Grip strength isn’t just important for leveling up your deadlift game or powering through another round of pull-ups; growing research reveals it’s a good indicator of your overall health. Researchers have concluded that hand grip strength could estimate aerobic fitness, muscular strength and endurance, balance skills, coordination skills, and overall fitness levels, especially for older adults.
A stronger grip doesn’t just help you open that stubborn jar or hang on to your dog’s leash when your pooch is getting a little overexcited; it also comes along with a range of health benefits, such as improved quality of life and lower risk of disability. In an interesting study, researchers wanted to explore if grip strength is also associated with common mental health disorders. Let’s take a look at the research.
The study
In a study published in BMC Medicine, the study authors wanted to explore any correlations between grip strength and cardiorespiratory fitness and anxiety, and depression. They analyzed the U.K. Biobank data of 502,682 British adults, focusing on those who had a minimum of one baseline measure of cardiorespiratory fitness or grip strength, and those who had finished a Patient Health Questionnaire and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7.
The results
The results showed that grip strength correlates with common mental disorders. The study authors concluded that:
- Low and medium cardiorespiratory fitness correlated with 1.485 higher odds of depression and 1.141 higher odds of anxiety.
- Participants with low and medium grip strength had a 1.381 higher chance of depression and a 1.116 higher risk of anxiety.
- Those in the lowest group for both grip strength and cardiorespiratory fitness had 1.981 higher likelihood of either anxiety or depression.
Concluding thoughts
It makes sense to me, after many years of research and after my own experience, that our physical health and fitness impact our mental health. Exercise prompts the release of feel-good, mood-boosting endorphins, and researchers have repeatedly shown how physical activity improves sleep and a range of psychiatric disorders. I always feel better mentally and physically, even after a short yoga session or a jog around the block with the breeze on my face.
Improving your cardiorespiratory fitness involves doing activities and exercises that raise your heart rate, such as running, jumping, swimming, high-intensity interval training, and brisk walking. One way to improve your grip strength is by doing exercises such as pull-ups, dead hangs, plate pinches, and wrist forearm curls.
