Grip Meter App for Hand Strength Tracking

[MyetaM]

Hi Everyone,

I bought a hand grip dynamometer about a year ago. I got interested in precisely measuring grip strength with a dynamometer to better understand my progress / recovery and how other factors (general health, sleep quality, training interval, time of day, etc.*) affect my grip strength.

Getting good insights from a hand dynamometer requires keeping track of your grip measurements in a spreadsheet and building some analytics / dashboard around that.

For now, I've managed to make an iOS app that gives you some decent analytics and importantly makes it quick and easy to input dynamometer measurements.

Here's the link to the Grip Meter app (it's free and quick to install **):
- https://apps.apple.com/app/grip-meter/id1671234283

If you have a dynamometer that's just collecting dust most of the time, or you are not really logging the values anywhere, then with the Grip Meter app you would:
1. Get some useful insights from your grip measurements.
2. You will start to build a history of your progress over time.
3. You would actually be putting your dynamometer to good use.

I'm curious to get feedback from the community here. For example:
- Do you have and/or how ofter do you use a dynamometer?
- Have you been keeping track of your strength on a hand dynamometer as you have been training your grip strength?
- Would you like to test using it but you have an Android phone?
- Any questions or suggestions you might have about the app.

* There have been and continue to be lots of studies that show at least a correlation between grip strength and other important health measures (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6778477/)

** I do not have any plans to make it payable but if that changes, all of the early users would get free lifetime access to the entire app. The app also currently takes up less than 20MB so installing it should be a breeze.

^ The screenshot shows the measurements in kg (metric), though lbs (U.S. units) are of course also supported and are the default if you are in the U.S. In any case you can switch between the measurement system easily in the Profile screen available in the Stats tab.

Edited March 19, 2023 by MyetaM
Clarification

[Vinnie]

Wow.  This sounds awesome.  I will probably check this out.  I imagine some members may be worried about cyber-security (at least that occurred to me).  I'm certainly not suspicious of you in particular, and I don't mean to suggest there is any danger at all.  I'm just not all that tech-savvy.  But I am pretty sure that to get it onto the app store, it was probably checked over for virus/similar issues before app store accepted it, so I am pretty likely not going to worry.  

[MyetaM]

2 hours ago, Vinnie said:

Wow.  This sounds awesome.  I will probably check this out.  I imagine some members may be worried about cyber-security (at least that occurred to me).  I'm certainly not suspicious of you in particular, and I don't mean to suggest there is any danger at all.  I'm just not all that tech-savvy.  But I am pretty sure that to get it onto the app store, it was probably checked over for virus/similar issues before app store accepted it, so I am pretty likely not going to worry.  

Hi Vinnie,

yes, you're right regarding the security concerns on the Apple App Store. Apps are tested for safety and in general the apps on the App Store are sandboxed well so that you can not access information from other parts of the phone unless you specifically ask for the permission and the user grants it. Additionally, Apple now requires that apps allow users to delete their account and all their information. In Grip Meter you can do that through Stats tab -> Profile screen (top right icon) -> Account Actions -> Tap on Delete Account and confirm deletion.

Android apps, however, have at least historically had a worse reputation security wise but similarly Google is doing a better job scanning those apps as well.

Additional scrutiny should be paid if it is a security/banking/financial/crypto app or an app that will store sensitive medical information. These apps may not themselves be malicious but hackers will also target the companies that build these apps. I've been using LastPass and I still need to update some of my passwords because they got hacked (https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/28/23618353/lastpass-security-breach-disclosure-password-vault-encryption-update), though I use 2FA for the more important apps so that this is not a major issue.

Based on that I would generally recommend that for the Grip Meter app, you use either Sign in with Google, or Sign in with Apple. If you use a 3rd party app to save and store your passwords, these have proven to be less safe than your Apple or Google accounts (assuming you have 2FA enabled for your Google and Apple accounts).

Also, the app does not use any ad-tracking technology and no user info is being shared with any 3rd party for ad tracking or ad targeting.

Edited March 20, 2023 by MyetaM
grammar fix

[Vinnie]

15 hours ago, MyetaM said:

I'm curious to get feedback from the community here. For example:
- Do you have and/or how ofter do you use a dynamometer?
- Have you been keeping track of your strength on a hand dynamometer as you have been training your grip strength?
- Would you like to test using it but you have an Android phone?
- Any questions or suggestions you might have about the app.

I have a GM150 digital dyno that I bought from Grippermania a couple years ago (not sure how that purchase process works or doesn't work now, with the war).  I don't like it as much as the baseline, but it was much cheaper.  I use it sometimes but not with any real purpose.  I have tested my max on it from time to time.  I've noticed that on different dynos, I get different maxes.  And yes, at my strongest times, I have had higher dyno readings.  This makes sense of course.

I will most likely try this app when I have time.  It looks interesting.  Thanks for your work.

[Nuttgens]

3 hours ago, Vinnie said:

I have a GM150 digital dyno that I bought from Grippermania a couple years ago (not sure how that purchase process works or doesn't work now, with the war).  I don't like it as much as the baseline, but it was much cheaper.  I use it sometimes but not with any real purpose.  I have tested my max on it from time to time.  I've noticed that on different dynos, I get different maxes.  And yes, at my strongest times, I have had higher dyno readings.  This makes sense of course.

I will most likely try this app when I have time.  It looks interesting.  Thanks for your work.

What is your best dyno number and best gripper close?

[Vinnie]

30 minutes ago, Nuttgens said:

What is your best dyno number and best gripper close?

Best gripper close: MMS = 165, CCS = 153, TNS = 135

Best Dyno readings: RH Baseline = 242 at gripmas 2020, LH around 200; GM150 RH = 209, LH 201

There are days I can't hit 200, those are just my bests.  But definitely 30-50% more for dyno reading than RGC gripper seems about par for the course.

[Nuttgens]

17 minutes ago, Vinnie said:

Best gripper close: MMS = 165, CCS = 153, TNS = 135

Best Dyno readings: RH Baseline = 242 at gripmas 2020, LH around 200; GM150 RH = 209, LH 201

There are days I can't hit 200, those are just my bests.  But definitely 30-50% more for dyno reading than RGC gripper seems about par for the course.

Thanks, I am probably right around the same for grippers never squeezed a dyno but I’ll be trying it in a few weeks at my first grip comp.

[Vinnie]

Awesome, good luck at the comp!

[MyetaM]

Hey,

following up with the fact that I've also made the Android version of the Grip Meter app that helps people keep track of their grip strength dynamometer measurements:

- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dexdia.gripmeter

 

You can also use the demographic grip calculator on the website without downloading the app:

- https://www.dexdia.com/grip-calculator

The calculator and the apps are based on grip strength norms from a 2016 study and you can also see the full table of the strength norms here:

- https://www.dexdia.com/grip-strength-norms (you can also filter and sort the norms by gender, age and height)

The Android app still needs some work to catch up with the iOS app but any feedback or ideas for improvement are always welcome