Grip Strength
The Subconscious Fat of It
Mr. Skeptical looks over my shoulder and notices the title. He sighs. “I don’t know. Grip strength? Really?”
I turn around and look directly at Mr. Skeptical. “Yes, grip strength is vital.”
“Why?”
Subconscious Fat at 30,000 feet
Grip strength is a leading indicator of longevity. Your grip is essential and demonstrates much more than just hand strength. Strong hands correlate with overall physical health and vitality. This becomes more crucial as one gets older. Muscle mass declines as we age, and we can lose up to 3-8% each decade after age 30. After the age of 60, muscle mass decreases at an even faster rate.
Mr. Skeptical comments, “Getting old sucks. I already know this.”
I glare at him and add, “We all get older, so it will suck for us all if we’re lucky enough to reach old age.”
Mr. Skeptical rolls his eyes, ignoring my comment. And I wonder, does he escape getting old?
Subconscious Fat at 10,000 feet
A large study, with over 40,000 participants, was conducted in the UK. This study showed that grip strength is an effective indicator of not just overall strength but also psychiatric illness and mental health outcomes.
Mr. Skeptical’s eyes narrow. “Why would grip strength affect mental health?”
“You see, part of the problem with you is that you’re so indoctrinated into the medical system that you fail to see the forest from the trees. You fail to see that biology and mental health are connected. One thing always impacts another thing. This is why the medical system of specializing in one aspect of health is not in the patient’s interest but in making medicine and pharmaceutical companies more money.”
Mr. Skeptical gets up, putting his hands out. “Hey, are you just going to argue, or are you going to tell us about the UK study?”
I pause and admit that he has a point. But I’m pissed, so I’m going to show images to try and calm myself down.
The image above shows an overall correlation between mental health and grip strength. It shows a behavior-level association.
The above image shows a longitudinal study between grip strength and behavior traits.
The above image is a gray matter volume-grip strength association analysis.
GMV is gray matter volume. The above image shows a mediation analysis between grip strength, grey matter volume, and behavior phenotypes.
Subconscious Fat at Eye-Level
Mr. Skeptical adds, “To sum it all up. Hand strength correlates with not just longevity but also mental health outcomes.”
“Yes. Exactly. Consequently, we want to add certain exercises to increase our hand strength as we age.”
“Give us some examples.”
“I sometimes like to do finger pushups. However, lifting weights will increase grip strength. I also use a hand grip, which I keep in my car to remind me to use as I drive.
Yet, hanging is likely the best way to improve grip strength. The longer one hangs, the better. Remember that hanging is also fantastic for preventing shoulder pain. See that post here. Weighted hanging is even better.
Practical Suggestions and Conclusions
I just ordered new hand grips that go from 50 lbs of pressure to 350 lbs.
Mr. Skeptical adds, “When you get those, I want to use them. I want to get my grip super strong so that when I meet someone and shake their hands, they know who’s boss.
I shake my head at Mr. Skeptical’s idea. We don’t need to show off our grip strength. Get better grip strength because it’ll help you live longer and affect your mental health.
Be aware.
PS Links in Facebook and Instagram. Full disclosure: Chat GPT was used to research and enhance this post.
PSS For those in the Miami area there will be a Miami Pop Up Parrilla Friday March 29, at 6PM see event details here
That last picture is great. 😊