Get a grip

At the gym, you may spend most of your time on curls and squats to build stronger, more toned biceps or calves. But have you considered also focusing on the muscles in your hands?

Our hands are essential for managing the sometimes overlooked, yet important, tasks that help us get through our day — carrying grocery bags, opening a jar, turning a doorknob, gardening or buttoning a shirt.

“Having strong hand grip strength, especially as we get older, is key to maintaining active, independent lives,” says Tom Dodsworth, an exercise specialist at the Sewall Healthy Living Center at Sharp Coronado Hospital.

There are three types of hand grips:

• Crushing grip: Using your fingers and the palm of your hand to hold an item

• Pinching grip: Using your fingers and thumb to hold an item

• Support grip: Using your hands to hold onto or hang from something (think hanging from a bar while doing a pull-up)

What your grip says about you

You may be surprised that the strength of your grip can reveal several things about your health. If you do routine manual or physical labor, you likely have strong grip strength.

“Grip strength in and of itself is a reflection of physical strength attained from work, such as physical or manual labor, or strength training exercises,” says Dodsworth. “The health benefits reflected in grip strength are a positive side-effect of work.”

Studies have found that grip strength can predict muscle strength and endurance. Typically, higher grip strength is associated with better overall fitness.

Grip strength has also been linked to cognitive function — that is, our ability to think, learn, remember and make decisions. Researchers in the United Kingdom demonstrated that stronger grip strength was associated with better cognitive performance in people with schizophrenia and in the general population.

A literature review of studies by researchers in India and Italy found that grip strength may also be an indicator of a person’s overall health. The review linked low hand grip strength with Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney and liver disease, and some cancers. It also found associations between low hand grip strength and higher risk for falls and injury.

Getting a better grip

As we age, our grip strength naturally declines. Fortunately, exercises that challenge your hands and forearms can help maintain strength and function.

Hand squeezes

1. Squeeze a ball small enough to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand or a rolled towel.

2. Hold the grip for 3 to 5 seconds.

3. Release.

4. Repeat 10 to 15 times per hand.

Finger pinches

1. Pinch a soft object, such as a sponge, rubber eraser or cotton ball, between your thumb and index finger.

2. Hold briefly, then relax.

3. Repeat this for each finger — thumb-middle finger, thumb-ring finger, thumb-pinky finger.

4. Do this several times on each hand.

Farmer’s carries

1. While standing up straight, hold a moderately heavy object in each hand, such as weighted bags or kettlebells.

2. Walk a short distance while maintaining good posture.

Dodsworth shares that grip exercises alone are insufficient, and that overall physical labor is the key.

“Doing standalone grip exercises, like a tennis ball squeeze, may have a small benefit,” says Dodsworth. “But the greater contributor to grip strength is the physical work that one performs.”

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