DYNAMOMETER IMPROVEMENT: 19.5%, ZERO EXERCISE, 10 YEARS APART

[Hubgeezer]

About a dozen years ago, I had 8 people at my office measure their grip strength in Kilograms on my Baseline hydraulic dynamometer. One 32 year old woman’s grip was measured at 31 Kgs. Ten years later, it was measured at 37 Kgs.

She was 32 at first measure and 42 ten years later. Zero exercise. Never squeezed a gripper in her life. Never touched a barbell. What happened? How did she do that?

She had no children at Age 32. By the time she was 42, she had three children  between the ages of  5 and 10. She was for all practical purposes a single mother, because the husband was not actively involved with the raising of the children.

Here’s to all the Moms out there, weeks before 2023’s Mother’s Day!

[Gripperer]

That's interesting. The having children thing seems the obvious answer, but then it's carrying them that is the real strain, and although I wouldn't say this transfers to grip strength, maybe it does irradiate to some degree. 

I've heard that tendons stiffen with age, and that a stiffer tendon will transfer a greater proportion of energy generated by its muscle. I have heard it used to account for both "old man strength" and arm wrestlers who seem to get better with age (within reason). 

[Scottex92]

while I think age and child care might involve a greater degree of strength, I think this could be because a lot of other reasons: state of mind on the days of the measurement, physical condition on those dates, technique used on both attempts, etc...

[Hubgeezer]

I think it was 2016 that there were a number of articles that hit the mainstream press triggered by scientific studies or a study stating the obvious: That Millennial men had significantly less grip strength than the generation immediately before them. I think it was 22%. It resulted in all sorts of humorous articles, photos of Frat Boy types partying, etc.

The reason was pretty obvious, as everything in modern society reeks of a more sedentary lifestyle (computer work, less manual labor, less physical activities, etc).

I would presume that a “Single Mom” raising and hauling around three children has no chance of “leading a sedentary life”, and in the case of my co-worker, she regained the drop in strength that her male counterparts lost, by sheer necessity.

If you want to hit pay-dirt on the subject, Google “grip strength of millennial men”, and you won’t be disappointed . Maybe 10 years from now one will Google “ grip strength of single moms” and my hypothesis will be confirmed.  Remember, you read it here first..

Edited April 11, 2023 by Hubgeezer