A Strong Grip Is Essential for Overall Health

Stop squeezing that stress ball! You could be making your hand and wrist problems worse. According to experts, repeatedly clenching your hand can worsen or even cause carpal tunnel, trigger finger, or tendinitis - conditions that can can weaken your grip.

If you sit at a desk, you need to improve your grip strength. Why? Because a strong grip becomes more important as we age. A weak grip is linked to heart disease, cognitive decline, and even certain cancers.

Grip strength is how well you can grasp or squeeze an object with your hands and how much force your hand, wrist, and forearm muscles can exert to lift an object.

There are several types of grip strength, including:

• Crushing: Crush grip measures how hard you can crush an object between your palms and fingers when doing things like squeezing a bottle of ketchup or swinging a baseball bat.

• Supporting: Support grip is how long you can hold onto an object. It's important for activities like carrying groceries or doing pull-ups.

• Pinching: Pinch grip is how hard you can pinch an object between your fingertips and your thumb. You use it when holding things like a pen or pencil.

• Extension: Refers to movements that open the hand and extend the fingers and thumb, working the forearm extensor muscles located on the back of the forearm.

Exercises that target your hand and forearm muscles can improve grip strength. A New York Times-featured routine provides the right way to do it. It includes 8 easy, desk-friendly exercises that engage the whole chain of muscles (hands, wrists, and shoulders) and take your wrist joint through its full range of motion. Scapular Squeezes and Farmer's Holds may be more effective than stress balls.

Here are a few of the best moves from the routine you can start today:

• Scapular Squeezes (the foundation for grip stability) - can indirectly help grip strength by creating a more stable and efficient shoulder foundation, which improves the mechanics of lifting and holding objects.

• Tendon Glides (enhances finger dexterity) - can help improve grip strength by increasing tendon flexibility, reducing stiffness, improving range of motion, and strengthening the muscles and tendons in the hands and fingers.

• Farmer's Hold (the ultimate grip endurance builder) - can significantly improve grip strength by requiring a strong and sustained hold on heavy weights, thereby building endurance and strength in the forearms.

These moves target crush, support, and pinch grip to promote overall hand strength and function.

Incorporating grip-focused moves in your fitness routine can improve overall wellness and quality of life. A strong grip has been linked to better heart health, longevity, and well-being. You call upon your grip strength for everyday activities like picking up a box, carrying groceries, opening a jar, preparing meals, moving a chair, turning door handles, brushing your teeth, getting dressed, or even driving.

The main takeaway from the NYT-featured routine is the focus on the entire kinetic chain for grip support (hands, wrists, shoulders), not just squeezing a ball. These exercises are fantastic, but it's only the beginning. As a healthspan optimization strategist, I help people integrate movement, nutrition, and mindset to create True Iron Will - not just a strong grip, but a strong life.