{"id":489194,"date":"2026-02-21T04:46:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T04:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/489194\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T04:46:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T04:46:17","slug":"the-nine-exercises-to-improve-your-grip-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/489194\/","title":{"rendered":"The nine exercises to improve your grip strength"},"content":{"rendered":"

We need it for everything from carrying shopping to opening jars and signing our name. Grip strength \u2014 or the force our hand can exert around an object \u2014 is so important it\u2019s often deployed as a marker of overall health.<\/p>\n

Studies show a link between low grip strength and an increased incidence of diseases such as lung cancer and type 2 diabetes, while other research has found lower grip strength associated with a greater risk of cognitive decline.<\/p>\n

Yet all too often we take it for granted, until everyday activities we once did without thinking start to feel difficult. Like all muscles, those required for grip weaken with age. Grip is also affected by proprioception, or the body\u2019s ability to sense its position, communicated from receptors in muscles and tendons and processed by the brain, \u201cwhich declines from around 50\u201d, says Nell Mead, a physiotherapist and the author of How To Be Your Own Physio.<\/p>\n

Damage to joints caused by conditions such as osteoarthritis and nerve-related conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome can make gripping more difficult.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Read more expert advice on healthy living, fitness and wellbeing<\/a><\/p>\n

As our society becomes more automated, activities involving hands, such as wringing out clothes and writing, are being increasingly consigned to the past and this may also play a part. For example, one nine-year longitudinal study in the journal European Geriatric Medicine found a \u201cslight decline\u201d in the grip strength of older adults, equivalent to a typical 65-year-old\u2019s grip strength declining to that previously seen in a 69-year-old.<\/p>\n

A good grip is also vital for reaching our wider fitness goals, as anyone whose failing grip on a dumbbell has shortened a weightlifting session will tell you. Poor grip often leads to bad form, which increases the risk of injury.<\/p>\n

Contrary to popular belief, grip doesn\u2019t just involve hand and finger muscles, but your whole arm, including the shoulder stabiliser muscles that position the arm in the correct place and the forearm muscles that control your fingers. \u201cIt\u2019s all part of one chain,\u201d Mead says. \u201cWeakness anywhere can compromise your grip strength.\u201d Fortunately, there are ways to improve yours. <\/p>\n

1. Wrist flexor stretch\"A<\/p>\n

MICHAEL LECKIE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

Start with a stretch to improve blood flow in the flexor muscles on the underside of the forearm, which helps the muscles involved in grip to work together more effectively. \u201cWe don\u2019t tend to stretch our wrists very often, so don\u2019t get much flexibility through them,\u201d says Mead, who advises warming up for two to three minutes with gentle arm circles, wrist circles and shoulder rolls before working on grip strength, and adds: \u201cAlways stop if you feel sharp pain.\u201d <\/p>\n

Seated or standing, extend your right arm straight in front of you, palm facing up. Use your left hand to gently pull your right hand down and back so your fingers are pointing towards the floor. Hold for up to 30 seconds and repeat on the other side. Do five sets.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The seven essential exercises that improve the way you move<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Wrist extensor stretch\"Two<\/p>\n

MICHAEL LECKIE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

This improves flexibility in the extensor muscles on the back of your forearm, which can enhance grip. \u201cWhen these muscles get short, tight and irritated, they pull on the elbow,\u201d Mead says. Sitting or standing, extend your right arm straight in front of you, with your palm facing down. Bend your wrist so your fingers are pointing down, using your left hand to pull your hand towards you to increase the stretch. Hold for up to 30 seconds and repeat on the other side. Do five sets.<\/p>\n

3. Finger abduction with rubber band\"Animated<\/p>\n

MICHAEL LECKIE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

Strengthen the small muscles in the hand with the help of a rubber band to provide resistance. \u201cResistance abduction \u2014 pulling your fingers apart \u2014 is not something we do very often, so those muscles tend to weaken before others,\u201d Mead says. <\/p>\n

Place a rubber band around your fingers, crisscrossing it between each finger. Push your fingers out against the resistance of the band, then release. \u201cThe closer the band is to your fingertips, the tougher it will be,\u201d Mead says. Make the exercise easier by not twisting the band between each finger, or harder by adding a second band. Do ten on each hand.<\/p>\n

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4. Closed chain scapula press-ups\"A<\/p>\n

MICHAEL LECKIE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

These strengthen your serratus anterior, the fan-shaped muscles on the side of your chest, underneath the armpit and along the ribs, which stabilise the shoulder blades, and scapular stabilisers, the muscles that control the movement of the shoulder blades. \u201cPoor shoulder-blade control compromises the entire kinetic chain down the arm, reducing the efficiency of your grip,\u201d Mead says. \u201cThis exercise builds the stable foundation from which your arm operates.\u201d <\/p>\n

