Many of the comments here seem to be focussing on increasing grip strength but that misses something the article could have delved into more. Grip strength is strongly correlated with health and longevity, but its not directly causal - simply increasing your grip strength wont really add many years to your life. Instead grip strength is strong correlate with overall musculo-skeletal mass and strength, which does have a highly causal relationship with health and longevity. So, focussing purely on grip strength will do more to break the correlation than give you a long life.
If you want to have a healthy, long life focus on overall strength. Squats, deadlifts, odd-object carries etc. If you're new to lifting, have someone who isn't show you proper form. Or just read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. Its the bible of heavy lifts.
Source: I can deadlift more than 3 times my bodyweight while still having a 7 min mile.
> If you're new to lifting, have someone who isn't show you proper form.
I cannot emphasize this enough. And even then, be extremely careful with heavy lifts (anything more than, say, what your body weight would be at 20% body fat).
I worked regularly with an extremely good Rippetoe-certified coach. My form was better than most of the beginners you see in the gym. At 40, I was stronger than I was as a high-school athlete, and it was an amazing feeling.
But one day, a 245x5 squat set went very slightly weird. Two days latter, I had tingling and numbness in my foot soles. It turns out that I'd aggravated a relatively minor disk bulge at L4/L5 (about half the population has a disk bulge there). And now I've been in moderate pain for close to three months with very slow improvement.
The long-term prognosis is excellent, as far as I know. I will almost certainly heal. I know plenty of people who've done worse to their backs and who are fine today.
But heed my example: If you're going to do heavy lifts, especially deadlifts or squats, make sure your form is as close to perfect as you can get it, and remember that you can't eliminate all risk.
One thing I have noticed: There are no 55- to 70-year-old powerlifters in the gym. But there are old bodybuilders who've been lifting for 40+ years with only the rarest of injuries. They're careful, and they say things like, "I don't like the risk/reward on heavy squats." When I return to serious lifting, I'm considering on giving up on powerlifting and switching to a more bodybuilding-centric program.
I used to do a lot of lifting. Did the Starting Strength which was awesome and definitely the most enjoyable regime.
However I just got a bit bored of it all and kind of felt like I always had my ear on the ground for something more interesting, or technical (I do miss squats).
To get to my point I started climbing a few months back and it has totally hit the spot for me. It is incredibly technical, you have both indoor and outdoor options, and you also build incredibly functional strength. Including improving your grip strength more so than in any other sport.
This is totally anecdotal, and of course climbing gyms are not as common as normal gyms. But just in case someone is reading this and wants to give something else a try I highly recommend it.
Also you get to buy some cool gear which is always nice.
Is this a joke? Heavy lifters and bodybuilders don't live a healthier or longer life—they generally die younger and have more health problems.
The scientific consensus is that endurance exercise like walking or running is much better for you than lifting (in terms of longevity, cardiovascular and health benefits).
How heavy are you may I ask? I am 90kg, I can do a mile in 5.45 (tested in an army reserves fitness test) and don't feel I can deadlift more than 220kg safely, but then again I can do many reps of that.
Thanks for this. I was baffled to see so many comments explaining how to "fix your grip strength".
It's not a bad thing to do, as a climber I care a lot about grip strength, but it's not a significant total-health goal. Grip strength is highly predictive partly because people don't train it, and so it represents overall fitness and muscle development. Working hand strength in isolation just breaks that predictive relationship without producing the overall health improvements that come from an active life and whole-body fitness.
If you want to live a long life, weight lifting is counterproductive, especially if you become very massive.
Instead, you want to be small, fit, and not eat much (which means not doing unnecessary exercise). For example, this paper discusses how caloric restriction extends life spans for rodents, primates, and humans across the board: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568163716...
Grip strength is actually not a terrible place to start regardless of direct causality. When most people start weight training, particularly the major pulls (deadlifts, pull ups), the grip is the first part of the lift to fail.
I started indoor climbing 3 months ago and it's done wonders for my grip strength, as well as my overall health. I can't recommend it enough for engineers and other problem solving addicts. I was, frankly, bored by weight training and other more traditional exercise routes. Now I look forward to a nice change of pace - solving physical problems as opposed to logic problems.
