Aging Predictive Tests

If you’ve ever wrestled with a jar of peanut butter and lost, read on. That small moment of frustration in the kitchen may be telling you something much bigger.

Researchers now believe that grip strength and longevity are so closely linked that your grip may be one of the best predictors of how old you will age. It’s better than your weight, and honestly, it’s even better than you can bench press.

As a coach in my 60s, I love these stories. Because you don’t need to be an athlete to have a great grip. Grip strength is about opening jars, carrying groceries on a single trip, holding a bell on a snowy Minneapolis sidewalk, and picking up a grandchild without a second thought. Real life stuff.

So let’s talk about what the research actually says, how you can test your grip in less than a minute, and easy ways to build it starting today.

What Research Says About Holding Power and Longevity

And no, this is not one small study making headlines. Researchers have been finding the same result for more than a decade.

The landmark study published in The Lancet followed nearly 140,000 adults aged 35 to 70 in 17 countries. Findings? For every 5 kilograms (about 11 pounds) decrease in grip strength, the risk of death during the four-year follow-up increased by 16%. The researchers concluded that measuring grip strength is a simple, inexpensive way to assess the risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease.

Read this twice: a 16% higher risk of death, tied to something you can measure at home with a $25 gadget.

And a 2019 review in Clinical Interventions in Aging, which looked at decades of research, even called grip strength an “important biomarker” in older adults.

Doctors like this test because it is simple. No treadmill stress test, no jumping, no running required. Just press.

Why Your Grip Is A Window To Your Whole Body

Here’s the part I really want you to understand: it’s not self-control that keeps you alive. No one has ever added ten years to their life by pressing a stress ball on the couch.

Your catch is a proxy. If your hands and arms are strong, it almost always means that you are all strong too. When the grip starts to slip (struggling with jar lids and bottle caps used to be easy), it can be an early sign that muscles everywhere are quietly atrophying. And we lose muscle naturally as we age, about 3 to 8% per decade starting in our 30s if we don’t fight it.

That’s why the answer to a loose grip is NOT an arm exercise program but a total body strength program. The women I train who lift weights twice a week? Their grip takes care of itself.

One caveat: a weak or painful grip can also come from arthritis or an old injury, so if the grip hurts, check it before you start training.

A 1 Minute Test You Can Do Today

Want to know where you stand? Try hang hang.

Grab a pull-up bar (a door bar works well), grab it with both hands, and let your feet come off the floor. Then hang in there. No pulling required!

Here’s what you should aim to do:

• In less than 20 seconds: Your grip needs work, and I bet your overall strength does too. No shame. Start where you are.
• 30 seconds: a strong foundation for women over 40.
• 60 seconds: very good. A full minute of hanging is an amazing marker of grip strength, shoulder health, and core strength all at the same time.

The best part? Hang hang is a test and exercise. Hanging a few times a week loosens your core, opens up tight shoulders, and builds grip quickly.

If you want an actual tracking number, a hand dynamometer is the same tool used in research studies. You squeeze it, it gives you a reading in pounds, and you can watch your number go up over time. I’m a data girl (my Oura Ring can attest), so I like measurable wins.

6 Ways to Build Your Grip (and Your Whole Body)

You don’t need a premium plan. You need to do a few movements every time. Here are my favorites:

1. Farmer’s carry. Grab a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand, stand tall, and walk for 30 to 60 seconds. This is my number one. It trains grip, core, posture, and bone density in one move, and it’s exactly what carrying groceries into your body is all about.
2. The dead are hanging. Covered above! Start with 10 to 20 seconds, build up to a minute. Keep your shoulders back and away from your ears.
3. Carrying a suitcase. A farmer’s load with only one weight. Your core has to fight the urge to lean in, so that the grip and hips work together.
4. Towel wring-outs. Take a bath towel, and wrap it tightly on both sides until your arms burn. It’s old school, and it works.
5. Rows and deadlifts. Any pulling exercise where your hands are holding a weight (dumbbell rows, deadlifts, lat pulldowns) automatically creates a grip. Skip the lifting ropes and let your hands do the work.
6. Carry your own food. Seriously! Skip the stroller if you can, carry a basket, take a heavy bag on one trip. Everyday life is a tangible exercise if you let it.

Aim for grip work two or three times a week, incorporated into the strength training you already do. And if you haven’t strength trained yet, this is your sign. Strength training is health care, and after 40 is non-negotiable.

Use my favorite strength training moves for women over 50 to get started!

You don’t really need a lot of equipment for this, but a few small things make grip training easier to stick to:

• Door pull bar: because he is dead hanging at home. Mine sits on the door, and I hang out while the coffee is being brewed.
• Hand dynamometer: about $25, and it turns your catch into a number you can track like your steps.
• Hand grips: perfect for car rides and TV time. Not a substitute for actual training, but a nice addition.
• A pair of heavy dumbbells or a kettlebell: for carrying. If you only buy one item on this list, buy this.