Grip Strength Calculator

Grip strength is measured with a hand dynamometer, and it is a far better indicator of general health than a hand-squeeze test has any right to be. In the PURE study, which followed roughly 140,000 people across 17 countries, each 5 kg drop in grip strength was associated with about a 16% higher risk of death from any cause. It predicted cardiovascular mortality better than systolic blood pressure did.

Nobody thinks squeezing a dynamometer is what keeps you alive. Grip is a cheap proxy for total muscle mass and neuromuscular function, and those are what actually matter. That is also why it is worth measuring: it is a five-second test that tracks something real.

Reference values, dominant hand (kg):

In pounds, multiply by 2.205: 46 kg is about 101 lbs.

How the rating works

• Above average: more than 10% above the figure for your age and sex
• Average: within 10% either way
• Below average: more than 10% below
• Low, sarcopenia range: under 26 kg for men or 18 kg for women, which are the cutoffs used in the European sarcopenia criteria and sit below the age norm at every age

The percentile is estimated by treating grip strength as normally distributed around the age and sex norm with a standard deviation of about 20% of the mean, which is close to what population samples show. It is an estimate, not a lookup in your own country’s reference table.

Measuring it properly

Peak grip is fussier than it looks, and most of the ways people get a wrong number are avoidable:

• Sit with the elbow bent to 90 degrees and tucked in, forearm neutral. Standing with the arm hanging gives a higher reading and is not what the norms are based on.
• Squeeze hard for 3 to 5 seconds. A quick jab under-reads.
• Three attempts, rest between them, take the highest, not the average.
• Use the dominant hand for comparison against this table. The non-dominant hand typically reads about 10% lower, which is enough to move you a whole band.
• Measure at a consistent time of day. Grip is measurably weaker first thing in the morning.

It responds to training. Grip declines roughly 1 to 2% a year after 50, and resistance training reverses a good part of that at any age, including in people in their eighties. Deadlifts, farmer’s carries, rows and dead hangs all work. If your number is low, it is a finding to act on rather than a verdict.