How strong is your grip for your age?
One squeeze, against 49,964 people.
Sex
One hand, your strongest, best of three. Elbow bent at a right angle, arm by your side.
Reading an American figure? The CDC tables add both hands together, so halve it before you compare it with anything here.
Grip strength by age and sex, one hand
| Age | Men, median | Women, median |
|---|---|---|
| 20-29 | 47 kg | 28 kg |
| 30-39 | 51 kg | 31 kg |
| 40-49 | 50 kg | 30 kg |
| 50-59 | 48 kg | 28 kg |
| 60-69 | 44 kg | 25 kg |
| 70-79 | 38 kg | 20 kg |
| 80+ | 31 kg | 15 kg |
Single hand, which is the convention every clinical cutoff uses. Peak is the thirties for both sexes, and the decline after sixty is steeper than most people expect. Source: Dodds et al, PLoS ONE 2014, twelve British studies, 49,964 people.
Where the weakness cutoffs sit, and who set them
| Consensus group | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| EWGSOP2, Europe 2019 | 27 kg | 16 kg |
| AWGS, Asia 2019 | 28 kg | 18 kg |
| FNIH, United States | 26 kg | 16 kg |
Three groups, three answers, and which one you apply changes how many people get labelled by severalfold. All three were derived in older adults and none of them was meant for a forty year old. Source: EWGSOP2, Age and Ageing 2019; AWGS, JAMDA 2020; FNIH Sarcopenia Project.
All six together
nothing measured yetThree things the six tests measure, each against a published cohort. Two minutes apiece.
Results stay on this device unless you save them.
The grip test needs one piece of equipment
A hand dynamometer is the only thing on this site you cannot do the test without, and it runs $25 to $40. Check it reads in kilograms, that the handle adjusts to your hand, and that the range goes to at least 90 kg. A spring gripper is not the same device: it trains grip, it does not measure it, and there is no way to convert one into the other.
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Grip strength is measured with a hand dynamometer, one hand, best of three, and it is read as a proxy for whole-body reserve rather than for your hands. Across 139,691 people in seventeen countries, every 5 kg weaker went with 16 percent higher all-cause mortality. The line everyone quotes next, that grip beats blood pressure, is true for death from any cause and false for predicting cardiovascular disease, where blood pressure won. Both halves are on this page.
What actually raises it
Why a hand gripper improves the reading and not what the reading means, which training moves it, and how much to expect at your age.
Common questions
What is an average grip strength?
Peak is the thirties for both sexes: about 51 kg for men and 31 kg for women, one hand, on a dynamometer. By seventy those medians are around 38 and 20, and by eighty around 31 and 15. If you have read a much larger American figure, that table added both hands together.
Does grip strength really predict how long you live?
It predicts death from any cause remarkably well. In the PURE study of 139,691 people, each 5 kg weaker carried 16 percent higher all-cause mortality and 17 percent higher cardiovascular mortality. What it does not do is predict who develops cardiovascular disease, where blood pressure outperformed it. And it is a sign rather than a cause: no trial has shown that raising grip strength lowers anybody’s risk.
What counts as weak?
Three consensus groups give three answers. Europe says under 27 kg for men and 16 for women, Asia says 28 and 18, and the American FNIH figures are 26 and 16. Which one you apply changes how many people get labelled by severalfold. All three were derived in older adults, so a forty year old below them is weak for their age but outside what the cutoffs were built to say.
How do I measure grip strength at home?
With a hand dynamometer, which costs less than a pair of running shoes. Sit with your elbow bent at a right angle and your arm at your side, squeeze as hard as you can for a few seconds, rest, and repeat three times on your strongest hand. Record the best. There is no validated way to convert a dead hang or a carry into kilograms, whatever the fitness blogs say.
Can I train my grip strength?
Yes, but not by squeezing a gripper. What moves it is carrying heavy things, rowing, deadlifting and hanging, because grip stands in for whole-body strength and improves when that does. Expect one to three kilos over a few months in an ordinary adult, and expect grip to lag behind the leg strength and walking speed it is standing in for.
Is low grip strength the same as sarcopenia?
No. Under the European criteria low grip strength establishes probable sarcopenia only. A confirmed diagnosis needs a scan showing low muscle mass as well. It is a reason to raise it at an appointment, not a diagnosis you can give yourself.
Written and checked by the AskDoc Medical Team under our Medical Director, MBBS. How we review. Health education, not medical advice.