2023-05-04 07:30:09
Did you know that grip strength is able to predict the risk of getting sick? Don’t waste any more time and start training for strong fingers.
Grip strength isn’t just a necessity for sports like rock climbing. It is also not a concept that has become fashionable as more and more people sign up for climbing walls and hang out on mountain rocks on weekends to chain mountaineering routes.
Indeed, grip strength is a concept that sports medicine and aging medicine consider useful in assessing a person’s state of health. This transcends physical exercise, although it is necessary to train it to keep it in optimal condition.
We’ll explain why it’s so important and suggest ways to improve it. Don’t miss it because, as some studies say, it might be a key to reducing mortality.
What is grip strength?
The ability of hand muscles to hold and squeeze something is called grip strength. It also involves the power to hang the body of the hands on a bar, for example, or in climbing.
But it also has a full impact in everyday life. With this force we lift a box to store it on a cabinet. Or it simply allows us to carry a cup of coffee from the counter to our mouths.
Although it is tied to the hands, the truth is that it there are more muscles involved a grip or to hold anything. That is to say, the whole train formed by the shoulder, the arm, the elbow and the forearm, as well as the wrist, must be ready to perform the action.
Also read: Everything you need to know to improve rock climbing
Why measure grip strength?
Grip strength can be measured using an instrument called dynamometer. The procedure consists of taking this measuring device as if you were shaking someone’s hand or as if you were holding a glass. It is essential that the elbow maintains a 90 degree angle at all times.
Measurements are then made by squeezing with all possible force for 5 seconds. 3 attempts are recorded for each hand and a mathematical average is established.
The result is expressed in kilograms and there are standard tables that can be consulted to establish where the measured person is. Generally, men between the ages of 30 and 35 tend to register the highest grip strengthwhile women over 65 have the lowest results.
With these values, we indirectly assess the health of skeletal muscle. It is the tissue that is responsible for the voluntary movements of the body. In other words, it responds to the instructions we send from the brain to walk, jump, sit, change position, swim, kick a ball, kick something, etc.
But skeletal muscle also has a metabolic function. Glucose enters it by the action of insulinremoving it from the blood and lowering blood sugar.
The latter explains why a loss of muscle tissue with aging is a risk factor for metabolic diseases. The lower the health of the skeletal muscle, the greater the likelihood of suffering from diabetes, for example.
Benefits of training it
A 2018 study established how the increased risk of certain pathologies was associated with a loss of grip strength. If we rank the results of this publication from highest to lowest, we will find that the most common diseases in patients with low grip strength are:
- Respiratory diseases, especially COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
- Cardiovascular pathologies.
- Colon and rectal cancer.
- Breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.
This reality is more apparent with aging. After the age of 60, there is evidence that around 20% of previous grip strength is lost.
Although the phenomenon can be explained by the decrease in skeletal muscle tissue, the lack of training must also be taken into account. Most people don’t exercise their grip strength or perform routines that increase their muscle mass.
Obviously, we’re not talking regarding becoming bodybuilders. This is to prevent sarcopenia and all the negative things associated with it.
Hard work in the gym or at home does not fulfill an aesthetic role in order to exhaust oneself there. On the contrary, today it is a medical indication for an adequate quality of life in old age.
The arrival in the third age with sarcopenia will result in fragility and greater dependence. Why train grip strength? Because we pretend that getting old doesn’t take away our freedom. In this plan, we now present some simple exercises to help you get started.
Exercises to work on grip strength
There are exercises to do at home and others for the gym. You can also take advantage of the fitness trails that are multiplying more and more in the cities and have bars to do suspended movements.
1. Grippers
With this word in English, a series of gadgets intended to stimulate movement and grip strength are called from the hand. There’s everything from stress balls to little rubber bands that cling to your fingers.
There are more than one and it is convenient to experiment until you find the one that gives you the most comfort. The advantage is that you use them at any time of the day, even while working in front of the computer.
2. Pull-ups
Pull-ups are an advanced exercise in the gym. It is logical that the coach does not tell you the first month.
But over time you can improve the technique. Or it is also possible that you start with the simplest variants and branch out in the future.
Pull-ups train grip strength in a harmonious way and involve large muscle groups. Not only do you need strong hands to get your whole body weight above the height of the bar, but the arms and back must be in perfect condition.
3. Plank with fingers
Continuing with exercises of a second level, following passing the first step of strengthening, we have the plank with our fingertips. You don’t need any equipment to perform itso going to a gym for her is optional.
This is the typical conventional plank position, but placing all the strength on the fingertips of the hands, instead of supporting the elbow and forearm. Of course, you don’t hold the position for the same amount of time, but if you train often, you will increase your time.
Read also: The benefits of strengthening the pelvic floor
It’s never too late to improve grip strength
If you’re over 60, it’s not too late to improve your grip strength. You can start today, slowly, with a gripper. Then you will increase the power.
Take the benchmark of this measurement as a health indicator. If you perfect it and your numbers increase, you’ll get closer to a better quality of life, with a projection of healthy aging.
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