This post is the third installment of the four tests described in The New York Times article, “Are You Aging Well? Try These Simple Tests to Find Out.” Here’s the third test:
Grip strength test
Doctors use a gadget called a dynamometer to test grip strength.
Assuming you don’t have a dynamometer, you can test yourself at home by walking
for 60 seconds while holding heavy weights, such as dumbbells in each hand. A
45-year-old-man should aim to carry two 60-pound dumbbells, a 65-year-old two 40-pound
dumbbells, and an 85-year-old two 25-pounders. For a woman at those ages the
weights are 40 pounds, 25 pounds and 15 pounds in each hand.
Walking with weights in each hand is called a “farmer's carry.”
Assuming you also don’t have dumbbells of appropriate weight, I got to thinking
about what a farmer might carry and came up with the idea of filling two
buckets with as much water required to get the amount of weight you want, weighing
them on a bathroom scale. Or maybe just fill two totes with appropriately heavy
items.
Luckily, I don’t have to do that, although I might try it.
As I wrote in an earlier post, I had my grip strength measured a
year or so ago by a doctor using a dynamometer. My reading was 50, which
I discovered was rated between normal and strong for my age group.
Like the other tests, grip strength is related to mortality,
serving as an indicator for how active you are in your daily life. As one
physical therapist noted, “When you’re using your hands more, it’s probably because
you’re doing things more.”
I wonder what I might have kicking around the house that
weighs 15 pounds, the proper weight for my sex and age.
For an introduction to this blog, see I Just Say No; for a list of blog topics, click the Topics tab.
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