If you think you could beat your dad in arm wrestling when he was your age, think again! Researchers have found that men today are much weaker than they were 30 years ago. In fact, grip strength in men aged 20-34 is up to 30% lower today than it was before.
Grip strength may not seem important unless your a professional arm wrestler, but studies have shown that grip strength was indicative of overall strength, including strength in the bench press and leg press. Furthermore, lower grip strength has been associated with a higher incidence of heart disease and stroke.
Comments from Dr. Thomas: So why are men so much weaker today? There are two reasons in my opinion: First of all, men today are less likely to be employed in physically-demanding, manual-labor jobs, such as manufacturing and agriculture. Secondly, men today have lower testosterone than previous generations of men. In fact, 25% of the men that I see (including men in their 20’s) have dangerously-low testosterone levels of less than 300 ng/dL. An optimal level of testosterone is 700-1100 ng/dL.
