How grip strength training can take your workouts to the next level

If you're looking to embark on a strength training program, chances are your gym routine has been one focused on bicep curls, pull-ups, and various lifts. But grip strength? You'd be forgiven for ignoring exercises promoting a stronger grip entirely.

Grip strength isn't just a crucial component of seeing significant strength training gains; it is also an important predictor of shoulder health and healthy ageing.

According to a 2015 study of 140,000 adults over 4 years, those who experienced a decrease in grip strength also experienced an increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease, suggesting a strong correlation between grip strength and overall health [1].

If you're looking to improve grip strength, you don't have to embark on a gruelling routine that solely involves reverse wrist curls, overhand grip exercises, rope climbing, plate pinches, and various other grips aimed to target the forearm muscles.

Ultimately, you want to build strength and muscle across your entire body and grip strength shouldn't be ignored in this regard.

So, how does one improve grip strength and what exercises work best? In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about the importance of grip strength, the causes of poor grip strength, and how you can incorporate key exercises into your routine to see incredible improvements in your strength and overall health.

The importance of grip strength and wrist mobility

Grip strength isn’t just necessary when it comes to lifting weights in the gym. It’s also a vital component for performing everyday tasks with ease and efficiency. Though you might not even be aware of it, grip strength comes into play in a range of movements.

From picking up groceries and moving chairs to vacuuming around the house, driving, and playing any sport like golf or tennis, all of these actions require grip strength and wrist mobility. 

Grip strength has also been shown to be a good predictor of shoulder health and longevity. According to a 2016 study, there’s a strong correlation between grip strength and lateral rotator strength [2], while a 2015 paper published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found those with lower grip strength were more likely to be diabetic or record higher blood pressure [3]. 

With growing evidence suggesting improvements in grip strength help decrease all-cause mortality, the importance of this fitness indicator shouldn’t be ignored. Consider these indicators of overall health and well-being that are greatly influenced by grip strength.

• Muscle strength: Grip strength is a great indicator of how strong the rest of your body is. Sarcopenia refers to the process in which you lose strength in the body as muscle is replaced by fat. If you’re losing strength in your hands and arms, ultimately resulting in a weaker grip, it’s a pretty good indication that this is happening all over your body. 
• Immune health: With ageing comes a decline in our immune system, leaving us susceptible to more infections. A lowered muscle mass can also lead the body to have greater challenges when it comes to fighting infection and mounting a response to viruses. Research has shown that poor grip strength indicates a weaker immune system, leaving you more vulnerable to sickness [4].  
• Chronic disease: Poor grip strength can also be a warning sign of a higher risk of chronic disease. Lowered muscle mass and sedentary lifestyles raise the likelihood of developing chronic conditions like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). 
• Mental health: With weakened grip strength, it can be harder to perform daily tasks, let alone engage in strength training exercises. This can have a tremendous impact on your mental health, with many experiencing negative mental health as a result of such physical limitations. Researchers have seen a correlation between weak grip strength and conditions like cognitive impairment, insomnia, and depression. 

What causes poor grip strength?

We’re all born with grip strength. That’s right, even as babies, we have the ability to clutch something firmly in our grasp. This was proven in the 19th century when Enligh surgeon Louis Robinson tested 60 babies for grip strength by having them hang from a suspended walking stick.

With only 2 exceptions, all of the infants were able to hang on for at least 10 seconds, with some recording 60 seconds or more. 

The fact is, grip strength is a case of use or loss. It naturally begins to decline around the age of 50 as part of the ageing process, but for some people, weakened grip strength can occur sooner rather than later. This can be a result of the following causes:

• Muscle weakness: The loss of muscle mass and function with ageing can reduce grip strength, while disuse of the muscles in the hands and forearms can also lead to muscle weakening. 
• Neurological conditions: Carpal tunnel syndrome, peripheral neuropathy, and stroke can all have a tremendous impact on grip strength due to their overall impact on the body. Damage to nerves in the wrist can cause weakness and reduced grip strength, while partial paralysis or weakness on one side of the body can also have an effect. 
• Arthritis: Conditions like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis can lead to stiffness in the hands and reduced strength and dexterity, all of which impact grip strength. 
• Injury or trauma: Whether you’ve experienced fractures in the hand or wrist or damage to tendons or ligaments in the hand, these can all affect the ability to grip. 
• Medical conditions: Diabetes and thyroid disorders can cause muscle weakness and fatigue, leading to complications that affect nerve function and grip. 
• Lifestyle factors: Leading a sedentary lifestyle with little to no physical activity can lead to muscle atrophy and decreased strength. Similarly, poor diet and excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to muscle weakness and damage. 

