Our hands are one of the significant ways we interact with the world. When you look at the homunculus, a representation of how the brain allocates sensory and motor “mapping,” you will see the hands, feet, and face get the lion’s share of the real estate. Let’s say this is an indicator of how important the hands are.
Grip strength, in general, can be a biomarker of health and longevity. According to a recent study (Klawitter et al., 2021), handgrip weakness and/or asymmetry are associated with increased risk of chronic diseases, including “hypertension, diabetes, cancer, chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, arthritis, and psychiatric problems.”
A quick caveat on hand strength as a biomarker, it is necessary to look beyond the measure (grip strength) to the lifestyle that develops it. In a review of hand grip strength and sport performance (Cronin et al., 2017), office workers had significantly weaker hand grip strength than car mechanics and farmers. Occupation, sport, and training status must be factored in. Grip strength should not be considered in isolation from overall health measures.
Beyond a great handshake, what are the performance benefits of a stronger grip? Since grip is typically our connection to the object we are trying to manipulate, whether a kettlebell press or swing, if we have a stronger grip, we have better stability and potential ability to lift, swing/snatch, etc., that object. This is why straps allow for more weight to be lifted in a deadlift. In StrongFirst, the grip is the first part of our high-tension sequence and is key to proper performance in many techniques. Ignore at your peril.
A great addition to your routine to boost grip strength can be classic spring style grippers. As noted on the Huberman podcast with Pavel, Pavel and StrongFirst Director of Education Brett Jones previously focused on their grip training and spring style grippers.
