Yes. Neither test diagnoses anything. Together they give you a baseline you can measure, train and retest, and strength you build in midlife is easier to keep than strength you try to rebuild later.
Is a grip strength longevity test a good indicator of how long you live?
Yes. In large studies, grip strength is one of the most consistent markers linked to how long people live. A University at Buffalo-led study of more than 5,000 women aged 63 to 99 found that women with higher grip strength had significantly lower death risk over eight years. So did women who finished five unassisted chair stands fastest. A grip strength longevity test takes a minute. That is why I like it.
The finding is not new. It is the latest in a long line of research. The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study in The Lancet tested grip across countries with very different incomes and living conditions. It asked whether grip works as a biomarker of ageing. Study after study finds the same association between low grip and higher mortality.
One caution. Associated does not mean caused. Squeezing a tennis ball all day will not add years to your life. Grip is a window into your whole body. It shows how much usable muscle you carry and how well your nervous system drives it.
What is the number one predictor of longevity?
The honest answer is that no single number exists. But strength now sits beside cardio fitness as one of the strongest predictors we can measure. The Buffalo researchers suggest muscle strength could be as important to healthy aging as aerobic activity. That held even for women who were not highly active.
Most adults I meet in Monmouth County track steps and nothing else. Steps are good. Steps do not tell you whether you can get off the floor. One researcher put it plainly in the university’s release: “When we no longer can get out of the chair and move around, we are in trouble.”
I spent years as a strength and conditioning coach for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the University of South Florida. Professional teams never guessed about an athlete’s strength. They tested it, trained it and retested it. Your body deserves the same standard. If you aren’t testing, you’re guessing.
What does grip strength really represent?
Grip strength stands in for overall muscle strength and function, not just your hand. That is why clinicians use it to screen for sarcopenia. A review of age-related sarcopenia notes that consensus definitions use gait speed, grip strength and skeletal muscle mass. It also describes a decline in muscle mass and muscle strength starting around the fifth decade of life.
The chair stand measures something different. Grip tests how hard you can squeeze. Five fast sit-to-stands test leg power, balance and how well you control your own body weight. That is the strength you need for stairs, car seats and getting up after a fall. Both measurements matter. Neither one replaces the other.
Losing muscle is about more than looks. A study record on ClinicalTrials.gov notes that sarcopenia is associated with cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Muscle is metabolic tissue. It handles blood sugar. It protects your joints. It also cushions you against falls and fractures.
What is the average grip strength for a 60 or 70 year old?
Averages vary by dataset, but healthy women in their 60s commonly score around 25 kg, and men around 45 kg, with the dominant hand. Those figures come from the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab normative tables for the Jamar dynamometer. They show women aged 60 to 69 averaging 25.3 kg in the right hand and men 45.6 kg. Women aged 70 to 79 averaged 23.7 kg.
For a 70-year-old man, the same page lists a separate dataset. In it, men aged 70 to 74 averaged 84.2 pounds in the right hand. Different devices and protocols give different numbers. That is why your own baseline, measured the same way each time, matters more than any chart.
A score that is normal for your age can still be lower than it should be. Average does not mean optimal. Average is what happens when most people stop training.
How do you test grip strength and the chair stand properly?
Use a calibrated hand dynamometer for grip. For the chair stand, time five full stands from a standard chair with your arms crossed. Testing the same way every time is what turns a single number into data you can track. This checklist keeps the measurements honest:
- Same device, same position. Sit with your elbow bent at your side and squeeze as hard as you can. Record your best effort with each hand.
- No arms on the chair stand. Cross your arms and stand fully upright each time. Sit all the way down between reps.
- Same time of day. Fatigue, sleep and stress all shift performance.
- Retest on a schedule. A single reading proves very little. A trend shows whether you are winning. I covered why in why one retest proves nothing.
At Functionised, both tests are part of the FIT Age Reveal. It takes about 40 minutes and covers a 3D body-composition scan, an ARX strength baseline, grip strength, sit-to-rise, a VO2 estimate and an HRV snapshot. It ends in a FIT Age number and a 20-minute plan session. FIT Age is an educational estimate, not a medical test. It gives you a starting line.
The ARX baseline matters because grip and chair stands are screens. ARX measures the force you produce through a full movement. That tells us where to train first. You get the same test-and-retest approach the professional teams used.
How do you improve grip strength and leg power before it costs you?
Train your whole body with progressive resistance, and your grip and chair-stand speed will usually follow. Isolated hand squeezers are a sideshow. Carries, rows, deadlifts and squats load the same muscles that daily life depends on.
Waiting has a cost. The same ClinicalTrials.gov record notes that muscle loss can speed up with disuse from a hospital stay, a fracture, surgery or even the flu. Every one of those events gets more likely with age. Strength you build in your 50s gives you reserve to fall back on. Strength you try to rebuild in your 70s often has to come back after a setback.
Boring is good. Two or three strength sessions a week, with enough protein and consistent sleep, compound over years. Our protein and longevity piece covers the fuel side. Our anti-aging program explains how we train the markers that predict years. In studies of older adults, resistance training may help slow these declines. Nobody can promise it adds years. What you can control is whether your next test beats your last one.
Frequently asked questions
Does grip strength matter for men as well as women?
Yes. The Buffalo study looked only at women, but large multinational research such as the PURE study included both men and women and found the same pattern linking low grip to higher mortality. Men usually score higher in absolute terms. So compare yourself with your own sex and age norms, and above all with your own previous readings.
Can a squeeze ball or hand gripper fix a weak grip?
It may raise your hand score a little, but it misses the point. Grip predicts outcomes because it reflects overall body strength. A higher number from isolated hand training does not mean your legs, back or balance have improved. Train heavy carries, pulls and lower-body lifts first. Then let your grip results confirm the progress.
How often should I retest grip and chair stand?
Retest often enough to see a trend but not so often that normal day-to-day noise looks like progress. Every few months of consistent training works for most adults. Use the same device, the same chair and the same time of day. Otherwise you are comparing conditions, not strength.
What should I do if I cannot stand from a chair without using my arms?
Treat that as important information, not a verdict. Start with supported sit-to-stands from a higher seat and lower the seat height as your strength builds. Ask your physician first if you have pain, dizziness or a recent fall. With coached, progressive leg training, many adults see their chair-stand performance improve.
The Bottom Line
Two simple tests, a grip and five chair stands, tracked survival in thousands of older women. You can find out your own numbers in minutes. Everything else is guessing. What I see most often is that adults never measure strength until something takes it away. Measure it now, train it, and retest it. That is how you stay in control of your body.
Book your FIT Age Reveal at Functionised, 8 Merchants Way, Colts Neck, NJ 07722, or call (848) 301-1515. See what FIT Clinic, FIT Lab and FIT Stretch do, and read Fit Logic for midlife. Your numbers exist whether you measure them or not. What will you do with them?
Call 848-301-1515 to talk about where to start.
Functionised — 8 Merchants Way, Colts Neck, NJ 07722.
Sources
- Study: For women over 60, muscle strength matters – University at Buffalo
- Muscle strength proves key to healthy aging in women – University at Buffalo
- Grip strength and mortality: a biomarker of ageing? – The Lancet
- Hand-held Dynamometer / Grip Strength – Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
- Age-related sarcopenia and its pathophysiological bases – PMC
- Protein Intake and Step Reduction in Older Adults – ClinicalTrials.gov
This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Speak to a qualified clinician about your own situation.