Doctors and researchers love grip strength. Not because handshakes matter (they do), but because it's a simple marker of overall strength.
Why it matters
Large studies have linked weaker grip with worse health outcomes as people age. Grip is a proxy. It tells you something about the strength of your whole body.
How to train it (without a hand gripper from 1987)
- Farmers carries: heavy, slow, proud
- Dead hangs from a bar
- Deadlifts without straps
- Thick-handled holds and towel hangs
Grip work shows up all through our longevity programming.