Training guide
Grip strength is how hard you can squeeze and how long you can hold on. It's a quick marker of how strong and healthy you are: in large studies, each 5 kg weaker grip went with about a 16% higher risk of death. That's a link, not proof that training your grip adds years.
Grip is still worth training for what it lets you do: carry the shopping, open jars, hang from a bar and hold on to heavier lifts. In two small trials, 8 weeks of direct grip work raised grip by about 9 to 14%, while general lifting raises it only a little.
This guide covers the three kinds of grip, what the research shows, how to train each one, straps and chalk, how to measure your progress, and when hand symptoms need a doctor.
People with a stronger grip live longer on average: each 5 kg lower grip went with about a 16% higher risk of death in large studies in 17 countries and in the UK. That's an association, and no trial has tested whether training your grip changes it.
Under 27 kg for men or 16 kg for women counts as low grip strength in the European definition of sarcopenia, the loss of muscle strength and mass with age. Our grip strength test compares you with British norms.
In two small trials (36 older women, 30 young men), 8 weeks of grip and forearm work raised grip by about 9 to 14%. A meta-analysis of 22 trials agreed, but its trials had a high risk of bias.
Exercise raised grip by a small amount in older adults, and in healthy younger adults there are too few trials to say. Training that loads the hands, such as kettlebells, carries and hangs, did more.
Two or three times a week, alongside whole-body strength training: squeezes and wrist curls for crushing, carries, hangs and heavy pulls for holding on, a pinch hold, and finger extensions and reverse curls for balance.
Use a hand dynamometer, the same way each time. For one person, a change under about 4 kg may be day-to-day noise, and right-handers' dominant hand is about 13% stronger.
Each 5 kg lower grip went with a 16% higher risk of death from any cause over about 4 years in 139,691 adults aged 35 to 70 in 17 countries, and grip predicted death better than systolic blood pressure. It wasn't linked with diabetes, falls or fractures. In half a million UK Biobank adults, the figures were 20% for women and 16% for men, and across 42 cohorts, 16%. Risk fell almost steadily from about 26 to 50 kg.
An umbrella review rated these links 'highly suggestive' rather than convincing. The UK Biobank authors say reverse causation can't be excluded, so the links may not mean cause and effect, and the PURE authors call for trials of whether improving strength lowers death rates. We found none.
In UK Biobank, people with genes for a stronger grip had lower odds of coronary heart disease (an odds ratio of 0.69 per step up), which hints that strength itself may matter. But that's lifelong genetic strength, not training. Grip's genetic signals were most enriched in brain and nerve tissue.
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The European sarcopenia group says grip correlates moderately with strength elsewhere in the body. Single studies vary: the link was weak in 199 women aged 60 to 86 and strong in 45 people over 70.
Under 27 kg for men or 16 kg for women is low in the European consensus, 2.5 standard deviations below the young-adult average in British data, and under 28 and 18 kg in the Asian one. Low strength makes sarcopenia 'probable'; a diagnosis needs further tests.
Closing your hand on something: a handshake, a jar lid, a hand gripper. A grip dynamometer measures this, and squeezes and wrist curls train it. Crushing, holding and pinching are coaching terms rather than research categories.
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Keeping hold of something heavy for time: carrying shopping, hanging from a bar, the top of a heavy deadlift. Carries, hangs and heavy pulls train it.
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Thumb against fingers, as when you hold a plate or a book. Researchers measure tip, key and palmar pinch, and pinch strength held steady from 20 to 59 and fell gradually from 60 to 79.
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How long or how often you can keep gripping. In climbers it trained differently from maximal grip, rising most with repeated hangs.
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The finger flexors in your forearm close the hand, the wrist extensors on the back of the forearm hold the wrist steady while you grip, and small muscles in the hand and thumb do the pinching. Our forearm flexors guide has the details.
In 49,964 people in Britain, grip peaked at a median of 51 kg in men aged 29 to 39 and 31 kg in women aged 26 to 42; women's peak was about 61% of men's (our arithmetic).
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Grip holds until midlife and then declines; losses of 1.5 to 5% a year after 50 have been reported. By 80, 23% of men and 27% of women had low grip.
