5 Expert-Backed Ways To Improve Your Grip Strength for Healthy Aging

Grip strength is a powerful indicator of healthy aging, linked to everything from cognitive function and heart health to overall lifespan. While it’s often considered a proxy for overall strength and fitness, there are also standalone reasons to focus on hand strength, such as maintaining mobility and independence as you age, whether that’s opening jars or using tools. Here are five practical ways to improve grip strength so you can accomplish daily tasks with ease for years to come.

Targeted grip exercises such as using hand grippers, stress balls, or towel squeezes can improve two key aspects of hand strength: crush strength, the maximum force generated by squeezing your fingers against your palm, and endurance, or the ability to sustain prolonged effort over time, according to Grayson Wickham, DPT, CSCS, a physical therapist.

Wickham suggests performing two to four short sets of grip work two to four days per week. Squeeze as hard as you can for 5 to 10 seconds or complete 10 to 20 controlled reps, stopping one to two reps before failure to avoid placing unnecessary stress on your tendons. 

“For older adults, start with very easy resistance and build slowly, because the limiting factor is often connective tissue tolerance, not muscle,” Wickham said. “If you have arthritis, prioritize pain-free ranges of motion.”

2. Lift Weights

Strength training can significantly improve grip strength, Wickham said. “Grip improves fastest when the whole system gets stronger because the nervous system learns to recruit more muscle and the forearms adapt alongside bigger movement patterns,” he explained.

Wickham recommends using free weights such as dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells because they require your hands to stabilize and transmit force. This trains “support grip,” the type of grip strength needed to hold and carry everyday items like heavy grocery bags.

While exercises like deadlifts and rows are effective, Wickham said the most direct way to train support grip is with single- or double-arm farmer’s carries. Choose dumbbells or kettlebells that you can hold for 20 to 40 seconds before hitting grip fatigue, he explained. Once fatigued, set the weights down, rest for 60 seconds, and then repeat for three to eight sets, depending on your fitness level. 

In general, Wickham recommends using equipment with larger handles, along with shorter holds and fewer reps. 

According to fitness coach Noam Tamir, CSCS, simply grabbing and holding onto weights challenges and strengthens your hands.

Pay attention, however, to warning signs such as numbness, tingling, sharp pain, or next-day joint swelling, Wickham added. These may indicate you need to modify the exercise, try a different movement, or consult a doctor.

3. Perform Hanging Exercises

Dead hangs, which involve hanging freely from an overhead bar, are great for training grip endurance, shoulder stability, and the ability to hold your bodyweight, according to Wickham and Tamir.

If you struggle with dead hangs, first try feet-assisted hangs, in which you hang from a bar while keeping your feet on either the ground, a bench, a chair, or a box. Once you get the hang of that, you can try band-assisted hangs—or looping a resistance band over a bar and keeping your feet on top of the band to support part of your body weight. 

Start with three to six holds of 10 to 30 seconds, and build total time gradually. “Your goal is to be able to dead hang for 60 seconds,” Wickham said.

4. Focus on Functional Movements

“Gardening, yard work, and carrying heavy grocery bags are great functional daily movements,” Wickham said. “These work because grip responds to repeated real-world loading, especially when you make it progressively harder.”

Wickham recommends carrying one heavy item once a day using good form. If you have arthritis, it may be helpful to keep your wrists in a neutral position—not flexed or extended—so that they’re in line with your forearms.

5. Support Muscle With Protein and Recovery

Hand strength training is a type of exercise—and like any training program, it requires adequate recovery, Wickham said. That means prioritizing quality sleep, sufficient calories, and enough macronutrients to support repair and growth. 

When it comes to macronutrients, protein is especially important because it helps repair and strengthen muscle. Wickham suggests aiming for about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. 

Hydration also plays a role in performance and recovery, Tamir said. Some guidelines recommend that women drink 2.7 liters of fluids per day and men about 3.7 liters. However, individual needs vary based on factors like body type, activity level, and environment.

People who do grip strength exercises a few times each week will most likely notice improvements within two to four weeks, according to Wickham. 

Younger adults may see changes on a dynamometer, a device that measures force, torque, or power, by about six to eight weeks, with meaningful jumps often showing up around 10 to 12 weeks if you continually challenge your grip training with heavy loads and more intensity, Wickham said.

For older adults, grip strength improves more slowly because it’s harder to build muscle and strength as you age, according to Wickham. Changes typically happen between 12 to 20 weeks.