I asked experts how they'd improve grip strength in 30 days, and they kept recommending these three simple exercises
Grip strength has become one of the biggest talking points in longevity. Here’s how to improve yours
We need it for everything from carrying groceries and opening stubborn jars to lifting heavier weights in the gym. But when I recently had my grip strength measured using a hand dynamometer – a little device you squeeze as hard as you can – I was surprised by just how much that little number could reveal about my health.
Let's be honest, until it gives up on your final set of pull-ups, how often do you actually think about your grip strength when training? Until recently, I certainly didn't think much about mine. I just accepted that when my hands and forearms started screaming at me, it was time to give up.
Yet research has linked lower grip strength with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease. At the same time, experts increasingly use it as a simple marker of overall strength, physical function and healthy ageing.
Of course, grip strength isn't set in stone. Just like any other aspect of fitness, it can be trained. So I asked experts what they'd do to improve theirs over the next 30 days.
Interestingly, the same exercises kept coming up, and you’re probably pretty familiar with them already. Here's what they recommended.
Why is grip strength so important?
“Grip strength isn't just about the hand,” says Ashley Katzenback, Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Cape Concierge Physical Therapy.
“It reflects the integrity of the entire musculoskeletal system and correlates strongly with lean muscle mass, neuromuscular efficiency, bone density, and the body's ability to recover from illness or surgery.”
“It also tells us a lot about our ability to generate and control force – and often mirrors overall muscle quality and total body strength capacity.”
“Research shows that people with low grip strength fall more, fracture more easily, recover more slowly, and are more likely to develop sarcopenia – the age-related loss of muscle that quietly accelerates functional decline,” she says.
In fact, a landmark study of nearly 140,000 adults across 17 countries found that lower grip strength was associated with a significantly higher risk of death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease, with each 5kg reduction in grip strength associated with a 16% higher risk of all-cause mortality.
The good news? Grip strength is highly trainable, which means there's plenty you can do to improve yours. Here's where the experts recommend starting.
The three exercises experts recommend for improving grip strength
1. Farmer's carry
Farmer's carry is incredibly simple – walking while carrying a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand – yet extremely effective for challenging your grip under fatigue, as you continuously squeeze the weights to make sure you don’t drop them.
To do it, hold a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand, stand tall and walk, keeping your core braced and shoulders back.
How many? 3–4 rounds of 20–40 seconds. As your strength improves, experts recommend aiming to carry a combined load equivalent to around 50% of your bodyweight for one minute. Men can work towards around 70%.
Rest: 60–90 seconds between rounds.
2. Dead hang
As the name implies, all you have to do for a dead hang is hang from a pull-up bar for as long as you can. It’s simple and brilliant for building grip endurance while challenging your shoulders and upper body at the same time.
Take an overhand grip on a pull-up bar, lift your feet from the floor and hang with your arms extended.
How long? "Start with 10 seconds and gradually increase the duration as your grip improves," suggests Katzenback. Complete three sets.
Rest: 60 seconds between sets.
3. Bent-over row
Heavy lifting is one of the best ways to challenge your grip strength. What’s great about the bent-over row is that, while your back and biceps are doing plenty of work, your hands and forearms also have to work hard to resist gravity and avoid dropping the weight as you complete the rowing motion.
Katzenback suggests choosing a weight “you can row for five reps with good form.” Hinge forwards at the hips, keeping your back flat, then row the barbell towards your belly button.
How many? 5 sets of 5 reps using a challenging weight.
Rest: 60–90 seconds between sets.
One more grip exercise worth trying
Another type of grip can easily get overlooked: the pinch grip. This involves holding an object between your thumb and fingers without using your palm – think gripping a weight plate by its edge. Research suggests pinch strength may also decline with age.
To train it, hold a weight plate between your thumb and fingers and stop it from slipping. No handles or edges to hook your fingers under – that's the whole point. Start lighter than you think, because pinch grip is usually weaker than people expect.
No weight plates? A hardcover book works too. Pinch it shut by its covers and hold.
Do: 3 sets of 20–30 seconds per hand.
Rest: 60 seconds between sets.
Let's not forget about mobility
With extra grip work, include simple wrist flexor and extensor stretches, gently stretching your fingers down and up to maintain mobility in your wrists and forearms.
You can also work on your grip away from the gym. Samantha Cubbins, strength and conditioning coach and Lifting Club Ambassador at Gymshark, recommends practising “wringing a towel twice a day,” which you can easily do at home.
“For this exercise, roll a hand towel tightly and, with each hand at different ends of the towel, twist your hands back and forth for about five seconds each way and aim for 15 reps each time, and see how your grip strength improves,” adds Cubbins.
“This exercise is perfect as it can be done at home, with just a towel and won’t take more than a few minutes.”
Ultimately, improving your grip strength doesn’t require hours of extra training. Building overall strength can help too, as stronger muscles give you a better foundation for lifting, carrying and holding onto heavier loads.
Add these exercises to your usual workouts, practise the towel drill at home and progressively challenge your grip little and often. You might just find it’s not only your hands that get stronger – your lifts and your physical independence as you age could benefit too.
And let's not forget your handshake. First impressions really do count.
