Strongman athlete mid farmer's walk, gripping the handles of two loaded carry frames on grass.

Grip Strength Explained: Crush, Pinch, and Support

By Finn Mako

Last updated: October 23, 2026

Short answer: Grip strength explained in one line: it is the force your hands and forearms make to hold or squeeze something. Coaches split it into three types. Crush grip squeezes toward the palm, pinch grip presses fingers against the thumb, and support grip holds a load for time. Each one shows up differently in training.

A climber hanging off a sloper, a strongman walking with two loaded frames, and a pitcher squeezing a baseball are all using grip. They are not using the same grip. That is why someone can crush a hand gripper and still drop a heavy deadlift, or hang for a long time and still struggle to pinch two plates together. Here is how the three types differ and what the research says.

What muscles create grip strength?

Gripping force comes from the flexor muscles of the hand and forearm. The forearm extensors have a different job: they stabilize the wrist so the flexors can work. An NSCA Coach article on grip training makes this point and recommends training both, the flexors for force and the extensors for wrist endurance and stability under load.

What are crush, pinch, and support grip?

The NSCA article describes three main grip holds. Here they are with gym examples:

  • Crush grip (finger to palm). You close the fingers toward the palm. Think of a hand gripper, a firm handshake, or squeezing a ball.
  • Pinch grip (finger to thumb). The thumb works against the fingers and the palm stays out of it. Think of plate pinches or holding a climbing pinch.
  • Support grip (holding for time or distance). You hang on to a load that wants to leave your hands. Think of farmer's carries, dead hangs, heavy rows, and the top of a deadlift.

The same article notes that pinching puts more stress on the forearm tendons than a crushing position. It also lists baseball pitchers and rock climbers among the athletes who may need finely tuned pinch and finger strength.

How is grip strength measured?

Crush grip is the one most often tested. A 2011 review in Age and Ageing found that the Jamar hand dynamometer is the most widely used tool, with established reliability. The same review found wide variation in how studies use it, including hand position, number of attempts, and whether they report the best or the average score. So two grip numbers from different tests are not always comparable.

Pinch grip uses a separate pinch gauge. A classic 1985 normative study in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation tested 638 adults on four hand strength tests: grip with a dynamometer, plus tip, key, and palmar pinch with a pinch gauge. The highest grip scores came in the 25 to 39 age groups. Pinch scores stayed fairly stable from 20 to 59 and declined gradually after that.

Support grip has no single standard lab test. In the gym it shows up as how long you hang or how far you carry.

Does wrist position change grip strength?

Yes, and by a lot. A 1992 study in the Journal of Hand Surgery let people grip at a self-selected wrist angle, then had them shift away from it. The self-selected position averaged about 35 degrees of extension (wrist slightly cocked back) and 7 degrees of ulnar deviation (tilted toward the pinky). Grip was significantly weaker in any position away from that. With the wrist at only 15 degrees of extension, grip dropped to roughly two thirds to three quarters of normal. The authors found at least 25 degrees of wrist extension was needed for the best grip.

For lifters, the takeaway is simple: a wrist that folds or bends far from its natural grip angle leaves force on the table.

Do thick bars make lifts harder?

For pulling, clearly. In a 2007 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research study, 11 resistance-trained men tested their 1RM on six lifts with a standard Olympic bar, a 2 inch bar, and a 3 inch bar.

  • Deadlift: about 28 percent lower on the 2 inch bar and about 55 percent lower on the 3 inch bar.
  • Bent-over row: about 9 percent and about 37 percent lower.
  • Bench press and shoulder press: no difference between bars.

The drops tracked with hand size and maximal grip strength. In other words, when the bar gets fat, grip becomes the limit on pulls, not the back or legs.

Does grip matter for climbers?

It matters, but body mass and endurance matter too. A 2006 Sports Medicine review of rock climbing physiology found little difference in absolute hand strength between climbers and the general population. Relative to body mass, top-level climbers scored significantly higher. Climbers also lasted longer than sedentary people on repeated isometric contractions, but not on one sustained squeeze to exhaustion. That points to repeated support-style holds as the climbing skill.

A 2023 systematic review in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found sport climbers had higher finger strength in a half-crimp grip, higher finger strength relative to body mass, and higher handgrip strength than non-climbers. The top-level climbers also had higher half-crimp finger strength than advanced climbers.

FAQ

What are the three types of grip strength? Crush grip squeezes an object between the fingers and palm. Pinch grip presses the fingers against the thumb. Support grip holds a load for time or distance, like a farmer's carry or a dead hang.

Is a hand dynamometer score the same as deadlift grip? No. A dynamometer measures a short maximal squeeze, which is crush grip. Holding a heavy bar for a full set leans on support grip, so the two numbers can tell different stories.

Do thick bars make lifts harder? For pulling lifts, yes. In a 2007 study of trained men, deadlift 1RM dropped about 28 percent on a 2 inch bar and about 55 percent on a 3 inch bar, while bench press and shoulder press did not change.

Is grip strength linked to health? In the large PURE study, lower grip strength was associated with higher risk of death over about four years of follow up. That is an association, not proof that grip training changes health. Ask a doctor about your own health.

Curious how much support grip a record pull takes? Our heaviest deadlift ever breakdown covers the straps versus raw rules.

Sources

Cover photo: "Farmer's walk" by stu_spivack, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped.

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