Video 8 - Muscular Fitness – Handgrip strength
‘All information contained in these videos is taken from the ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 10th Edition’
Muscular strength refers to the muscle’s ability to exert maximal force on one occasion and can be tested statically or dynamically. Although there are many different tests for muscular strength, with the standard means of measuring dynamic strength being the 1 repetition maximum test (1RM), a simple and effective test of isometric strength is handgrip strength using a handgrip dynamometer. Measures of handgrip strength have predicted mortality and functional status in older individuals.
Protocol
- Adjust the grip bar so the second joint of the fingers fits snugly under the handle and takes the weight of the instrument. Set the dynamometer to zero.
- The subject holds the handgrip dynamometer in line with the forearm at the level of the thigh, away from the body.
- The subject squeezes the handgrip dynamometer as hard as possible without holding the breath. Neither the hand nor the handgrip dynamometer should touch the body or any other object.
- Repeat the test twice with each hand. The score is the highest of the two readings (to the nearest kilogram) for each hand, added together.
Interpretation
The total score can be compared to normative data by using table 4.8 (P97)