You might shake someone’s hand and think nothing of it… but your handshake reveals more than good manners.
Grip strength is quickly gaining status as a “vital sign” of muscular health, functional ability, and long-term outcomes.
In this article, you’ll find average grip strength by age and gender, how to test your grip correctly, red flags, and a no-nonsense 2-week plan to give your grip a boost.
Whether you’re a weekend warrior, lifting for health, or just curious how you stack up, this is your guide.
What Exactly Is Grip Strength — and Why It Matters
When you squeeze something — a dynamometer, a door handle, or a gym bar — you’re recruiting your finger flexors, thumb muscles, and forearm extensors. Grip strength is a snapshot of that collective force. Because it’s easy and cost-effective to measure, many scientists call it a proxy for overall strength and durability.
Ultimately, it’s all about grip strength.
Clinically, you’ll often see the Jamar hydraulic dynamometer used, one of the more reliable standards. Testing protocols aim to standardize posture and grip position so results are comparable. Device differences, body posture, and hand size make a big difference, so when you see numbers online, check what tool was used.
Grip strength correlates with functional performance, fall risk (in older adults), and even mortality in large cohort studies. Low grip doesn’t diagnose illness, but it is a red flag worth investigating.
Normative Grip Strength Table (Absolute kg) by Age & Gender
Below is a table drawing on Tomkinson et al. (2024) — which pooled data from ~2.4 million adults across many countries to build smoothed percentile curves, and supporting values from Wang et al. (2018).
| Age Range (years) | Men (dominant hand, kg) | Women (dominant hand, kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 20–29 | ~ 46–50 kg (peak) | ~ 28–31 kg (peak) |
| 30–39 | ~ 49–51 kg | ~ 29–7 kg (around 30 kg) |
| 40–49 | ~ 47–49 kg | ~ 28–30 kg |
| 50–59 | ~ 43–47 kg | ~ 26–28 kg |
| 60–69 | ~ 38–42 kg | ~ 22–26 kg |
| 70–79 | ~ 33–37 kg | ~ 18–22 kg |
| 80+ | ~ 28–32 kg | ~ 15–19 kg |
Notes / caveats:
- These are absolute values (not normalized for height or body mass).
- The “dominant hand” is assumed; non-dominant is often ~5–10% lower.
- In Tomkinson et al., peak mean values: ~49.7 kg for men, ~29.7 kg for women.
- In Wang et al., one of the peaks for men (age 25–29) was 49.7 kg for dominant hand.
- These are smoothed percentile-based norms; individual variation is wide.
Use this as your reference box.
What Is “Low” Grip Strength — When It Matters
In aging and clinical research, thresholds are used to flag “low” grip strength, often as part of diagnosing sarcopenia or frailty. Some common benchmarks:
- For men: ~ 27–30 kg
- For women: ~ 16–19 kg
- (Different guidelines use slightly different cut-offs depending on population and device.)
But here’s the twist: these cut-offs are screening tools, not disease labels. If your grip is below them and you’re also struggling with daily tasks (carrying grocery bags, opening jars, shaking hands, rising from chairs), that’s when you should consider a deeper dive with a health or physical-performance professional.
Also, any sudden drop in grip strength (or big asymmetry between hands) is more concerning than being slightly below a cut-off.
How to Test Your Grip — At Home & in the Clinic
With a dynamometer (preferred):
- Sit with your elbow at ~90°, forearm neutral, shoulder relaxed.
- Use a standard grip setting.
- Squeeze maximally 3 times per hand (with ~30–60 sec rest).
- Record the highest value (not average).
- Repeat monthly under the same conditions.
Without a dynamometer:
You can’t get a precise number, but you can test function:
- How many full grocery bags can you carry?
- Can you open a sealed jar top?
- How long can you hang from a pull-up bar (or towel hang)?
If you notice you’re failing at things you used to handle easily — that’s an alert.
2-Week Grip Strength Starter Program
This plan is beginner to intermediate, designed to build basic grip capacity. Use it 2–3 times per week (e.g. Monday/Wednesday/Friday), allow 48 hours rest between grip days.
| Day | Exercise | Sets × Reps / Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Dead hangs (plain bar) | 3 × max hold (aim 10–30 sec) | Use both hands; if too easy, add weight via belt or hold towels instead of bar |
| Farmer carry | 3 × 30–60 m walks | Use dumbbells/kettlebells you can just hold — focus on grip, posture | |
| Plate pinch | 3 × 20–30 sec | Pinch two plates (2.5–5 kg each) together between thumb/index/middle finger | |
| Day 2 | Rest or light active recovery | – | Wrist mobility, light stretching |
| Day 3 | Towel hangs | 3 × max hold | Drape a towel over a bar and hang — more challenging for grip |
| Heavy rows / pull-ups | 4 × 5–8 reps | Do your usual back pulling exercises without straps when possible | |
| Gripper (moderate) | 3 × 8–12 squeezes | Use a hand-gripper you can finish with 1–2 reps in reserve | |
| Day 4 | Rest | – | — |
| Day 5 | Mixed holds | 2 × 60-sec bar hang + 2 × 45-sec pinch hold | Alternate support and pinch grip stress |
| Suitcase carry | 3 × 30–50 m each arm | Carry a weight in one hand (other hand remains free) | |
| Wrist curls / extensions | 3 × 10–15 each direction | Light weight, controlled motion — optional but useful for balance | |
| Days 6 & 7 | Rest / active recovery | – | Allow recovery — this is when grip strengthens |
Progression tips (in week 3+):
- Increase hang times or add small weights.
- Use thicker bars or fat grips to challenge grip.
- Gradually increase pinching weight or duration.
- Rotate grip styles (crush, pinch, support) to train comprehensively.
If your forearms or tendons feel overworked or painful, reduce volume, better to progress slowly than overuse.
When to Dial Up the Alarm & What to Do Next
- Sudden drop in grip strength (especially after injury)
- Persistent inability to perform daily tasks vs before
- Big asymmetry (one hand much weaker than the other)
- Neurological symptoms (numbness, tingling, weakness)
If any of the above turn up, talk with a doctor or physical therapist. They may measure nerve conduction, muscular imaging, or check for systemic causes (e.g., neuropathy, arthritis). Even if your grip is “just a bit low,” using a structured plan (like the 2-week one above) plus general strength training can help mitigate decline.
Wrap-up
Your grip strength is more than just a fun stat, it’s a simple indicator of your muscular health, functional ability, and long-term resilience. Use the table above to benchmark where you sit, test consistently, and follow the 2-week program (or your own variation) to build forward.