You can test grip strength using a handheld dynamometer, which measures the force of your squeeze in kilograms or pounds. It’s the gold standard used in clinical settings, but you can also get a meaningful read on your grip at home with simpler tools. Grip strength is worth knowing: it’s one of the strongest single predictors of overall health, correlating with heart disease risk, disability, and longevity.
Why Grip Strength Matters
Grip strength is far more than a measure of your hands. It reflects whole-body muscle function and serves as a reliable proxy for overall physical resilience. A large international study published in The Lancet found that every 11-pound (5 kg) decrease in grip strength was linked to a 16% higher risk of dying from any cause, a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease, a 9% higher risk of stroke, and a 7% higher risk of heart attack. Those associations held even after adjusting for other risk factors like blood pressure and physical activity.
Because of this, grip testing is now a standard part of screening for sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and function. The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People uses grip strength as the first diagnostic step: readings below 27 kg for men or 16 kg for women flag probable sarcopenia and prompt further evaluation.
Testing With a Hand Dynamometer
A hand dynamometer is a device you squeeze as hard as you can. It captures your peak force in a single effort. Two main types exist: hydraulic and digital. The Jamar hydraulic dynamometer has been the clinical reference tool for decades, and it’s what most research norms are based on. Digital dynamometers like the Camry EH101 are lighter, cheaper (typically $20 to $40), and available online. A study comparing the two in adults over 60 found a correlation above 0.97 between devices, meaning the affordable digital models produce nearly identical readings to the clinical hydraulic version.
Step-by-Step Technique
Proper positioning makes a significant difference in your score. Follow this protocol, which mirrors the one used in most clinical research:
- Sit upright in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
- Hold the dynamometer with your elbow bent at 90 degrees and tucked against your side. Your forearm should be parallel to the ground.
- Keep your wrist neutral, not flexed up or down.
- Squeeze as hard as you can for about 3 to 5 seconds. Give it maximum effort from the start.
- Rest for 30 to 60 seconds, then repeat. Do three trials per hand.
- Record your highest reading from each hand. Most norms use the single best score rather than an average.
Test your dominant hand first. Avoid squeezing in short bursts or ramping up slowly. One sustained, all-out effort gives the most accurate and repeatable result. If the dynamometer has adjustable handle positions, set it so your fingers wrap comfortably around the handle with your middle fingers roughly at a right angle.
What Your Numbers Mean
Grip strength peaks between ages 30 and 39, averaging about 49.7 kg (109 lbs) for men and 29.7 kg (65 lbs) for women according to a systematic review covering 2.4 million adults across 69 countries. From there, strength gradually declines with each decade. A 60-year-old will naturally score lower than a 35-year-old, so comparing yourself to age-matched norms matters more than hitting a single universal target.
As a general framework: if you’re a man scoring below 27 kg (about 60 lbs) or a woman below 16 kg (about 35 lbs), your grip falls into the range that clinicians consider low, regardless of age. These are the cutoff points used to identify probable sarcopenia in European populations, and they’re a signal that broader muscle function deserves attention.
For context, most healthy adults in their 40s and 50s will score well above those thresholds. Men in that range typically fall between 40 and 50 kg, and women between 25 and 30 kg. If your score sits near or below the sarcopenia cutoffs and you’re under 65, it’s worth investigating whether deconditioning, a nutritional gap, or an underlying condition is contributing.
Testing Grip Without a Dynamometer
If you don’t have a dynamometer, you can still get useful information about your grip capacity. These alternatives won’t give you a precise kilogram reading, but they track changes over time and reveal whether your grip is in a reasonable range.
The Dead Hang Test
Hang from a pull-up bar with both hands, arms fully extended, and time how long you can hold on. This tests grip endurance rather than peak force, but the two are closely related. For men over 50, holding for 10 to 20 seconds represents a reasonable baseline of grip strength and shoulder capacity. Reaching 30 seconds or more indicates strong fitness for that age group. Younger adults should aim higher, with 45 to 60 seconds being a solid benchmark for someone in their 20s or 30s with regular training.
Use an overhand grip (palms facing away) and avoid swinging. If you can’t hold for 10 seconds, that’s a clear signal to prioritize grip and upper body training.
The Bathroom Scale Method
This is a creative workaround validated in research. Place a bathroom scale on a stable surface at about waist height, like a countertop or sturdy table. Press down on the scale with one hand using maximum force, keeping your arm and wrist in the same position you’d use with a dynamometer. Note the reading. Your grip force equals the weight displayed on the scale during your squeeze, minus any resting pressure.
A study comparing this approach to a handheld dynamometer found agreement above 0.98 for isometric strength measurements, making it surprisingly accurate for a household item. The key is consistency: use the same scale, the same surface height, and the same technique every time you test so your readings are comparable.
Everyday Indicators
Pay attention to functional cues. Struggling to open jars you used to open easily, losing your grip on heavy grocery bags, or finding it hard to wring out a wet towel are all informal signs that grip strength has declined meaningfully. These aren’t precise, but they often prompt people to test formally and discover real deficits.
How to Track Progress
Grip strength responds well to training, and tracking it over time gives you a concrete measure of whether your exercise routine is working. Test yourself every four to six weeks using the same method, time of day, and equipment. Grip tends to be slightly stronger in the afternoon than first thing in the morning, so keeping conditions consistent matters.
If you’re training grip specifically through exercises like farmer’s carries, dead hangs, or wrist curls, expect measurable improvements within six to eight weeks. Gains of 2 to 5 kg on a dynamometer over a few months of targeted work are realistic for most adults. For those recovering from injury or surgery, progress will be slower, and comparing left to right hand differences can help gauge recovery. A difference of more than 10% between hands is common in the general population, but a growing gap after an injury suggests the affected side needs more rehabilitation.