Pull ups build grip strength and they recruit a lot of other muscles. Hanging is one thing, but you need grip plus lat muscles to pull yourself up over something.
I have Olympic rings that I have brought with me when working all over the world. I even had my baby almost two now hang from them when she was just one and a half years old. She held her own bodyweight for 10 seconds before my wife and in-laws flipped out. Same when I brought her swimming since birth.
I lived in SE Asia for over 8 years. The last year I lived in a Javanese village in Indonesia. The average male weighed about 140 lb plus or minus, and they could lift 130 lb bags of rice and load a truck for hours on end. I could do it at 180 lb, but not as long a time as they could. The last part of lifting it above shoulder height for me to put it in the truck was the ultimate fatigue test. That was above their heads, and more like a full press for them. I admired their strength and smiles throughout all of this hard labor and poverty.
Now I have returned to NY, and the number of obese people I see, and the number of walking aids, electric shopping carts, and other signs of malady are more striking and apparent to me.
I was running barefoot 3 or more miles a day in the rice fields and jumping rope along with bodyweight exercises. I am 52 and I have never felt better physically or mentally. It only takes desire or willpower. Also I went vegetarian over 3 years ago, and cut eggs and dairy 2 years ago.
Without a doubt, one of the most satisfying all-body compound exercises you can do. Spend a day digging and you'll have pains in places you didn't even know you had muscles.
I'm in France currently and it's been a while since I've seen monkey bars in a kid playground. Along with swings and sand, they've been deemed too dangerous by the authorities.
With the current playgrounds, I don't think kids have a lot of opportunities to build up strength. Less than we did as a kid.
Or just wander all over the place. It's not just good exercise; you might half-slide, half-tumble down a hundred-foot hill and find this at the bottom: http://i.imgur.com/2zfbnc9.jpg (And a nest of bees at the top, on the way back up! There is nothing I know of that'll send you up that last twenty feet of 45° slope faster than to bump into a deadfall log and hear it start angrily humming.)
Those blue jeans you might make so much of wearing to work every day? This is the sort of thing they are made for. Give them a workout, and yourself as well. You'll feel a lot better for it!
If you want to simulate our "arboreal ancestors" to improve grip strength then you could probably do no better than joining a rock climbing gym. Every time I visit mine I leave with my forearms aching and plenty of freshly torn calluses. It's fun as hell, maybe in part because we as humans used to need an inborn propensity for it.
Totally anecdotal here, but I would not hesitate to wager that many climbers' grip strengths lie way outside the normal range. The sport has a higher grip exercise-to-cardiovascular exercise ratio (however you might measure that) than probably any other sport that exists today.
Grip and hand fighting are very integral to both combat sports. A sport like Ju Jitsu helps improve not only your grip strength, but foot dexterity and prehensility.
Something to aim for with rock-climbing is no thick calluses, and especially not torn ones. All this requires is more care when going for / leaving a hold, by using the exact right angle and applied force for friction as needed. Letting go of the hold completely before falling instead of trying to defy the fall is also big for this.
Not only will this save your skin, but this careful attitude will also minimize chance of serious injury, which is unfortunately all too common with rock climbing. It can be hard to say no to the wall, even when you know you're done ;)
A few simple grip trainers from Amazon did wonders for my weightlifting.
A couple years ago, I was a novice with barbells. After a month of failing to progress on barbell lifts, I realized that my grip strength was lacking. The trainers solved the problem.
I'd highly recommend anyone start with basic grip training with a barbell routine. Made a huge difference for me.
Well yeah. Use it or lose it, as they say. In weightlifting and powerlifting, grip strength is something that some people focus on in their training...can help a lot with deadlifting and such. Things like farmer's walk or just single-handed static barbell holds can help improve grip strength a ton.
If you're interested, head over to /r/griptraining. One of the most frustrating things about grip, is how specific each kind of grip strength is. Pinch grip (tripod pinch) vs static holds vs ulnar grip, all require specific training.
Grip strength has strong ties to overall cardiovascular health. Since a strong developed heart can adequately supply the blood flow necessary for a strong grip. Focusing on grip strength isn't terribly important, relative to focusing on overall cardiovascular health. Grip strength is a good example of correlation, since it's a byproduct of overall health.
