Your real fitness age isn't what you think — and this simple 2-minute dead hang test proves it. Most men can't pass it, and the number you get says more about how well your body is actually aging than most tests your doctor runs.

I'm 42. I've been training grip strength specifically for about two months. In this video I test myself two ways — a dead hang against Peter Attia's 2-minute target from his book Outlive, and a hand dynamometer test against the peer-reviewed Dodds 2014 grip strength standards. Both results surprised me.

Here's what you'll learn:
Why grip strength predicts your real fitness age better than most metrics
The exact dead hang time you should hit at 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s
Peter Attia's Outlive standard for men and women (and where it comes from)
The peer-reviewed Dodds 2014 grip strength norms in kilograms by decade
How to test yourself with a dynamometer and interpret your number
What causes hand asymmetry and how to fix it
Why some 25-year-olds fail this test and some 65-year-olds pass it
The exact daily training protocol to add 20-30 seconds to your hang in 30 days

The Lancet PURE study followed 140,000 people across 17 countries and found that grip strength was a better predictor of overall health than blood pressure or cholesterol. Yet doctors rarely check it. This video shows you how to check it yourself — with two tests you can do at home.

Drop your dead hang time, dynamometer number, and age in the comments. I'll retest myself in 30 days and post the new numbers, whether they're better or worse.

Sources:
Leong et al., The Lancet, 2015 (PURE Study on Grip Strength & Mortality)
Dodds et al., PLOS ONE, 2014 (Grip Strength Norms Across the Life Course)
Peter Attia, MD — Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity (2023)

Chapters:
0:00 The test that predicts how well you're aging
1:30 - Why grip strength matters more than blood pressure
2:15 - How long should you hang for
3:00 - Peter Attia's dead hang standards by age
5:30 - Dodds 2014 grip strength data (Dynamometer)
6:40 - My dynamometer test — right hand
6:55 - My dynamometer test — left hand
7:00 - What my numbers actually mean
8:45 - The upside
10:10 - How to improve both in 30 days

Timestamps are approximate and will need to be adjusted after final edit.

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#deadhang #gripstrength #fitnessage #peterattia #longevity #fitnesstest #healthyaging #outlive #huberman #mensfitness #fitnessover40 #dansprotocol

Attributions:

Använda dynamometer by ujohansson1 - CC-BY - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Half rack resistance exercise workout by FitnessScape - CC-BY - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Hanging crunches - exercise demonstration video by FitnessScape - CC-BY - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
How to do a T-Bar Row in strength training workouts by FitnessScape - CC-BY - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Left Hand NFB by Tibor Auer - CC-BY-SA - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Modified-forelimb-grip-strength-test-detects-aging-associated-physiological-decline-in-skeletal-srep42323-s2 by Takeshita H, Yamamoto K, Nozato S, Inagaki T, Tsuchimochi H, Shirai M, Yamamoto R, Imaizumi Y, Hongyo K, Yokoyama S, Takeda M, Oguro R, Takami Y, Itoh N, Takeya Y, Sugimoto K, Fukada S, Rakugi H - CC-BY - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Pole Climbing for Grip Strength by zuluman2 - CC-BY - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Pull-ups - exercise demonstration video by FitnessScape - CC-BY - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Rajiotaiso2013park by Nesnad - CC-BY-SA - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Video of a complete use session with a gyroscopic exercise tool by Pittigrilli - CC-BY-SA - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...