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 Fitness & exercise Fitness testing Handgrip strength test
Hand grip strength test
There are a varietry of techniques to assess muscular strength and endurance. One of the most convenient ways is to use a grip dynamometer (see below) test of hand grip strength.
Performing the hand grip strength test
In order to record a valid hand grip strength test score performers should follow the instructions below.
- Stand up.
- Hold the grip dynamometer in one hand with your arm rest next to your thigh.
- Grip the dynamometer between fingers and palm at teh base of the thumb.
- Hold firmly and begin to squeeze as much as possible - you should be aiming for maximal force.
- As you squeeze begin, with a straight arm, to raise the dynamometer out in front of the body until the dynamometer is held at shoulder height.
- Repeat twice with both hands and record the best score from each hand.
Assessing your hand grip strength
Below is the hand grip strength test classification table. Use your score to assess your own performance.
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Rating*
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Males (kg) |
Females (kg) |
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excellent
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> 64
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> 38
|
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very good
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56-64
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34-38
|
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above average
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52-56
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30-34
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average
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48-52
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26-30
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below average
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44-48
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22-26
|
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poor
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40-44
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20-22
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very poor
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< 40
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< 20
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Hand grip strength test validity
It has been argued that hand grip strength doesn't nessecerily represent a person's overall strength, but merely, with no surprise, their grip strength.
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