Why Grip Strength Testing Matters
Stronger Foundations: Why Grip Strength Testing Matters
The start of a new year is when many people commit to improving their health—joining a gym, starting a new training program, or adopting a wellness strategy. Yet one of the most important steps is often overlooked: baseline testing.
At Core Naturopathics we believe that you can’t optimise what you don’t measure. One of the simplest, yet most powerful, tools we use as part of our baseline assessment is grip strength testing, measured via our InBody system.
Why Grip Strength Is More Than Just Hand Strength
Grip strength is now widely recognised as a global marker of health, not just muscular fitness. Research shows that grip strength correlates strongly with:
Overall muscle mass and function
Metabolic health and insulin sensitivity
Nervous system integrity
Biological ageing and longevity
Risk of chronic disease and all-cause mortality
In fact, grip strength is often described as a “vital sign”—a quick snapshot of how well the body is functioning as a whole. Low grip strength has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, frailty, loss of independence, and reduced resilience to physical stressors.
The Role of Grip Strength in a Wellness Strategy
When someone starts a new wellness or training program without testing, progress is often judged by how they feel rather than what is actually changing. Grip strength provides an objective anchor point.
At the clinic, we use grip strength testing to:
Establish a clear baseline before any intervention
Identify hidden weakness or early functional decline
Track adaptation to exercise, nutrition, recovery, and biohacking strategies
Monitor nervous system fatigue or overtraining
Support long-term strength, resilience, and longevity goals
Because grip strength responds to improvements in mitochondrial function, protein status, neuromuscular coordination, and recovery capacity, it fits perfectly within our Adaptive Medicine framework.
Baseline Testing: The Missing Link in Most Health Plans
A personalised wellness strategy should never be guesswork. Alongside grip strength, our baseline testing approach may include body composition analysis, metabolic testing, cardiovascular markers, and functional assessments.
Together, these data points allow us to:
Design strategies that are individualised, measurable, and adaptive
Reduce injury risk and burnout
Ensure that training and biohacking interventions are producing real physiological change
As the year unfolds, repeat testing allows us to refine the strategy—keeping your health plan responsive, not static.
Start the Year with Data, Not Guesswork
If this year is about building strength, energy, and long-term health, start with a foundation you can measure. Grip strength testing is quick, non-invasive, and highly informative—yet powerful enough to guide an entire wellness journey.
Test first. Adapt intelligently. Build resilience for the long term.
Key References
1. Leong, D. P. et al. (2015). Prognostic value of grip strength: findings from the PURE study. The Lancet, 386(9990), 266–273.
2. Bohannon, R. W. (2019). Grip strength: an indispensable biomarker for older adults. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 14, 1681–1691.
3. Peterson, M. D. et al. (2016). Grip strength is associated with longitudinal health outcomes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(11), 3239–3246.
4. Celis-Morales, C. A. et al. (2018). Associations of grip strength with cardiovascular, respiratory, and cancer outcomes. BMJ, 361:k1651.
5. InBody Co., Ltd. (2023). Clinical Applications of Grip Strength and Body
Composition Analysis.