Right-handers' dominant hand was about 13% stronger, while left-handers' hands were about equal, so the old 10% rule is only a rough guide. Compare each hand with itself.
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Two small trials found clear gains. In 36 women over 65, ball and gripper training twice a week for 8 weeks raised grip by 9 to 10%. In 30 inactive young men, adding forearm work to pull-up training raised grip by 12 to 14%, while pull-ups with core or running work didn't change it. A meta-analysis of 22 trials agreed, finding a small to moderate effect that was larger in older adults, but its trials had a high risk of bias.
In 72 young wrestlers, extra handgrip training twice a week beat wrestling alone after 4 months, but not after 2.
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Maximal squeezes, 5 sets of 5 three times a week, strengthened the trained hand after about 9 sessions, and the untrained hand followed after about 12.
Six sessions over 3 weeks changed nothing in young men, and light holds at 30% of maximum added 2.6 kg in 8 weeks with no comparison group, less than one person's test-to-test variation.
Across 24 trials in 3,018 older adults, exercise training raised grip by a small amount, with results varying between trials; the authors point to task-specific and mixed training as the right stimulus. In healthy adults, 12 of 20 resistance-training trials found no difference in grip from not training, and 19 of the 20 were in older adults, so the evidence is called insufficient.
Kettlebell training raised grip by about 6 to 7 kg in 3 months in 32 adults aged 59 to 79 (not randomised), suspension training raised it in older men where band training held it steady, and lifting three times a week raised it where once a week didn't.
Our editorial method, built on the two trials that trained grip directly (Gerodimos 2021; Sepehri Rahnama 2025), each move's catalogue dose and our grip strength workout.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Farmer's carry
Ball squeezes, 10 squeezes with 5-second holds, building to 4 to 6 sets of 8 to 15; wrist curls 3 × 12; farmer's carries 3 or 4 × 30 to 40 m, starting around a quarter of body weight in each hand; suitcase carries 2 × 20 to 30 m each side; bar hangs 3 × 10 to 30 s; deadlifts and pull-ups as on their pages. The axle deadlift and one-arm hang are advanced.
3D demoBall squeezeBeginner · Other / check instructions
3D demoWrist curlsBeginner · A dumbbell
3D demoFarmer's carryBeginner · A dumbbell + A kettlebell
3D demoSuitcase carryIntermediate · A dumbbell + A kettlebell
3D demoBar hangIntermediate · Pull-up bar + A step
3D demoBarbell deadliftAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoPull-upAdvanced · Pull-up bar
3D demoAxle deadliftAdvanced · Other / check instructions
3D demoOne-arm dead hangExpert · Pull-up bar + A stepBand finger extensions 2 × 15, reverse wrist curls 3 × 12 with a light weight, forearm rotations 2 × 10 each way and Zottman curls 2 to 3 × 8 to 12; the wrist flow and tendon glides make a gentle warm-up.
3D demoBand finger extensionBeginner · A band
3D demoReverse wrist curlBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoDumbbell forearm rotationBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoZottman curlIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoWrist & forearm flowBeginner · No equipment
3D demoTendon glides (hand tendon gliding exercises)Beginner · No equipmentWe found no trial of pinch-grip training, so these numbered steps are our editorial suggestion. Hand-focused training raised pinch strength in a meta-analysis, though not by a significant amount.
1. Start with two smooth weight plates of the same size, such as two 5 kg plates.
2. Press them together, smooth sides out, and pinch them between your fingers and thumb.
3. Lift them to your side with your arm straight and your shoulders level.
4. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds without letting them slip, then lower them under control.
5. Swap hands, and do 3 holds with each.
6. Make it harder with heavier or wider plates or longer holds, one change at a time.
7. Skip it, or keep it very light, if the base of your thumb is arthritic or the thumb side of your wrist is sore (de Quervain's).
Straps let 16 men lift 4 sets of 4 deadlifts at 80% of their maximum faster and with less grip fatigue, and let 10 trained women do more reps with less loss of grip. An exploratory review found no evidence either way on whether straps weaken your grip over time. Use them on your heaviest sets, as our deadlift guide suggests, and train your grip on the rest.