Working a sedentary desk job, it's really important to deliberately make time for proper exercise. Running, swimming, biking, or whatever, It's important to exert yourself. That being said, I don't think it would hurt too much to do some hand exercises regularly.
I'm a musician - I use many different grip-strength trainers on a regular basis at the desk. One of my favorites is power putty, but the traditional one-per-finger squeeze tool is good too.
BBC Radio Four's Inside Health programme had an "exercise special" and the links between weakness and mortality were discussed, and "can you open a jam jar?" is used as a rough and ready diagnostic question.
Deadlifts seem to be doing wonders for my grip strength. For a while my grip was the limiting factor on my dead lift. Actually most pulling exercises are going to work your grip strength. By the end of my pull days I struggle to hold on to light dumbbells for a whole set.
Second thought - many of the problems faced by modern society could be solved if everybody spent a few hours a week under a heavy barbell or picking one up.
Many of the problems faced by modern society could be solved if everybody spent a few hours a week doing something other than sitting in a chair, lying down, or staring at a screen.
No affiliation, but I really like http://gmb.io. I'm a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, so I find dynamic body weight movements more engaging than weight lifting or yoga. The progressions on the site are fantastic - some of the best movement pedagogy I've seen.
Basketball. If grip is your main concern, simply play basketball. I remember during fitness tests at my first university after I squeezed grip measuring device outside its scale, the coach remarked that I surely must be playing basketball, he was seeing it all the time.
I've been considering a training board, but it's too much hassle to put up. So, I've been using towels over my pull-up bar, but this seems great for $30.
"We can even now read of pro athletes unable to complete a single pull-up" is very disingenuous. I won't extol on the benefits of exercise since the first principle is to not fool yourself.
[+] [-] maxcan|9 years ago|reply
If you want to have a healthy, long life focus on overall strength. Squats, deadlifts, odd-object carries etc. If you're new to lifting, have someone who isn't show you proper form. Or just read Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. Its the bible of heavy lifts.
Source: I can deadlift more than 3 times my bodyweight while still having a 7 min mile.
[+] [-] ekidd|9 years ago|reply
I cannot emphasize this enough. And even then, be extremely careful with heavy lifts (anything more than, say, what your body weight would be at 20% body fat).
I worked regularly with an extremely good Rippetoe-certified coach. My form was better than most of the beginners you see in the gym. At 40, I was stronger than I was as a high-school athlete, and it was an amazing feeling.
But one day, a 245x5 squat set went very slightly weird. Two days latter, I had tingling and numbness in my foot soles. It turns out that I'd aggravated a relatively minor disk bulge at L4/L5 (about half the population has a disk bulge there). And now I've been in moderate pain for close to three months with very slow improvement.
The long-term prognosis is excellent, as far as I know. I will almost certainly heal. I know plenty of people who've done worse to their backs and who are fine today.
But heed my example: If you're going to do heavy lifts, especially deadlifts or squats, make sure your form is as close to perfect as you can get it, and remember that you can't eliminate all risk.
One thing I have noticed: There are no 55- to 70-year-old powerlifters in the gym. But there are old bodybuilders who've been lifting for 40+ years with only the rarest of injuries. They're careful, and they say things like, "I don't like the risk/reward on heavy squats." When I return to serious lifting, I'm considering on giving up on powerlifting and switching to a more bodybuilding-centric program.
[+] [-] markatkinson|9 years ago|reply
However I just got a bit bored of it all and kind of felt like I always had my ear on the ground for something more interesting, or technical (I do miss squats).
To get to my point I started climbing a few months back and it has totally hit the spot for me. It is incredibly technical, you have both indoor and outdoor options, and you also build incredibly functional strength. Including improving your grip strength more so than in any other sport.
This is totally anecdotal, and of course climbing gyms are not as common as normal gyms. But just in case someone is reading this and wants to give something else a try I highly recommend it.
Also you get to buy some cool gear which is always nice.
[+] [-] hutzlibu|9 years ago|reply
... or do something that applies your strength in the outside world, like climbing ;) Bonus points for fresh air and awesome view ...
[+] [-] gadders|9 years ago|reply
//edit// and at the age of 45.
