Biomarkers · Functional Fitness
Maximal Grip Strength
Higher values go with lower risk of death. In NHANES 1999–2018 with linked mortality to 2019, each standard deviation above average goes with 53% lower risk of death. We found the same pattern in NHANES
Maximal Grip Strength and risk of death
Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher
Risk of death relative to each curve's own reference value, so the two curves need not cross 1 at the same point. The dotted vertical line marks the NHANES median. NHANES records combined grip, both hands; the published curve and the percentile table use the catalogue's measure.
Maximal Grip Strength across cohorts
* Measured differently from NHANES (see the note on the row); compare direction more than size.
Maximal Grip Strength by age and sex
Each bar runs from the 5th to the 95th percentile, the darker part from the 25th to the 75th, and the tick is the median. Not a reference range or a target.
The percentiles as a table
| Sex | Age | 5th | 25th | Median | 75th | 95th | n | Cycle / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 20-39 | 25.5 | 31.6 | 39.6 | 50.6 | 61.1 | 1,760 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
| All | 40-59 | 23.6 | 30.1 | 37.3 | 48.1 | 57.7 | 1,778 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
| All | 60+ | 17.5 | 24.3 | 30.0 | 40.1 | 51.5 | 1,610 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
| All | all | 21.3 | 29.0 | 35.8 | 47.1 | 58.4 | 5,148 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
| Men | 20-39 | 35.4 | 44.3 | 50.3 | 55.7 | 64.7 | 889 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
| Men | 40-59 | 35.1 | 43.2 | 48.2 | 53.2 | 61.3 | 851 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
| Men | 60+ | 26.4 | 34.6 | 40.9 | 46.7 | 54.3 | 782 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
| Men | all | 31.4 | 41.1 | 47.1 | 52.8 | 62.1 | 2,522 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
| Women | 20-39 | 24.0 | 28.3 | 31.8 | 35.1 | 41.6 | 871 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
| Women | 40-59 | 21.3 | 27.1 | 30.6 | 33.5 | 39.4 | 927 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
| Women | 60+ | 15.6 | 21.6 | 25.1 | 28.4 | 33.4 | 828 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
| Women | all | 19.3 | 25.7 | 29.6 | 33.0 | 39.6 | 2,626 | NHANES 2013-2014 |
What studies found when this marker was changed
They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.
Measured changes in Maximal Grip Strength, study by study
6 effects with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Green points move the marker the way lower risk of death lies; amber the other way. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.
| Type | Intervention | Reported effect | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| exercise | Progressive resistance training (older adults with sarcopenia) | Resistance exercise increased handgrip strength by 2.95 kg vs control in older adults with sarcopenia (13 RCTs) | meta-analysis | Li GQ, et al. The intervention effects of resistance exercise on sarcopenia in… |
| exercise | Home-based hand exercise programme added to usual care in adults with rheumatoid arthritis of the hand (Cochrane review) | Mean grip strength (both hands) 1.4 kg higher (95% CI -0.27 to 3.07) at 3-11 months; 1.2 kg (-0.62 to 3.02) at >=12 months; short-term small trials 3.5-4 kg | meta-analysis | Williams MA, et al. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2018. Exercise… |
| exercise | Supervised Baduanjin exercise, 60-minute sessions three times weekly for 24 weeks, in older adults (60-77) with primary sarcopenia, compared with resistance training | Right-hand grip strength 1.56 kg higher (95% CI 1.13-1.99) than resistance training at 24 weeks; left-hand grip not significantly different | RCT | Wu K, et al. Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle. 2025. Efficacy of… |
| exercise | Supervised resistance exercise, 60 minutes per session twice weekly for 24 weeks, in obese women aged about 80 | Hand grip strength increased by 1.70 kg (P<0.01) after 24 weeks of resistance training | RCT | Kim SW, et al. International journal of environmental research and public… |
| nutraceutical | Creatine monohydrate supplementation | Creatine improved handgrip strength (SMD 0.23, 95% CI 0.01-0.45) vs placebo in older/chronically ill adults (33 RCTs) | meta-analysis | Davies TW, et al. Creatine supplementation for optimization of physical… |
| pharmacologic | Testosterone supplementation in middle-aged and elderly men | Handgrip strength +1.58 kgf vs placebo (95% CI 0.17 to 3.0) | meta-analysis | Parahiba SM, et al. Effect of testosterone supplementation on sarcopenic… |
| supplement | Vitamin C 1000 mg/day plus vitamin E 335 mg/day with an elastic-band resistance training programme for 12 weeks in older women (60-75) with sarcopenia, vs placebo plus the same training | Handgrip gain 3.66 kg with antioxidant vitamins plus training vs 1.16 kg with placebo plus training (P = .047) | RCT | Liu X, et al. Medicine. 2025. Effects of vitamins C and E supplementation… |
Sources
- Risk curve: Leong DP 2015 (PMID 25982160): all-cause HR 1.16 (1.13-1.2) per 5 kg reduction in grip strength. Scaled to US values (NHANES).
- Leong DP, et al. Prognostic value of grip strength: findings from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study. Lancet. 2015;386(9990):266-273.
- NHANES curve: our Cox model adjusted for age and sex, NHANES 1999–2018 with linked mortality to 2019.
Map Maximal Grip Strength against another biomarker.
Related markers: Cardiorespiratory Fitness (VO2 Max) · Chronotropic Index · Daily Movement (Wrist Accelerometer, MIMS) · Daily Step Count · Exercise Capacity (METs) · FEV1/FEV6 Ratio · Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second (FEV1) · Forced Vital Capacity (FVC)