A 5 cm (2-inch) bar cut 11 trained men's deadlift maximum by 28%, and a 7.6 cm bar by 55%, the losses tracking grip strength and hand size, so thick handles load the grip far more. Training studies are tiny: one trial in 10 golfers.
Adding forearm work to pull-up training raised pull-ups from 4 to about 13 in 8 weeks, and hang time rose in every group, with or without the forearm work.
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In experienced adult climbers, weighted hangboard training raised finger strength more than climbing alone (peak force up 17% over 10 weeks in one trial), and repeated hangs raised grip endurance by 45%. But 5 weeks of stronger fingers didn't improve bouldering, and the trials excluded under-18s and beginners. Our climbing guide covers hangboards.
A hand dynamometer measures crushing grip in kilograms. Use the same device, posture and time of day each time; our grip strength test has the steps and the British norms.
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For one person, readings can differ by about 4 kg between tests at ages 18 to 35, and by about 4.7 kg over 60, so smaller changes may be noise. Year to year, a change of about 20% is needed to be confident.
A dead hang is a fair way to track how long you can hold on, but it isn't a grip strength test: in one trial, hang time rose with pull-up training whether or not people added forearm work.
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Across 270 trials, isometric exercise (holding a squeeze or a position) lowered resting blood pressure by about 8/4 mmHg, more than other kinds of exercise. In adults with high blood pressure, side effects were rare: about one per 38,444 bouts.
Isometric handgrip alone lowered blood pressure by about 5/3 mmHg across 31 studies, typically with four 2-minute holds per hand at 30% of maximum or more, up to 3 times a week for at least 8 weeks. That's a blood-pressure benefit, not grip training; our high blood pressure guide covers how.
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Hand-focused training helped older adults more than younger ones, and exercise programmes raised grip a little on average. Start light, build up gradually, and see our guide to exercise for older adults for strength and balance.
Exercise eased pain slightly (about half a point out of 10) and stiffness, on low-quality evidence, and the gains had faded by 6 to 12 months. Squeeze softly and within comfort; our hand arthritis guide has a plan.
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In 490 adults, a tailored hand exercise programme (the SARAH trial) improved hand function at 12 months, though not at about 2 years, as people exercised less. Our rheumatoid arthritis hand routine follows it.
Our grip strength workout has squeezes, curls, carries and hangs in 20 minutes. The pull-up, kettlebell and deadlift sessions work your grip as part of whole-body training, and the hand routines are gentler.
A 20-minute grip session: warm up the wrists and fingers, train the hand and forearm muscles, then carry and hang to load your grip the way everyday life does.
20 minBeginner10 movesOther / check instructions, A bandWrist mobility and forearm strength for desk work, climbing, push-ups and handstands.
10 minBeginner7 movesA wall, A dumbbellTrain for your first pull-up: hangs, shoulder-blade pulls, rows, band- or machine-assisted pull-ups, slow negatives and grip work in one session.
30 minBeginner8 movesPull-up bar, A stepA 20-minute kettlebell swing workout: 30 seconds of swings, 30 seconds of rest, building to the 12 rounds a training trial used, then carries.
20 minIntermediate7 movesA kettlebell, A dumbbellA 30-minute session from the hip hinge to your first deadlift: hinge practice, kettlebell deadlifts, slow Romanian deadlifts, a light bar and a carry.
30 minBeginner9 movesA kettlebell, A dumbbellA 30-minute antagonist workout for climbers: push-ups and presses, band rotations, Y-T-W raises and face pulls, wrist and finger extensions, and a side plank.
30 minBeginner13 movesA band, A dumbbellThe daily stretches and strengthening moves from the SARAH hand trial and NHS hand therapy leaflets: finger bends, finger walking, wrist circles, squeezes and pinches.
15 minBeginner7 movesA dumbbell, A bench or boxWhole-body plans with carries, swings or heavy pulls that work your grip along the way.
An 8-week kettlebell plan for beginners: two strength sessions and a swing-interval day each week, with how to choose a bell and swing safely.
3 training days35 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week exercise plan for over-65s: strength and balance three times a week, short balance sessions and daily walks, based on falls-prevention trials.
