.
We gradually lose muscle mass and function with age. This process is called sarcopenia, which can begin as early as age 30 and accelerates after age 50 (2). Loss of skeletal muscle strength in older people may lead to limited daily living activities, falls, and mortality (3).
Hand-Grip Strength
The skeletal muscles of the hand are responsible for movement of the hand and fingers. Hand -grip strength is the force an individual has when squeezing an object and is a reliable indicator of overall skeletal muscle function. Grip strength is measured by a hand-held dynamometer and presented in kilograms or pounds. In general, grip strength peaks between ages 30-40 (46.9 kg in men; 29.4 kg in women) and gradually declines with age; the decline tends to accelerate after age 50 (4). Men’s grip strength decreases faster with age than women’s; the gender difference tends to become smaller with age (5). The grip strength cutoff values for sarcopenia vary depending on the diagnostic tools (<26-28 kg in men and <16-18 kg in women). (5, 6, 7, 8).
In general, tennis players have greater grip strength in their dominant arms (by 10-15%) than non-athletes. Experienced players show greater grip strength compared to non-experienced players (9, 10). Greater hand-grip strength is associated with better racket control/ball control, more consistent shots, and lower occurrence of tennis elbow (11).
Health conditions associated with hand grip strength
Research studies have shown that hand-grip strength could indicate overall physiological capability and health conditions (5, 12, 13).
Body function and longevity: A weaker grip strength is associated with higher functional disabilities, sarcopenia, morbidity, mortality, hospitalization, malnutrition, and lower quality of life.
Bone health: A weaker grip strength is associated with lower bone mineral density, osteoporosis, fragility fractures, and fall injury
Chronic diseases: A weaker grip strength could be a sign of a higher risk for many chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney and liver diseases, and some cancers.
Immune system: A weaker grip strength is associated with a weaker immune system which could lead to loss of immune responses, resulting in a higher infection rate, a slower recovery from illness, and a greater risk of serious complications.
Psychological health: Declining grip strength could affect one’s mental state, including depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment (e.g., confusion, memory problems and slower processing), sleep impairment (duration and quality), stress, and dementia.
How to Improve Skeletal Muscle and Hand-Grip Strength (12)
We usually do not think about the importance of strength until we lose it. Increasing whole-body skeletal muscle strength, especially through resistance exercises like deadlifts and rows, will also increase hand-grip strength. There are several ways to help maintain and improve skeletal muscle and grip strength.
Regular exercise: Choose exercises that are right for you (e.g., walking, biking, swimming, yoga, weightlifting, stretching, dancing, or gardening).
Hand exercises: Squeeze a racquetball or squash ball (or even a tennis ball) using hand and forearm muscles (twice a day for ~10 min per hand). It’s important to note that hand-grip exercise alone can improve the strength of the muscles in hands, fingers, wrists, and forearms; however, it’s unlikely to improve overall body muscle mass or strength.
Healthy diet: Try to focus on getting enough protein.
Summary
Prominent at the US Open this year was the message that tennis is the healthiest sport. This is not news to tennis players who are likely to be stronger and have a stronger hand grip than nonplayers. Evidence shows that grip strength could be used as an indicator (also called a biomarker) of health.
Try to use whole-body exercises that are right for you to improve skeletal muscle and grip strength. Consistency is key to getting a stronger grip…and a firmer grip may also help your volley game!
If you have concerns about a weakening grip, talk with a healthcare provider. They can help address any concerns and find ways to improve muscle strength, function, and overall health.
Dr. Young Ju is a Ph.D and Associate Professor of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech.
References
National Institute of Health National Library of Medicine. “Physiology, Muscle” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532258/#:~:text=Introduction,%2C%20vascular%2C%20and%20respiratory%20systems.
Cleveland Clinic. “Skeletal muscle” https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21787-skeletal-muscle
Sternang et al. “Factors associated with grip strength decline in older adults.” Age Ageing 2014, 44(2):269.
Massy-Westropp et al. “Hand grip strength: age and gender stratified normative data in a population-based study.” BMC Res Notes. 2011, 4:127.
Vaishya et al. “Hand grip strength as a proposed new vital sign of health: a narrative review of evidence.” J Health Popul Nutr. 2024, 43:7.
Cruz-Jentoft et al. “European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Sarcopenia: European consensus on definition and diagnosis: Report of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in older people. Age Ageing. 2010, 39(4):412.
Chen et al. “Sarcopenia in Asia: consensus report of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia.” J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2014, 15(2):95.
Ge et al. “Optimal cutoffs for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in Older Chinese adults.” Front Nutr. 2022, 5(9):853323.
Dimitrova. “Hand grip strength in prepubescent tennis players.” Acta Morphologica et Anthropologica. 2017, 24:1.
Sanlav and Seydioglu. “An examination of grip strength and arm angles of elite level of tennis players with relation to their sports.” Int. J. Develop. Res. 2017, 7(11):16892.
Strizak et al. “Hand and forearm strength and its relation to tennis.” Am J Sports Med. 1983, 11(4):234.
Cleveland Clinic. “What your grip strength means for your overall health – and exercises to improve it.” https://health.clevelandclinic.org/grip-strength
Bohannon. “Grip strength: An indispensable biomarker for older adults.” Clin Interv Aging 2019, 14:1681.
This information is provided for your reference and you use at your own risk; you should rely on your medical professional for medical advice.
