Grip Strength Is One Of The Most Interesting Facets Of Strength Because It Can Stay Strong And Get Better As You Age
Oddly enough, grip strength is one of these incredibly interesting and mysterious measures of strength prowess. While grip strength tends to decline in older individuals, the absolute oldest age demographic can show some surprising increases in grip strength that actually surpass their younger counterparts!
If you want to read some far-out literature on grip strength, you will want to keep going. Especially because we will relate this back to show how a 70-year-old man can get stronger and better at armwrestling.
The Odd Case Of Odd Haugen
At 6’4″ and age 74, Odd Haugen resides in Hawaii and is hailed as having one of the strongest grips in the world. This Norweigan-born American sports some serious rock climbing-esuqe strength.
At his age, his grip strength is considered impossible by some. But one Google search and YouTube video later, it is apparent that his grip is gladiatorial in strength. To this day, Odd Haugen baffles powerlifters and strongmen alike with his feats of strength. He routinely beats mean half or a third of his age on viral YouTube videos demonstrating his outrageous grip strength. Go for a watch, you won’t regret it!
Grip Strength And Health In Older Individuals
Another really interesting tidbit: Grip strength is an indicator of longevity, wellness, body conditioning, and slower aging for older individuals. Ardeshir Hashmi, MD has said that individuals with better grip strength age more slowly, as this dimension of health is correlated with better overall bodily functioning.
Conversely, a weak grip strength can correlate with faster aging and faster metabolic decline. Keeping solid grip strength keeps you feeling younger, because science says so!
The Theories Behind Old Man Strength
From a lore perspective, some of the greatest armwrestlers of all time are older men. Devon Larratt has outrageous grip strength and is one of the best armwrestlers in the world.
Larratt is 49 years old. While pushing 50, he is easily in his prime armwrestling shape and still one of the all-time GOATs.
So what are the theories?
Time To Develop Tendons
The sinews, tendons, and connective tissues in your fingers develop a lot of grip strength. Tendons are different from muscles; they can get stronger, but it takes time, patience, training, and practice. Old men who have spent a lifetime carrying haybales or hammering concrete have had a life and career of gripping things for literal decades.
Hormones
What have old people had more of in life? Stress. Some evidence shows that cortisol and adrenaline play a role in stimulating the motor-neuromuscular pathways of our younger strength. Perhaps older individuals are more adept at activating their hands through some sort of adrenal response. Please note: this is just a fun hypothesis; no one knows for sure!
Full Circle: So How Can A 70-Year-Old Get Better At Armwrestling?
Truthfully, if your Grandpa has been a farmer for decades or a manual laborer his entire life, he can probably still be awesome at armwrestling. He can probably hammer curl a tomahawk missile. As we all know, hand strength is integral to armwrestling, so if he has solid grip strength, he has an advantage over the competition.
At 69 years old, 5’10”, and 165lbs, Allen Fisher makes his mark as one of the oldest armwrestlers ever, and he is still getting stronger. If he can still armwrestle like a champion, your 70-year-old grandfather can smoke people at Venice Beach, too!