Have you shaken the hand of someone strong? You would have associated that strong handshake with confidence. How about someone who beats you in an arm-wrestling match? That also would say a lot about their muscle power. How about someone who helps you pull something open that you have been trying to open up for a while? Sure, they are strong. But what else does a strong grip say about you?
A strong grip can say that you have good fine and gross motor skills as well. However, unless you do have dexterity problems, a strong grip is an indicator of your health.
How Can A Strong Grip Indicate Your Health?
Researchers say that your strength of muscles can determine your longevity as well as your likelihood of ending up with the cardiovascular disease. In addition to that, if you have a strong grip, it can determine the likelihood of you surviving illnesses such as cancer as well. Therefore, if your grip is strong, then you are healthier. The reason for this is a healthy muscle mass is a great indicator of you having good health. You do lose muscle mass once you turn 40 which is why you may struggle with pulling things and even opening heavy doors. If that is the case, then that can be alarming, especially if you never had issues with dexterity in the past.
However, after you turn 40 and you have a strong grip, that can be an indicator that your health is good. At the same time, you can also fix that by sticking to a healthy diet and doing some weight lifting which is good for your cardiovascular health as well as your overall health. If you eat foods that are high in protein and if you exercise your muscles, that will help you stay healthy and help strengthen your grip.
How Can Your Grip Be Measured?
You can measure the strength of your grip by using a tool called the dynamometer and when you squeeze it, it measures your strength in kilograms. In 2015, there was a study conducted by collecting 142,000 grip strength measurements coming from 17 countries. The conclusion of the study found that for each 11-pound decrease in the strength of the grip, there is a 16 percent higher chance that death will happen from heart ailments, cancer, or other health condition. That right there is a motivator to focus on strength training and this way, you will decrease the odds of succumbing to those ailments in the end.
That is why as you age, you will want to focus on keeping and increasing your muscle mass because of the fact that it can disappear so quickly. Not only does it help reduce the risk of you ending up succumbing to an illness like cancer, but it can lower your chances of enduring a physical injury. You can join a gym and enroll in a strength-building program. If that is not your cup of tea, you can do strength training at home.
All you need to do is invest in some apparatus such as resistance bands, dumbbells, kettlebells, and even a barbell, but the barbell should not be the first item to use. You need to build yourself up to the point of using a barbell so the other three pieces of apparatus will do. You can also follow some strength-training programs on YouTube or you can subscribe to some fitness apps that can also provide you with some training. If you don’t like going to the gym, there is no need for it which is why you can buy these strength-training items and find programs that you can do from home. Either way, you will want to do something to stay strong!
