Grip Strength: The Unsung Vital Sign

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Issue #4: August 4, 2025

✊ Grip Strength: Your Longevity Cheat Code

Lets talk about something wildly underrated: grip strength

It’s not flashy. Doesn’t get much attention. But this simple metric, how hard you can squeeze, might be one of the most powerful predictors of how long (and well) you’ll live.

Grip strength isn’t just about your hands.

It reflects your total-body strength, nervous system function, and even your brain health.

Dr. Peter Attia says it best:

“There’s really no such thing as someone with a strong grip and weak delts, triceps, or core.”

Why does that matter? Because the same systems that allow you to hold something heavy — muscle, balance, coordination — are the ones that help you stay functional, independent, and mentally sharp as you age.

📊 What the research shows

In a study of nearly half a million people (UK Biobank), those with the strongest grip had a 72% lower risk of developing or dying from dementia compared to those with the weakest. That’s not a typo...Seventy-two percent. (Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 2022).

Other studies link stronger grip to lower risk of heart disease, stroke, falls, and even all-cause mortality. And when combined with a faster walking pace, grip strength becomes an ever stronger predicator of long-term health.

🧠 Grip strength even tracks with brain structure.

One study found that people with declining grip had smaller brain volume and worse problem-solving scores at age 79.

This isn’t just trivia, it’s a wake up call.

🛠️ But here’s the kicker...

Those little hand grippers? They won’t cut it.

They isolate finger flexors. They don’t challenge your posture, load your body, or mimc the real-world tasks that actually matter like picking up a kid, carrying a suitcase, or catching yourself from a fall.

To build real grip strength, you’ve got to carry heavy things or hang from something. That’s where the magic happens.

💪 What actually works

Here are a few of the best grip-builders. Simple, effective, and backed by experts:

• Farmer’s carries: Grab heavy dumbbells or kettlebells and walk 30-60 seconds

• Dead hangs: Hang from a pull-up bar. Aim for 60-120 seconds total

• Heavy compound lifts: Deadlifts, pull-ups, rows

🎯 Standards to shoot for:

• Carry your bodyweight split between two hands (e.g., 90 lbs per hand if you weigh 180) for at least 60 seconds

• Dead hang from a bar for at least 60 seconds unbroken

• Perform multiple sets of 5+ reps of deadlifts or rows with at least your bodyweight

✊ Big picture

Grip strength isn’t magic. It’s just a clear signal of how your body’s doing. Strength, coordination, brain health, metabolic health all show up here.

Pick something heavy up. Hold on tight. You’re training for life.

Until next week. Stay vital.

-Jordan Slotopolsky

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