Average Grip Strength: How Do You Measure Up?
Grip strength is a very common test for those who have experienced an injury to the hand or a more serious injury and are under going rehabilitation. Hand grip strength is also often tested in elderly individuals also to test if they are losing strength. If you are curious about grip strength averages your are in the right place. In this article I will walk through the average strength of both males and females by age group.
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- Why Grip Strength Is An Important Biomarker
- Testing Grip Strength
- Factors Affecting Hand Grip Strength
- Average Grip Strength
- Average Male Grip Strength
- Average Female Grip Strength
- How Do You Compare
- References
Why Grip Strength Is An Important Biomarker
Grip strength has a strong association with longevity, which I have discusses at length in my article on the topic . Having poor grip strength is associated with higher risk of all cause mortality, so being aware of your grip strength can be an good biomarker for your overall health and strength.
Testing Grip Strength
The only standardised measure of grip strength is done through using a dynamometer, a hand held device that provides the strength of the hands isometric contraction (hand grip strength). This involves squeezing a handle as hard as possible and results in a figure in kilograms of isometric force production. In this article I will discuss the results from large sample size test of grip strength (known as hang grip strength in the scientific community).
Factors Affecting Hand Grip Strength
The two factors which heavily influence hang grip strength are age and sex. As we age we lose muscle mass, this causes a reduction in strength and this is why our grip strength decreases as we age. Grip strength is also influenced by sex, males typically have higher levels of muscle mass and are therefore, on average, have higher levels of hang grip strength. BMI also influences hand grip strength, but is much less significant when compared to age and sex.
Average Grip Strength
Below is average hand grip strength by age group and includes values for both left and right hand. As we can see from the data, age, sex and hand dominance play a role in grip strength.
This data is taken from a study of 1366 men and 1312 women with an average age of 40 years old (1). This study was performed in Australia and averages will change internationally and also be influenced by BMI.
Average Male Grip Strength
Age/ Right / Left
20-29 / 47 / 45
30-39 / 47 / 47
40-49 / 47 / 45
50-59 / 45 / 43
60-69 / 40 / 38
70+ / 33 / 32
Average Female Grip Strength
Age / Right / Left
20-29 / 30 / 28
30-39 / 31 / 27
40-49 / 29 / 28
50-59 / 28 / 26
60-69 / 24 / 23
70+ / 20 / 19
How Do You Compare
In order to test yourself against these values you will need to do a test on a dynamometer. This is a rather specialist piece of equipment that is only really used in a clinical context. If you are really curious, you can always purchase a dynamometer on amazon or elsewhere on the internet.
Other tests, such as the hang from bar test, are great ways to see your current grip strength and endurance. However this test will be heavily influenced by your body weight, which might change over time and change your result, making it not a very effective measure for long term biomarker tracking.
References
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This resource was written by Sean Klein. Sean Richard Klein has thousands of hours of coaching experience and a BSc in Sports Science with Management from Loughborough University. He owns a gym in Bayonne France, CrossFit Essor, which runs group classes and a Personal training studio.
Sean Klein
