Handgrip Strength Associated With Leg Strength, Power, and Muscle Mass in 18–64-Year-Old Males and Females

Abstract McBride, JM, Bauer, EC, Kaufmann, NC, Triplett, NT, and Shanely, RA. Handgrip strength associated with leg strength, power, and muscle mass in 18–64-year-old males and females. J Strength Cond Res 39(6): 642–648, 2025—The purpose of this investigation was to determine the association between handgrip strength (HGS) and measures of leg strength, power, and muscle mass. Twenty-one men (age = 32.9 ± 11.4 years, height = 175.7 ± 8.3 cm, body mass = 83.6 ± 14.4 kg, body fat = 22.6 ± 6.2%) and 24 women (age = 35.5 ± 14.0 years, height = 164.6 ± 6.8 cm, body mass = 65.2 ± 8.6 kg, body fat = 30.0 ± 5.7%) performed a HGS test, a squat and leg press 1 repetition maximum (1RM), a countermovement jump (CMJ) on a force plate, and a dominant leg peripheral quantitative computed tomography thigh scan to calculate muscle cross-section area (CSA). Lean body mass was determined through dual x-ray absorptiometry. Jump height and impulse were calculated from force time curves from the CMJ as a representation of leg muscular power. Strong statistically significant correlations were found between HGS and squat 1RM ( r = 0.80, p ≤ 0.0001), leg press 1RM ( r = 0.79, p ≤ 0.0001), CMJ height ( r = 0.78, p ≤ 0.0001), CMJ impulse ( r = 0.84, p ≤ 0.0001), and thigh muscle CSA ( r = 0.75, p ≤ 0.0001 and lean body mass ( r = 0.79, p ≤ 0.0001). This study indicates that HGS could be used as a preliminary screening tool for determination of leg strength, power, and muscle mass. These variables have been determined to be components to overall fitness that increase quality of life and overall health. Thus, health care providers may be able to use this simple test as an early indication of possible risk factors for poor health and well-being.