Our ability to open jars and lids, or carry our shopping home is something we tend to give little thought to. However, we use our grip strength every single day without even thinking about it, whether that’s carrying something upstairs, opening a jar of our favorite condiments, or giving someone a strong handshake.
Improving your grip strength is crucial for keeping your joints healthy and flexible. Strong forearms (the culprit of strong grip strength) can help with posture, coordination, and even your core strength. The better our grip is, the less prone we’ll be to fatigue and injury, and the easier it is for us to complete many daily activities.
But beyond completing everyday tasks, grip strength is crucial to athletic performance. The stronger the grip, the heavier you can lift. You use your grip constantly in the gym, for picking up plates to stack on the barbell, testing your hold time hanging from the bar, or attempting that one rep max on your deadlifts. It doesn’t matter how strong you are, if your grip strength is weak, you’ll struggle to see those gains.
In this article, we’ll give the lowdown on how to improve grip strength, the different types of grip strength, and the benefits of strengthening your grip.
- What Is Grip Strength
- Types of Grip Strength
- How To Improve Grip Strength
What Is Grip Strength?
Our grip strength is the strength we hold in our hand muscles, wrists, and forearms. It’s used to grip, grab, and hold things, and even crush (if ever the need arises).
Contrary to belief, our fingers don’t contain muscles. Our hands, however, do. The muscles in our hands are responsible for developing the range of movement in our fingers, which is why it’s important to strengthen both our hand and forearm muscles for gripping and wrist actions.
Researchers have found that grip strength is associated with longevity because people with developed grip strength will likely have lived a more physically active life [1]. Grip strength tends to decline around the age of 50, but if we can maintain our grip strength through our adult lives through exercise and mobility, we have the potential to age slower.
Different Types Of Grip Strength
The hands, fingers, biceps, and forearms all play a part in developing a stronger grip. They work together to create three different grip movements:
- Crush Grip
- Pinch Grip
- Support Grip