3 training days40 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week beginner barbell program: squat every session, alternate bench and row with press and deadlift, and add weight each time until it stalls.
3 training days50 minBeginnerSudden weakness or numbness in one arm or down one side of your body, a face that droops on one side, or trouble speaking can be a stroke. Call 999 even if the symptoms go away.
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For a finger injury when:
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Stop if your fingers tingle or go numb: that's a nerve, not a tired muscle. With tennis or golfer's elbow, squeeze only as hard as you can without more pain and keep reverse curls light. With blood pressure of 160/100 or higher that isn't yet treated, skip maximal squeezes and long hard holds, and breathe out as you squeeze.
The link between grip and lifespan is an association. Reverse causation can't be excluded, and no trial has tested whether raising your grip lowers your risk.
Grip's genetic signals were most enriched in brain and nerve tissue, and grip tracks strength elsewhere in the body, though how closely varies.
General lifting raised grip only a little in older adults, and in younger adults the evidence is insufficient. Adding forearm work raised grip by 12 to 14% where pull-up training alone didn't. For health, whole-body training comes first; add grip work if your grip holds you back.
No study has tested it over time. In single sessions, straps meant more reps and less grip fatigue.
We found no trial of hanging for the spine, and traction 'has little or no impact' on low back pain across 32 trials. Hangs train your grip and shoulders.
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In a hang you hold your whole body weight, and hang time rose with pull-up training whether or not people trained their forearms. We found no study comparing hang time with a dynamometer.
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Light or short programmes did little: 6 sessions changed nothing, and light holds added 2.6 kg in 8 weeks. The programme that worked in older women used 4 to 6 sets of 8 to 15 squeezes, twice a week.
They lower blood pressure by about 5/3 mmHg, but that's a different goal, and the trials didn't report grip changes.
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Train it 2 or 3 times a week alongside whole-body strength training: squeezes and wrist curls, carries, hangs and heavy pulls, plus finger extensions for balance. In two small 8-week trials, direct hand and forearm work raised grip by about 9 to 14%.
Weeks. Older women gained 9 to 10% in 8 weeks of twice-weekly training, and young men 12 to 14% in 8 weeks, while 6 sessions over 3 weeks changed nothing in one trial. Retest every 2 to 3 months.
It's a quick marker of overall strength and health: each 5 kg lower grip went with about a 16% higher risk of death in large studies. That's a link, not proof that training your grip adds years, so train it for what it lets you do, such as carrying, lifting and holding on.
They raise grip: older women who trained with balls and grippers twice a week gained 9 to 10% in 8 weeks. They train crushing; carries and hangs train holding on, so use both.
Crushing closes your hand, support grip holds on over time, as in carrying or hanging, and pinching presses your thumb against your fingers. They're coaching terms: studies measure handgrip on a dynamometer and pinch strength separately.
A plate pinch hold is the usual exercise: pinch two smooth plates together at your side for 10 to 20 seconds, 3 times with each hand. We found no trial of pinch training, so that's our editorial suggestion. Skip it or keep it light if the base of your thumb is sore.
They train holding on, and hang time rose with pull-up training in one trial. A hang isn't a grip strength test, though, and can't be scored against grip norms. Build up from short holds with your feet ready to take your weight.
A little: across 24 trials in older adults, exercise raised grip by a small amount, and in younger adults there are too few trials to say. Training that loads your hands, such as kettlebells, carries and deadlifts without straps, did more.
For your heaviest sets, yes, if your grip gives out first: straps meant more deadlift reps with less grip fatigue. No study shows they weaken your grip over time; train it on your lighter sets and with carries.
With a hand dynamometer, the same way each time; our grip strength test has the steps and British norms. For one person, a change under about 4 kg may be day-to-day noise.
Often just disuse, but numbness, tingling or a weak thumb can be signs of carpal tunnel syndrome, and elbow pain when you grip is often tennis or golfer's elbow, so see a GP if they don't settle. Sudden weakness on one side can be a stroke: call 999.
Isometric handgrip holds lowered blood pressure by about 5/3 mmHg across 31 studies, typically four 2-minute holds per hand up to 3 times a week. Our high blood pressure guide covers how to do them safely.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
