If You Want to Give Your Overall Health and Performance a Boost, Work on Grip Strength

For better performance on the bike, you can incorporate cross-training activities like yoga Y plyometrics, but what about your grip? TO new study in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that including that element in your training mix may not only be beneficial to your rides, but may even extend your life.

The researchers looked at just over 5,000 women who were part of a larger research effort, the Long Life Study, and followed them for an average of five years to determine the effects of weight loss, weight gain, and other health indicators, such as grip strength, smoking, cardiovascular disease, Y diabetes—About his life expectancy.

They also determined functional status through a test, called the Brief Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), which includes measures such as gait speed and Balance.

They found that higher grip strength and SPPB scores were associated with a lower mortality risk, regardless of any weight change within those five years. They also noted that weight loss was associated with a 66 percent higher risk of early mortality, while weight gain did not increase that chance.

The researchers said the findings suggest there should be less emphasis on weight loss in older adults, especially women, and more effort to improve mobility and muscular strength.

This isn’t the first time grip strength has been highlighted as an important biomarker for healthy aging, and that goes for both men and women. For example, Analysis of the 2019 research in Clinical interventions in aging noted that how well you hold goes far beyond the strength of your hand. It can also be an indicator of upper extremity function, mobility, cognitionand risk of falls. For example, the analysis noted, significantly lower than normal grip strength has been associated with physical limitations, including a decreased ability to walk for at least six minutes.

The connection exists because a strong grip is related to a certain level of muscle strength, according to Tiago da Silva Alejandro, Ph.D., professor at the Department of Gerontology at the University of Sao Carlos in Brazil, co-author another recent study in hand grip strength that showed an association with mobility.

“When it comes to maintaining exercise performance as you age, prevention may be key,” he said. Bicycling. “Strength is part of that, and it’s easier to maintain strength than to develop it when you already have mobility loss.”

Strength training in general, where you build muscle mass throughout your body, can often lead to a stronger grip even if you don’t work on that grip specifically, Alexandre said. However, since having a good grip can be helpful in holding the bike handlebar mustache and riding over rocks and roots in mountain bike trails, making forearm exercises It can be useful

These exercises can prevent hand fatigue, increase overall strength, and give you better ability in the three different types of grip: crush, support, and pinch.

Exercises like a farmer’s carry, 90-degree kettlebell hold, ball squeeze, and dead drop can build strength in all three grip types. Not only will you see potential gains in your ride performance, but you’ll also see better mobility off the bike.

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