Posted on 08/10/2016 6:24:50 PM PDT by SamAdams76
Think you’d beat your dad in an arm wrestling competition when he was your age? Bad news: he’d probably kick your ass.
Men today are weaker than they were 30 years ago, research in the Journal of Hand Therapy found.
In the study, men aged 20-34 have lower grip and pinch strength – which measures how strong your hand and upper extremities are – than the same aged guys did three decades ago.
In fact, the average grip strength for men ages 25-29 is nearly 12 kilograms lower today than it was before.
Your grip may not seem super important unless you’re a competitive arm wrestler, but it actually serves as a good proxy of your overall strength.
In fact, a 2011 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that grip strength was predictive of strength in push-ups, leg extensions and leg press.
What’s more, research in previous generations has linked lower grip strength to a variety of serious health problems including arthritis, heart disease, stroke and neurological conditions, says Fain.
It’s not clear whether grip strength actually makes people healthier, or if healthier people are just stronger.
So why are men today so much weaker?
They are less likely to be employed in manual labor jobs, such as in the manufacturing and agricultural fields, than they used to be, says study author Dr Elizabeth Fain, an assistant professor of occupational therapy at Winston-Salem State University in the US.
Working on an assembly line, for instance, requires repetitive tasks handling weighted objects, which can strengthen your hands, she says.
That day-in, day-out grind likely plays more of a role increasing grip strength than weight training – which may only be a few times a week – would do.
It’s also more helpful than the repetitive hand motions we’re more likely to do today, like texting or typing, which tend to activate smaller muscle groups, she says.
Your move, then, is to work on your own grip.
If you’re not working with your hands, you need to make training grip more of a priority.
It’s also more helpful than the repetitive hand motions we’re more likely to do today...
No comment.
I think just about everyone is weaker than they used to be. Housecleaning and laundry were major manual labor in my grandparents’ generation.
Well, wearing dresses and stiletto high heals all the time does that to a guy.
I’d agree I will be 74 in Jan am weaker then 44, I know, I know out of context.
Well, 30 years ago I was 17 and I’m pretty sure I could have kicked my current butt, so I’m inclined to agree with the article.
I think athletes and those who work out regularly are very strong now but the WWII generation was tougher and the average guy stronger.
I have five inches of height on my Dad. I couldn’t take him if we both were the same age at any decade. He once put lopping shears through his hand while falling twelve feet out of a tree and drove him self to the hospital and mowed the yard on his return. He was 75 at the time.
I have a picture of my great-grandparents where you can see their hands - huge. Wife’s hands as large as the husband’s. Must’ve been the scrub board work for her!
In most organized sports for the last thirty years, white kids sit on the bench after age 12. The majority male population doesn’t get to play.
I knew I was weaker than I was 30 years ago.
I can still crack walnuts with my hands. And I’m pushing 50.
My nephews? Not a chance.
At least one is a snowflake to boot. Ugh.
Yup.
When I was 33 I was stronger than I am today at 63.
When I started my work career, in the early sixties, there was repetitive motion factory work EVERYWHERE.
I got interested in and stayed with extruded plastic for about three years ... loved it.
Just enough physical to keep me skinny and buff and the money was a little better than a lumper.
Those factories are a dream many of us are hoping Trump will bring back.
Jobs are almost entirely less physically taxing than they were. 32 years ago I was still a day’s pay miner. Those few underground mining jobs have more equipment operating than was imagined possible. That is progress but it has its cost. Plus, what % of the workforce are steelworkers today, for instance.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.