Weekend Reading

Up Your Grip Strength

It won’t just tone your forearms, it could save your life

It’s one of those things that’s so important, yet so underrated: grip strength. Always in the background of all your healthy endeavors, yet rarely ever thought about, right? But in 2018, researchers conducted a study of more than 2 million healthy Americans to determine what, if anything, could signal your risk for early, unexpected death—from any cause, too (what they call all-cause mortality). Surprisingly, they found that the stronger your grip was, the less at-risk you were.

For those that have recently struggled to open a pickle jar, this could be cause for alarm. And for good reason. Health-focused publications, local news outlets, and even late night TV shows alike have long touted the “pickle jar test” as an effective means of measuring your overall well-being. Hell, in 2016, when she was running for president, Jimmy Kimmel jokingly made Hillary Clinton twist the top off a jar of Vlasic pickles to prove she was fit for the job.

“Can you open this jar of pickles?” he asks. “This has not been tampered with.” He watches nervously as she grunts and bends, but she eventually gets it off. As a nod to her “passing” the test, he lifts the lid, shows it off to the audience, and they cut to commercial.

That may have been a bit for TV, but for many, failing the test is a warning sign: “grip strength is a functional indicator that represents the intrinsic capacity of the older population,” a paper published in science journal Frontiers reads.

It's no secret that we lose muscle mass as we age, but this isn't a far-off occurrence that kickstarts once you retire. Muscle loss actually begins in your 30s, and if you plan to live a long, healthy life, your grip strength should be a primary focus—not just so that you can toss a baseball with your grandkids, but so that you can catch yourself if you fall, carry in your own groceries, and prepare a guest bed when family visits. These are all small, mundane tasks of life, but with a weakened grip, they become significantly more difficult—and all the more risky. Think of it this way: If your grip strength is compromised, you're more likely to drop that heavy grocery bag, trip, and fail to catch yourself, landing in the 25% of older adults that report falling each year. For context, that's more than 15 million falls, which are the leading cause of injury-related death among adults ages 65 and older.

For those in their 20s, 30s, or 40s, now's the time to start improving your grip strength. The added bonus is that it's also key for bigger lifts and more impressive training gains. Because if you can't hang onto the pull-up bar, or squeeze that dumbbell tightly, you're not going to keep crushing your personal records. Thankfully, there are countless grip strength tools to try, but there are also several in-gym modalities you can return to during your visits. They'll not only ensure you build a vice-like grip, but they'll tone your forearms and all but guarantee you'll give a seriously impressive handshake.

Grip Strength Workouts

These workouts fit nicely into your regular routine and do not require any additional equipment, like ropes, grips or the like. Find some open space and give these a try.

Plate Pinch

Grab your desired weight, ideally in small increments, off the rack. If you can do 30 lbs, for example, grab three 10 lb plates. Position them upright beneath you. Reach down and pinch them up, ensuring none of them slip out from your grip. Rise back up and hold them there for as long as you can. Repeat on the other side.

Farmer Carry

This workout simulates the act of carrying something heavy from point A to point B. Grab two dumbbells of your desired weight, position them at your sides, bend at the knees, pick them up, and walk roughly 30 feet ahead. Turn around and repeat. Do this for five minutes.

Reverse Curl

If you’re familiar with the concept of a simple curl, the reverse curl should seem fairly simple. Just flip your hands around so that instead of your palms facing up, they’re facing down. Grab the bar (or dumbbells) and complete your workout: three sets of 10.