Canadian grip norms peak later and run lower for women than the British data
Canadian grip strength reference values by age
The finding
Grip peaks at 35–45 in men and 30–50 in women. Median grip for men is 48.4 kg at 40–44, 45.9 kg at 55–59 and 33.7 kg at 75–79.
- Authors
- Wong SL (Statistics Canada)
- Published
- Health Reports 27(10), 82-003-X · 2016
- Evidence
- Read in the primary source; numbers checked.
- Source
- www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2016010/article/14665-eng.htm
How it was studied
Canadian Health Measures Survey 2007–13: 11,108 healthy respondents aged 6–79. Smedley III dynamometer, standing, two trials per hand, maximum of either hand. Quantile regression on age, height and weight.
The numbers
Women’s medians: 28.1 kg at 30–34, 28.5 at 40–44, 27.8 at 50–54, 25.9 at 60–64, 23.0 at 70–74 and 21.1 at 75–79. These run 2–3 kg below the British centiles for women.
What it does not show
Fitted to WHO median height and weight. People with conditions affecting grip were excluded. No data above age 79.
What Longstanding does with it
The app’s numbers follow Dodds, not this survey. We show this table because it is the reason a single "normal grip" figure does not exist: two good national samples differ by a few kilograms.