Longevity Test #4- Grip Strength
All-Cause Mortality Grip Strength Test
Why this test:
Grip strength is not only a reflection of overall strength, but research shows that it is also closely tied to longevity. A study by Dr. Mark Pederson, published in the National Library of Medicine in 2023, measured DNA age acceleration in conjunction with grip strength. DNA age acceleration is a way to measure your DNA to see if it matches your chronological age. The study found that those with below-average grip strength had accelerated DNA, meaning their DNA was showing that they were older than they actually were.
For 25 years, the way that I have been testing and recording grip strength is by having my clients dead hang from a bar. The Dead Hang test considers more than just grip strength; it considers body weight to grip strength ratio as you will be asked to hold your body weight from a bar.
Purpose:
Test grip strength.
History and Research:
Most grip strength studies use a hydraulic hand dynamometer, but it’s not practical to expect everyone to be able to access that kind of tool. The dead hang doesn’t have much clinical research history, so I’ve had to rely on my experience and the experiences I’ve found in communities that are thriving, healthy and strong at our age. Since there is little data on standards for the dead hang you’ll notice that I have adjusted the age-predicted dead hang times. I did this based on a study from the National Library of Medicine in which 1710 subjects’ hand grip strength was measured from the age of before 50 to over 65 years old. The community that took part in the study was from Tobago and had above-average hand grip strength due to the amount of physical activity in their daily lives. Up to age 50, participants gained grip strength, and then at the age of 50 every 4.5 years, they lost 2.2% of their grip strength up to the age of 65, at which point there was a 3.8% loss every 4.5 years. I am using a 2.2% deduction in your standards for each age bracket. You will also note in the charts that men and women have different standards. In most studies, men have a stronger grip strength than women when using a dynamometer. In a study published in the National Library of Medicine in 2022, men averaged a grip force of 48 kg while women averaged 33 kg. I have applied that difference to the scoring chart for dead hang standards.
Pros-
This test is not technical at all. Find a bar from which your feet don’t touch the ground and hang as long as possible.
Cons-
Finding a bar to hang where your feet can’t touch the ground may be challenging for those who don’t belong to a gym or have access to playground equipment.
Protocol:
Using an overhand grip, hang from a bar where your feet don’t touch the ground. Start a timer.
Hang as long as possible. You can release your grip once you can no longer hang from the bar. Stop the timer.
What to watch for: If the bar is too high to jump to, you can use a step to get the bar.
See you in the gym,
Aaron Leventhal
CSCS, PN1