Wrist and Forearm Exercises. Above all, your grip needs to be strong enough to support you and prevent falls, and to assist you to get up after a fall. And your grip strength comes from your wrist and forearm being strong
Introduction to Grip Strength
Wrist and Forearm Exercises. As we age, our muscles naturally weaken. Here, wear-and-tear impacts your whole body, including your knees, hips, back and more. But keeping up a regimen of strength-training exercises is important to counter these effects. However, one part of your body you may not consider, actually matters more than you may think. So then, it turns out, your grip strength. And the amount of force you have when you clench your hand around an object is a huge indication of your overall health.
Consequently, your grip strength is important for more than having a strong handshake and being able to open a pickle jar. Hence, researchers call grip strength an “indispensable biomarker for older adults.” Furthermore, in other words, the strength you hold in your hands, wrists and forearms says a lot about how healthy you are. Subsequently, it’s also an indication of your risk for injury, mental health conditions and more.
“Grip strength naturally begins to decline around age 50, and maybe even earlier,” says geriatric medicine specialist Ardeshir Hashmi, MD. “People who maintain their grip strength age more slowly. They stay healthier longer and are stronger throughout their bodies.”
How grip strength is related to your health
Wrist and Forearm Exercises. In this case, grip strength is measured by a device called a hand dynamometer. It’s a handheld device you squeeze as hard as you can. Generally its understood that a higher grip strength is associated with better health, and a lower grip strength is associated with poorer health. But the exact cutoffs are still up for debate and differ based on age, BMI and other factors. researchers in at least one study define weak grip strength as:
- Less than 26 kg (57 pounds) for men and.
- Less than 16 kg (35 pounds) for women.
However, until you begin to lose strength in your hands, you probably never really think about how important your grip strength is. So then, our hands are critical for so many of our daily tasks. Hence, if you want to button your shirt, eat with a fork, write with a pen — it all requires a certain strength and dexterity in your hands and fingers.
But your grip strength is important for more than your day-to-day activities. Dr. Hashmi breaks down a few ways your grip is related to aging all over your body.
Muscle strength
Wrist and Forearm Exercises. Therefore, grip strength is an easy-to-measure indication of how strong the rest of your body is. And keeping muscle strength throughout your body is important for your mobility, balance, endurance and more. As an example, a strong body means you’re able to get out of the house more, get more exercise in your life and generally keep up with the world around you.ere, Here, “The common denominator is that you lose strength as your muscle is replaced by fat tissue. It’s called sarcopenia,” Dr. Hashmi says. Consequently, “If you’re losing strength in your hands and arms and, therefore, having a weaker grip, it’s an indication that’s happening all over your body.”
As a result, in one study, researchers found a relationship between grip strength and walking or climbing stairs. Also, men had more mobility issues when their grip strength was less than about 82 pounds. For women, it was 46 pounds.
And it’s a vicious cycle. Furthermore, decreased mobility makes you less likely to be able to move your body in ways that will build up your muscle strength. And so your muscles continue to weaken. That leaves you at a greater risk for falls and fractures.
Immune health
Wrist and Forearm Exercises. As an example, as you age, your immune system declines, leaving you more prone to infection. By the way, the word for that process is immunosenescence. Hence, it’s a fancy way of saying that the process of aging affects your ability to fight off infections.
Subsequently, a lowered muscle mass means your body loses some of its ability to mount a response to the viruses and bacteria that get you sick. Besides, research shows that poor grip strength is an indication of a weaker immune system, which can leave you more vulnerable to getting sick.
Above all, “Good grip strength is associated with immune system benefits,” Dr. Hashmi notes. And “a weaker grip strength can be a sign that you’re more prone to infectious diseases, like COVID-19, RSV or the flu.” Also, people who have a weaker grip strength are more likely to have more serious symptoms and complications from those illnesses. So then, they’re at higher risk for hospitalization, too.
