Here is a question worth sitting with for a moment. When did you last struggle to open a jar? Or feel a grocery bag slipping from your fingers before you made it to the kitchen?
Those little frustrations are not just annoying. According to Will Harlow, a physiotherapist who specializes in adults over 50, they can be early signs of declining grip and total-body strength. And research links grip strength to independence, functional ability, and lower mortality risk.
A Quick Test You Can Try Right Now
Harlow recommends what he calls the 50% carry test. Here is how it works: hold roughly 25% of your body weight in each hand (so 50% of your total body weight combined), and walk for 60 seconds.
For adults over 50, the benchmark is to comfortably carry 50% of your body weight for at least 30 seconds. If your grip gives out early, or you cannot complete the test because of your hands rather than your legs, that counts as a fail for now. Not forever, just for now.
Why Squeezy Grippers Are Not the Answer
If your instinct is to grab one of those hand-grip squeezers from the drawer, Harlow says, hold on. Isolated grip tools do not rebuild meaningful strength because the body works as an integrated system.
Train just one part in isolation, and the rest of the system cannot back it up. Squeeze a gripper for weeks, then try to grip something at an awkward angle or while slightly off-balance, and those gains disappear fast. The body needs to train the way it actually moves.
Three Exercises That Actually Work
Harlow recommends three movements that build grip, forearm, and full-body strength together, the way your body actually uses them day to day.
- Reverse curl and press: Lift dumbbells with your palms facing down up to shoulder height, then press them overhead. Return slowly and under control. This works your forearms and upper body simultaneously.
- Towel wringing: Roll up a towel, twist it tightly, and hold each direction for 5 seconds. It trains your grip, wrists, and forearms in a natural, functional pattern.
- Farmer’s walk: Carry weights of about 15% of your body weight in each hand and walk for 20 to 60 seconds. This one builds grip, posture, core stability, and full-body strength all at once.
How Long Before You Notice a Difference?
Harlow says that with consistent practice two or three times per week, most people notice noticeable improvements in strength and function within 6 to 8 weeks.
That is not a long time. A couple of months of simple, functional exercise and you could be opening jars again without a second thought. That is worth something.