Start in a press-up position \u2014 on your knees if necessary \u2014 with hands directly under your shoulders. \u201cWithout bending your elbows, push your torso up through your hands to separate your shoulder blades, then lower down by dropping your torso so your shoulder blades come together at the back.\u201d With your arms straight your torso should only be able to raise and lower a few inches. Mead suggests three sets of 10 to 15 repetitions, two or three times a week.<\/p>\n

5. Assisted dead hangs\"Woman<\/p>\n

MICHAEL LECKIE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

Hanging exercises are brilliant for improving shoulder stability, Mead says, while this exercise also strengthens finger muscles and forearm flexors, which bend the wrist and fingers. You don\u2019t need a pull-up bar \u2014 any stable overhead beam will do. \u201cYou can use the door frame,\u201d Mead says. \u201cI hang off the landing.\u201d <\/p>\n

Grip the beam, and to avoid trying to hold your entire body weight with your arms, either place your feet on a box on the ground or bend your knees slightly with your feet on the ground. As you get stronger, \u201cgradually reduce the pressure through your feet, taking more weight through your grip\u201d, says Mead, who advises hanging for three sets of 30 seconds, with a minute or so in between.<\/p>\n

6. Farmer\u2019s walks\"A<\/p>\n

MICHAEL LECKIE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

A multipurpose exercise that strengthens finger muscles, improves grip endurance and strength, improves shoulder stability and works the core muscles, which help the shoulder girdle \u2014 the bones and joints that connect your arms to your trunk \u2014 to generate force more effectively. \u201cIt challenges every link in the chain simultaneously, mimicking real-world carrying tasks,\u201d Mead says. <\/p>\n

Pick up two heavy objects of an equal weight, whether dumbbells, kettlebells or heavy bags, that you can hold for about a minute. \u201cWalk steadily for 40 to 60 metres, keeping your shoulders down and back, chest up, neck long, chin tucked in and core engaged,\u201d Mead says. You don\u2019t need an exciting route \u2014 up and down the hallway is fine. Try three to four sets.<\/p>\n

\u2022 One minute of exercise a day \u2018could add years to your life\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Wrist roller\"A<\/p>\n

MICHAEL LECKIE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

These exercises strengthen wrist extensors and wrist flexors, both of which \u201cdirectly attach to the fingers\u201d, Mead says. Attach a rope to the centre of a stick or broom handle and tie a light weight \u2014 2kg to 5kg \u2014 to the other end. When holding the stick at shoulder height, the rope should end about 60cm from the floor. <\/p>\n

\u201cStanding, hold the stick out in front of you at shoulder height with both hands, palms down, keeping your shoulders down and back and your chin tucked in. Wind the rope up by rotating your wrists. Let go with one hand, twist with the other, and vice versa,\u201d Mead says. \u201cThen slowly unwind.\u201d <\/p>\n

This works the extensors. To work the flexors, repeat the exercise holding the stick with both hands and your palms facing upwards, rolling the stick towards you, one hand at a time. Do two to three sets of two to three full winds in each direction.<\/p>\n

8. Plate pinches\"A<\/p>\n

MICHAEL LECKIE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

This works the pinch grip \u2014 holding something between the thumb and fingers without the palm involved \u2014 that requires fine motor control (small, controlled movements) and is used in activities such as writing and turning a key in a lock. Research has found it is particularly susceptible to age-related decline. <\/p>\n

Standing, arms by your sides, back straight, hold a 2.5kg to 5kg weight plate vertically in one hand between your thumb and fingers. \u201cHold for 20 to 30 seconds. Rest, then repeat with the other hand,\u201d Mead says. \u201cFor extra difficulty, use a plate with smooth sides rather than one with raised edges.\u201d Do three sets.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Five upper back exercises to improve your posture<\/a><\/p>\n

9. Fingertip wall landings\"A<\/p>\n

MICHAEL LECKIE FOR THE TIMES<\/p>\n

A variation on a wall push-up, pushing off with your fingertips rather than the heels of your hands, to engage the forearm extensors, improve proprioception and fine motor control. <\/p>\n

Stand facing a wall just over arm\u2019s length away, feet hip-width apart. \u201cLean forward and place your fingertips \u2014 not palms \u2014 on the wall at shoulder height, letting your elbows bend very slightly,\u201d Mead says. \u201cLean in so your weight pushes through your fingertips, then push back, briefly lifting your fingertips off the wall before catching yourself on your fingertips again.\u201d <\/p>\n

Use your fingertips to control the landing. \u201cThat\u2019s where strength is built,\u201d Mead adds. \u201cAs you get stronger, do this with one hand instead of two, faster and with more dynamic bounces.\u201d Do three sets of eight to ten.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We need it for everything from carrying shopping to opening jars and signing our name. Grip strength \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":489195,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":["post-489194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}