Chronic disease risk
Wrist and Forearm Exercises. Dr. Hashmi says weak grip strength can also serve as a warning sign of a higher risk for chronic diseases. But that’s in part because a lowered muscle mass makes it harder to exercise, leading to a sedentary lifestyle and a higher risk for frailty. Therefore, that raises your risk of chronic conditions like:
Obesity or underweight.
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
Heart disease and heart failure.
Mental health
Wrist and Forearm Exercises. Generally, the repercussions of decreased grip strength can be seen across your body. And they affect your mental state as well. Here, it makes sense: Weak grip strength is an indication of reduced muscle strength across your body. Subsequently, that leads to reduced mobility. And reduced mobility can lead to loneliness.
“We know that physical limitations can have a really negative impact on your mental health,” Dr. Hashmi says. “If you can’t go out and spend time with your friends and family, you can’t get out and do things that make you happy, you become more isolated. And isolation has a negative effect on your cognitive (brain) and emotional health.”
Researchers have connected weak grip strength to conditions like:
Problem sleeping.
Cognitive impairment (like confusion, memory trouble and slower processing).
Depression. Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
Longevity
Wrist and Forearm Exercises. When you add it all up, your grip strength is essentially an indication of your overall health and longevity. In a way, your grip strength can almost predict your future health.
“I don’t think it’s too extreme to say that grip strength can be a predictor of life expectancy,” Dr. Hashmi states. “Lowered grip strength is a sign of frailty and associated with a high risk for dangerous complications. As those conditions and hospitalizations rack up, it takes its toll.”
The opposite is (encouragingly) also true. People with a strong grip strength are more able to stay active well into their older years. And there are some easy exercises that can help you maintain, and even improve, your grip strength.
1. Wrist Range of Motion/Warm Up
Wrist Supination and Pronation are a great way to help stretch out your wrist and increase range of motion and doubles as a warm up.
HOW TO DO IT:
- bend the arm to 90 degrees, keeping the elbow close to the ribs
- hold your hand out palm facing up, this is in supination position
- turn your hand to the palm down position, this is pronation position
- hold each position for a count of five and repeat 10 times
2. Ulnar Deviation/Radial Deviation
HOW TO DO IT:
Use your rolled-up towel or washcloth to support your wrist on the edge of a table.
1. Hold your hand out straight, palm facing toward the side with your thumb toward the ceiling.
2. Bend gently at the wrist up and down, kind of like you’re waving. Your thumb will move straight up toward the ceiling, and then your pinkie finger will move straight down toward the floor.
3. Hold a few seconds as you move up and down, and repeat the stretch several times on each side.
Bending your wrist toward the pinkie finger is called ulnar flexion (or ulnar deviation), and bending the wrist toward the thumb is called radial flexion (or radial deviation).
3. Tennis Ball or Grippers
A tennis ball or grippers are an easy way to improve your wrist and forearm strength, that makes your grip stronger.
HOW TO DO IT:
- using a tennis ball squeeze the ball 10 or more times,
- change hands and repeat often
- If using grippers do the same often
4. Wrist Extention Exercise
HOW TO DO IT:
If you have a resistance band, use it to do this exercises to further strengthen your wrists and forarm. You’ll have to adjust your positioning slightly to use the band. To perform the wrist extension exercise,
1. sit and place your forearm on your leg with your wrist out beyond your knee.
2.Hold the resistance band with your palm facing down, and put the other end of the band under your foot, keeping the band taut.
3. Gently raise your wrist upward as you count slowly to five.
4. Then lower your wrist slowly as you count to five.
5. Repeat several times, and switch arms.
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In Conclusion
These Wrist and Forearm Exercises will build a stronger grip, because grip strength is an indicator of total body strength. Having a strong grip will help you stay healthy fight off diseases and live longer, also it can be a great help in fall prevention.
Important Note *
Remember that everyone is different, it is ultimately YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to find what your body responds to. So please do your due diligence before trying anything new, including getting Medical Advice to ensure your safety and peace of mind.
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