Grip Strength = Longevity?

Strength and longevity go hand in hand.

Grip strength is one of the strongest predictors of longevity that we have. In other words, the stronger your grip, the longer you’re likely to live.

When this is measured, grip strength is used a measure for overall strength. Using grip strength as a measure of overall strength has some restrictions.

But grip strength specifically may have some positive functions for our brain.

Dr. Andrew Huberman, a PhD in neuroscience and professor at Stanford, explains how motor neurons that control the torso are located closer to the midline of the spinal cord, while the neurons responsible for more distal muscles—like those in the hands and feet—are positioned farther out on the spinal cord.

As we age, motor neuron degeneration happens from the outside in, meaning we lose function in our extremities first. 

This is why you may have to help an elderly person open a jar, or help sign a document for them. The muscles responsible for those actions have degenerated and became weak.

While the exact reasons for this remain unclear, research suggests that training our peripheral strength—grip strength, foot control, and limb stability—may help offset this process. 

We should aim to exercise in a way that strengthens the connections between our body and brains. Strength training in any form will cover most of the training needed to maintain a strong grip.

It also never hurts to add a little bit of directed grip strength training into your weekly routine. It no doubt has functional advantages and the possibility that it can maintain brain health as we age is enough for me to incorporate some directed work to my grip.

Each week I do 4-6 sets of exercise directed at my grip and peripheral muscles. I also program my workouts to have some movements that require grip strength to perform such as farmers carry, deadlifts and really any kind of pulling movement (yes, I use lifting straps for my top sets).

So strength training is not just about a new bench PR or building nice biceps; it preserves connections crucial to our functioning between our brain and body, keeping us sharp both mentally and physically as we age. 

Even while you are young you should want to get ahead of this process by building strong connections between your brain and body. 

Slowing the natural degeneration of the nervous system starts with intentional exercise. Exercising to get strong does not have to be complicated or excessive, lift increasingly heavier weights over time. 

Strength isn’t just about performance—it’s about building and maintaining a healthy body.

Stay Healthy,

Thomas Stevens