Is Your Grip Strength Age Appropriate?

A Powerful Biomarker For Health And Ageing

Is Your Grip Strength Right For Your Age?

Grip strength isn’t just about how strong your hands are—it’s one of the most powerful, easy-to-measure indicators of your overall health and function. Research shows that low grip strength is linked to higher risk of injury, frailty, and even long-term health outcomes. That’s why at BOOST PHYSIO, we’re encouraging more people to test and track their grip strength as part of maintaining strength and preventing decline.

5 Reasons To Test Your Grip Strength:

  1. Predicts overall strength – Grip strength usually reflects overall full-body muscular strength.
  2. Linked to longevity – Studies show significantly lower than expected grip strength is associated with poor health.
  3. Tracks ageing and muscle loss – It’s a quick way to spot early signs of sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss).
  4. Highlights recovery needs – Helps identify weakness after injury, illness, or surgery and tracks your recovery.
  5. Motivates strength improvement – Gives a measurable, trackable goal to build from over time.

What It Means If Your Grip Strength Is Below Average

If your grip strength is lower than expected, don’t worry, take action now to start making yourself stronger.

Re-test in 6 weeks to look for improvements.

The table below is the expected grip strength range based on age, for 66% of the UK population. The table above can be considered the “average range” for grip strength based on age in the UK. The data in our chart below is from published journal results from on an extensive 2014 study by Dodds et al which set up normative grip strength data for the UK based on 49,964 participants in Great Britain across 12 different studies. The data table above is the mean strength with 1 standard deviation (ie 66% of results fall within this range).

If your grip strength result is lower than expected, STRENGTHEN ALL YOUR MUSCLES and your hand muscles to improve. Click here for our action plan to get stronger.

Watch Grip Strength Testing

Grip Strength Normal Values For Age and Sex

Grip Strength & Health: What the Research Shows

Across populations, stronger grip is linked to longer lifespan and better healthspan

– Cohort studies across Europe, Asia, and North America confirm this association, making grip strength a widely accepted “biomarker of ageing.”

Grip strength is a strong predictor of health

– According to The PURE Study (Lancet, 2015), low grip strength was independently associated with significant health complications and disease.

Each 5 kg decrease in grip strength increases health risk by ~16%

– (Lancet 2015; PURE Study) This effect persisted after adjusting for age, physical activity, smoking, and comorbidities.

Poor grip strength in midlife can predict disability 25+ years later

– Longitudinal data (MRC National Survey of Health and Development) showed that grip strength in midlife was a strong indicator of physical limitations and frailty in later life.

Grip strength below age-norms indicates biological ageing

– Individuals with grip strength below the 25th percentile for their age and sex are more likely to exhibit accelerated ageing markers (inflammation, mitochondrial decline).

The relationship between grip strength and longevity is dose-dependent

– The weaker the grip (relative to age and sex norms), the higher the risk of health issues and chronic disease burden.

Watch 3 Exercises To Improve Grip Strength

At BOOST PHYSIO, we’ve helped thousands of people improve muscle strength and power through expert-led rehab, injury prevention, and bespoke treatment plans.

✅ Book with one of our expert physiotherapists.

✅ Get a full assessment, movement screen and strength profile.

✅ Receive tailored treatment to ensure you achieve your goals.