Peter Attia: "An indicator of good health is being able to carry half your weight in each hand and walk for 1 minute."
In the quest for longevity, it's not just about living longer. After all, Spain is the European Union country with the highest life expectancy , at 84 years, according to a Eurostat report with data from 2023. The key is to live longer in the best possible way, doing so with health, energy, joy, and desire, and to do so, it's necessary to do our part (and also have a bit of luck, why not say it). There are times when we can't avoid certain diseases, but there are also some age-related problems whose risk we can reduce if we change some of our lifestyle habits.
Diet is one of the fundamental pillars and one that is usually most emphasized. Another basic factor worth considering is physical exercise. These aren't the only ones; other factors such as rest and social life also influence this, as well as mental health. But for Peter Attia, a longevity expert , these are key and can also be a reference. As we age, we lose muscle mass, which increases the risk of falls and injuries, which is why it's so important to stay active throughout our lives. To know if you're doing it right, according to this expert, there are two exercises you should be able to do .
Grip strength, a key indicator for Peter Attia
Grip strength is an essential health indicator for experts, who can get a general idea of muscular endurance, power, upper extremity bone health , as well as overall strength by performing a few simple tests. Some studies have linked a stronger grip with a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. This doesn't mean we have to train our hands all day long; it's actually an indicator of what we do with the rest of our muscles. In other words, if we stay in good shape, this will be reflected in our grip .
For Peter Attia, good form is also synonymous with longevity, and to know if you're in good shape, there are two exercises you need to master that are related to grip strength. The first is being able to hang from a bar . As the expert explained in his podcast, The Peter Attia Drive, a man between 40 and 50 years old should be able to hang for two minutes, 90 seconds for women. "It's a great indicator of upper body strength and correlates very well with the ability to connect your hands through your elbows to the shoulder and scapula," Attia explains.
“Another important indicator in that age range is the ability to carry half of your body weight in each hand and walk for one minute,” she continued, which would be equivalent to carrying your entire weight for that minute. For women, the benchmark is to carry three-quarters of their total weight, distributed between both hands, 75% instead of 100%.
“When people see how strong the correlation is between grip strength and health, they're amazed—and by the way, it's huge. If we compare people with higher grip strength to people with lower grip strength, those with stronger grip strength are 70% less likely to develop and die from dementia.”
ReferencesTrosclair, D., Bellar, D., Judge, L.W., Smith, J., Mazerat, N., & Brignac, A. (2011). Hand-Grip Strength as a Predictor of Muscular Strength and Endurance. The Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research , 25, S99. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.jsc.0000395736.42557.bc
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