The best grip strength exercises

To understand what makes for the best grip strength exercises, it’s important to first recognise that grip strength isn’t just about your hand strength.

Instead, it involves everything from the muscle near the elbow all the way down to your fingers. The majority of these muscles lie in your forearm and hand, so it’s important to utilise them in various ways when training grip strength. 

It’s for this reason that there are 4 distinct grip exercise techniques to master, each of which activates various muscle groups. These are:

1. Crushing: The crush grip involves the act of closing fingers against resistance. It’s similar to clamping, where you wrap your fingers around something and squeeze it towards the palm.
2. Pinching: The pinch grip refers to the act of grasping something with the thumbs in opposition to the fingers. This can be performed static (no movement) or dynamic (movement). 
3. Supporting: The support grip involves the act of lifting something with fingers taking the majority of the load, which is an effective means of grip training. 
4. Extension: The act of opening the fingers and thumb.

Now that you know the key techniques, here’s how you can put them to work with exercises that are guaranteed to see you improve grip strength. 

Deadlift

With a variety of hand grips that can be used, deadlifts are incredibly effective at putting stress on the forearms to improve grip strength as you lift heavy. 

Farmer’s walks

The farmer’s walk is, as the name suggests, a walk that sees you carry a load in your hands over a certain distance. Whether you’ve got a kettlebell in each hand or a dumbbell, simply lift the heaviest object you can from the ground using your hands and walk for as long as you can while carrying the weight. When you start to tire, put the weight down, rest, and start again. 

Plate pinch

The plate pinch is a relatively simple one but is great for improving grip strength. Using the heaviest plates you have available to you, take them for a walk or simply hold them with your fingertips. 

Kettlebell swings

Kettlebell swings aren’t just a great way to improve overall body strength, but they also challenge your grip with time under tension. Because the kettlebell handle is typically thicker than a barbell or dumbbell, it’s also easier to hold onto for longer periods of time. 

Pull-ups

When you pull your body up to a parallel bar, you’re placing a great deal of stress on your forearms which is exactly what you need to build strength and increase grip strength. Once you’ve mastered the pull-up, consider making it harder by throwing towels over the bar to make it more difficult to grip. 

Dead hang

Build grip strength effectively with the dead hang, a movement that is pretty much as straightforward as the name suggests. All you need to do is hang from a pull-up bar or overhead bar with your arms outstretched and your body in a hollow position. Begin with 20 to 30-second holds and, as you progress, consider adding weight to really engage the upper body. 

Press-ups (fingers only)

Make no mistake: bodyweight exercises are just as beneficial for a strong grip as those that involve equipment. In a press-up position with your hands shoulder-width apart, raise onto your fingertips. While challenging, this move allows you to really strengthen your fingers, wrists, and forearms as you lower your body until your chest is an inch from the ground then drive back up. 

How often should you train grip strength?

Given the importance of maintaining grip strength as you age, incorporating exercises that serve to strengthen your grip as part of your fitness routine can be extremely beneficial for seeing greater strength gains and boosting your longevity. The key thing to remember is that, like any exercise program, if you’re new to grip strength training, you need to ease into it. 

For those just starting out, consider incorporating some of the exercises above 2-3 times per week. As you slowly adjust to the weight and resistance, you can increase your grip strength training to 3 or 4 times a week, while those who are more advanced can even go up to 5 times a week.

Ultimately, the key to improvements in grip strength is consistency and ensuring you include a variety of exercises into your fitness program to ensure your muscles stay challenged and continue to adapt.  

How long does it take to build grip strength?

Like any strength training routine, don’t expect to see results overnight. As the saying goes, all good things take time and the same can be said for building grip strength.

Even so, you should be able to notice improvements in your grip strength and initial gains within the first few weeks to 2 months. From there, with consistent training and a variety of exercises with increased resistance, you’ll see more significant strength gains as your muscles adapt and grow stronger.

Now that we know about the importance of grip strength training and how best to improve it, you're likely wondering how you can incorporate this training into a fitness routine designed to achieve peak performance.

Meet Compound, we're a digital clinic for performance health. Once the exclusive domain of billionaires and Hollywood stars, we're on a mission to make premium concierge care accessible to every man who wants more.

Equipped with leading diagnostic reporting, Compound's team of dedicated healthcare professionals and expert specialists is guaranteed to help you access the future of proactive healthcare and reach your health goals.

We take a multi-disciplinary approach to health optimisation and preventative care to help men unlock barriers to everyday performance. Our team of dedicated healthcare professionals and expert specialists are here to help you access the future of proactive healthcare, today.

This post contains general information about health and wellness practices. It is not intended as medical advice and should not be treated as such. Please consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new health regimen. This information is provided without any representations or warranties, express or implied.