Good grip strength for women: the numbers, and why it matters for lifting, carries and Hyrox

What counts as good grip strength for women? The best large dataset puts the typical peak at about 31 kg on a hand dynamometer, reached between the mid-twenties and early forties. That's a median, so half of women in that age range squeeze more and half squeeze less. If you lift, carry heavy things or race Hyrox, you'll probably want to be on the stronger side of it, not because a gauge says so but because grip is often the first thing to give on a heavy deadlift, a long farmers carry or a sled pull.

This post covers the numbers, why grip matters for training, how to test it without a lab, and how to build it. If you'd rather have grip work slotted into your week for you, that's a job for an app like Fitbod that also programs running.

Good grip strength for women: the numbers

The most useful normative data comes from a 2014 study that pooled about 60,800 grip measurements from 12 general-population studies in Great Britain. Women's peak median grip was 31 kg between ages 26 and 42; men's was 51 kg between ages 29 and 39. Grip rose to a peak in early adulthood, held through midlife, and declined from there (Dodds et al., 2014).

A US dataset from the NIH Toolbox project, with 1,232 people aged 18 to 85, presents reference values by age, sex and hand, and describes grip as an indicator of overall strength (Wang et al., 2018).

Three caveats before you compare yourself:

• ›These are population medians, not targets for people who train. Women who lift regularly will often be above them.
• ›You need a dynamometer to compare directly. Bathroom-scale squeezes and kitchen gadgets don't count.
• ›Body size matters. Taller and heavier people tend to grip harder. Compare yourself with yourself over time.

Grip strength is also used in research as a quick marker of general strength. In the PURE study of nearly 140,000 adults across 17 countries, lower grip strength was associated with higher all-cause mortality (Leong et al., 2015). That's an association, not proof that squeezing harder makes anyone live longer, and the authors said further research was needed to test whether improving strength changes outcomes. The training reasons below are reason enough.

Why grip matters for training

Lifting

Grip is the link between you and the weight. On deadlifts, rows and pull-ups, it often fails before the muscles you're actually trying to train. That's why grip work belongs in even a basic program, like a plan for your first month: it keeps your back and legs from being limited by your hands.

The carry is one of the five lifts beginners need for exactly this reason. Pick up something heavy, walk, put it down. It's grip training disguised as common sense.

Deadlifts

The deadlift is where most women first meet their grip limit. The bar gets heavy enough that your hands open before your hips stall. Our guide to deadlifts for beginners covers setup and grip options; the short version is to train a double overhand grip on lighter sets and use a mixed grip, hook grip or straps only on the heaviest ones. The trap bar, with handles at your sides, is easier on the grip and a good way to keep training the hinge while grip catches up; our guide to trap bar deadlift explains the setup.

Pull-ups

You can't pull on a bar you can't hold. In a small 8-week study of physically inactive young men, adding forearm training to a pull-up program produced the biggest gains in pull-up reps, and that group's right- and left-hand grip strength rose by 12% and 14.0% (Sepehri Rahnama et al., 2025). Small study, men only, but the logic carries. If your first pull-up is the goal, how to do a pull up for beginners explained starts with hangs for this reason.

Hyrox

Two of the eight Hyrox stations are grip stations. Per the 26/27 singles rulebook:

A few rulebook details that matter for grip:

• ›Chalk is only allowed at the sled pull and the farmers carry, and only event-provided chalk. Bringing your own, or using it anywhere else, earns a penalty.
• ›Gloves are allowed, grips are not. The rulebook lists gloves among permitted accessories, specifically "not grips".
• ›You can put the kettlebells down to rest on the farmers carry, as long as they don't move forward when you do.

So you'll get chalk where it matters most, but grip endurance over 200 m of carrying, late in the race, after 1 km runs and five other stations, is still on you.

How to test your grip without a lab

A dynamometer is the gold standard, and some gyms and physiotherapy clinics have one. Without it, use training tests and track them over time:

Test once every four to eight weeks, fresh, at the start of a session.

How to train grip strength

Coaching conventions, not commandments. Grip responds to the same things every other muscle does: heavy enough loads, enough hard sets, and progression.

The core four

1. ›Farmer's carries. Heavy dumbbells or kettlebells, 20 to 40 m per set, 3 to 4 sets. Add weight when the last few meters stop being a fight.
2. ›Dead hangs. 3 sets of 20 to 45 seconds, stopping before your grip fails.
3. ›Heavy holds. At the end of a deadlift session, hold the bar at the top for 10 to 20 seconds, 2 to 3 sets.
4. ›Double overhand pulling. Use a double overhand grip on rows and on deadlift warm-ups for as long as it holds. Switch grips only when you have to.

Optional extras

• ›Towel hangs or towel rows. Thicker handle, harder grip.
• ›Plate pinches. Two plates smooth side out, pinched and held.
• ›Wrist curls and reverse wrist curls. Fine as a top-up; not the priority.

With dumbbells at home, heavy dumbbell holds, one-arm rows and suitcase carries cover most of it; dumbbell workout for beginners explained has them in a full program.

Straps: friend or crutch?

Both. Straps let your back and legs train with loads your hands can't yet hold, which is a fair trade on your heaviest sets. The cost is that your grip never gets the practice. A sensible middle ground: no straps on warm-ups and lighter sets, straps on the heaviest work if grip is limiting it, and dedicated grip work at the end of the session.

Fitting grip work into a running week

Grip work doesn't touch your legs, so it's easy to place. Two or three short doses a week is plenty:

• ›After a lower-body day: heavy holds or carries after deadlifts.
• ›After an upper-body day: hangs after rows or pull-ups.
• ›On easy-run days: a few sets of hangs or carries take ten minutes.

One caution: don't smash your grip the day before a heavy deadlift session, a sled pull workout or a Hyrox simulation. Tired forearms cost you reps.

Grip, life stages and strength standards

If you're coming back to lifting after pregnancy, postpartum strength training is its own topic; check with your doctor, midwife or a pelvic health physiotherapist before loading up, carries included.

Grip is also one benchmark among several. Strength standards for lifts, like the female deadlift average, measure something different. Both are more useful for tracking your own progress than for comparing yourself with strangers.

How exrsz handles grip work

exrsz builds a periodized plan from your goal, schedule, level and equipment, so a Hyrox goal gets carries and sled-pull prep and a strength goal gets heavy pulling, all balanced with your running in one plan. It adapts each week to how you actually trained and reshuffles missed sessions.

FAQ

What is a good grip strength for women?

In a large British dataset, women's peak median grip was 31 kg, between ages 26 and 42 (Dodds et al., 2014). Women who lift regularly will often sit above that median.

What is the average grip strength for a woman by age?

Grip rises through the teens and twenties, peaks between roughly the mid-twenties and early forties, holds through midlife, and declines after that (Dodds et al., 2014). Age-specific reference values for US adults are also published (Wang et al., 2018).

How can women improve grip strength?

Heavy farmer's carries, dead hangs, heavy holds after deadlifts and double overhand pulling, two or three times a week, progressed like any other lift.

Does grip strength matter for Hyrox?

Yes. The sled pull and the 200 m farmers carry both test grip, at 78 kg and 2 x 16 kg for Women Open per the 26/27 rulebook. Chalk is provided at both stations, and gloves are allowed.

Should I use lifting straps?

On your heaviest sets, if grip is limiting your back and legs, yes. Keep warm-ups and lighter sets strap-free and add dedicated grip work so your hands keep up.