Hand-grip Strength is Correlated with Aerobic Capacity in Healthy Sedentary Young Females

Abstract

Aerobic capacity, which is the maximum limit of the rate of oxygen consumption, is an important parameter in determining health-related physical fitness. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between grip strength and aerobic capacity in healthy sedentary young females. Forty healthy, young, and sedentary females participated in the study (20.5±1.5 years). Body composition was assessed with the bioelectrical impedance method. The hand-grip strength of the individuals was measured with a hand-grip dynamometer. An indirect graded arm crank ergometer test was used to determine the peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak). It was found that the grip strength was correlated with height (r=0.51, p=0.001), fat-free mass (r=0.45, p=0.004), and VO2 peak (r=0.36, p=0.023); however, there was no correlation between grip strength and body weight, body mass index, and body fat percentage (p>0.05). VO2 peak was negatively correlated with body fat percentage (r= -0.38, p=0.016) and body mass index (r= -0.30, p=0.045). The results showed that higher muscle strength and fat-free mass are related to higher aerobic capacity. It is considered that increasing muscle strength and fat-free mass as well as decreasing body fat may be an appropriate strategy to increase cardiorespiratory fitness.

Associations between grip strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiovascular risk and mental health in forcibly displaced people from a Greek refugee camp

“…We further assumed that the relationship between grip strength and age would be curvilinear with a peak around the age of 40 years (Hypothesis 2) 2 . As strength and cardiovascular fitness reflect different fitness components 32 , we only expected weak positive associations between grip strength and VO 2 max (Hypothesis 3) 33 , 34 . Regarding the association between grip strength and the various health outcomes, we expected that higher grip strength would be associated with higher muscle mass 35 , lower fat mass 36 , lower cardiovascular risk 37 , 38 , and better mental health (Hypothesis 4) 7 , 39 .…”

Muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and exercise tolerance are impaired in left ventricular assist devices recipients: A pilot study

“…To our knowledge, the only study investigating the lower limbs’ strength performance of LVAD recipients was conducted by Kerrigan et al (2013) , who reported data only about isokinetic test of knee extension, concluding that peak torque was strongly associated with patient-reported health status. Previous research has found significant correlation between handgrip strength and VO 2 peak both in younger ( Dag et al, 2021 ; Ajepe et al, 2022 ) and older people ( Sugie et al, 2018 ); however, no such relationship is apparent between leg strength and VO 2 peak, at least in older, inactive individuals ( Matthews et al, 2020 ).…”

Usefulness of hand grip strength to estimate other physical fitness parameters in older adults

“…Among variable PF parameters, hand grip strength (HGS) has been widely used to assess muscular strength of the upper extremity 9 , 10 due to its high reliability and simplicity 11 – 13 , and is also included in the NFA 100 project 6 . Positive correlations between HGS and other lower-limb strength parameters and aerobic capacity have been shown in some studies, although they were based on small sample sizes 14 – 16 . Due to its relationship with metabolic diseases 17 – 19 , cardiopulmonary function 20 , cognitive impairment 21 , mental health 22 and sarcopenia 23 , as well as premature mortality and development of disability 18 , the role of HGS in older adults has been widely emphasized in clinical fields.…”