[+] [-] pdog|9 years ago|reply
The scientific consensus is that endurance exercise like walking or running is much better for you than lifting (in terms of longevity, cardiovascular and health benefits).
[+] [-] Hydraulix989|9 years ago|reply
The bar is a lot higher for mile times, but 7 minute mile still is top ~25% of the American population, given we're all so sedentary.
[+] [-] sonthonax|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Bartweiss|9 years ago|reply
It's not a bad thing to do, as a climber I care a lot about grip strength, but it's not a significant total-health goal. Grip strength is highly predictive partly because people don't train it, and so it represents overall fitness and muscle development. Working hand strength in isolation just breaks that predictive relationship without producing the overall health improvements that come from an active life and whole-body fitness.
[+] [-] andrewljohnson|9 years ago|reply
Instead, you want to be small, fit, and not eat much (which means not doing unnecessary exercise). For example, this paper discusses how caloric restriction extends life spans for rodents, primates, and humans across the board: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568163716...
[+] [-] martinko|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] darkerside|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] artlogic|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] eggy|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] monkmartinez|9 years ago|reply
Go dig a hole every now and again. Do some sandbag training. Play on the monkeybars with your kids. DO SHIT and lift heavy stuff when you can.
[+] [-] rusk|9 years ago|reply
Without a doubt, one of the most satisfying all-body compound exercises you can do. Spend a day digging and you'll have pains in places you didn't even know you had muscles.
[+] [-] nicolas_t|9 years ago|reply
With the current playgrounds, I don't think kids have a lot of opportunities to build up strength. Less than we did as a kid.
[+] [-] throwanem|9 years ago|reply
Those blue jeans you might make so much of wearing to work every day? This is the sort of thing they are made for. Give them a workout, and yourself as well. You'll feel a lot better for it!
[+] [-] stuckagain|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] allemagne|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] brianmwaters_hn|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ryanSrich|9 years ago|reply
Grip and hand fighting are very integral to both combat sports. A sport like Ju Jitsu helps improve not only your grip strength, but foot dexterity and prehensility.
[+] [-] dota_fanatic|9 years ago|reply
Not only will this save your skin, but this careful attitude will also minimize chance of serious injury, which is unfortunately all too common with rock climbing. It can be hard to say no to the wall, even when you know you're done ;)
[+] [-] nooron|9 years ago|reply
A couple years ago, I was a novice with barbells. After a month of failing to progress on barbell lifts, I realized that my grip strength was lacking. The trainers solved the problem.
I'd highly recommend anyone start with basic grip training with a barbell routine. Made a huge difference for me.
[+] [-] kbart|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] xwowsersx|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Afton|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Y201K|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rectangletangle|9 years ago|reply
Working a sedentary desk job, it's really important to deliberately make time for proper exercise. Running, swimming, biking, or whatever, It's important to exert yourself. That being said, I don't think it would hurt too much to do some hand exercises regularly.
[+] [-] bashinator|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DanBC|9 years ago|reply
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06vkg24
[+] [-] hudibras|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] burger_moon|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jboggan|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Terr_|9 years ago|reply
So are ants: How much of that baby-power is just the square-cube law applied to smaller-humans?
[+] [-] maxcan|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pc86|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] orasis|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tammer|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] colordrops|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] andrenotgiant|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ASpring|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bitL|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] atom-morgan|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gerbilly|9 years ago|reply
[1] (http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/training_giude_rock_ring.htm...)
[+] [-] mildbow|9 years ago|reply
Thanks. Bought!
[+] [-] _yvjs|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] _yvjs|9 years ago|reply
since this doesn't seem familiar to people, a little more detail:
http://slatestarcodex.com/2015/02/16/did-falling-testosteron...
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-lookup/doi/10.1210/jc....
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17895324
https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323394504578607...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/mens-health/10695991/W...
Serum testosterone levels and sperm count and quality seem to be declining. Not entirely clear it's real and not all clear why it would be happening.
Some contrary evidence: http://www.harryfisch.com/pdf/Declining%20Worldwide%20Sperm%...
[+] [-] brokenmachine|9 years ago|reply
[+] [-] theparanoid|9 years ago|reply