Results guideGrip strength (InGrip)

Premium measurement · InBody InGrip

InGrip hand-grip strength: kilograms, side difference and HGS/WT

InGrip is a separate hand dynamometer. It directly measures the maximum force of a short squeeze for each hand; the result is not derived from bioimpedance or muscle mass. Within a Premium visit it is linked to InBody, so you can see a functional performance next to body structure.

Measurement principle

A separate device asking a different question from InBody

InBody estimates body composition through bioimpedance. InGrip uses an adjustable handle and a load-cell sensor that captures the highest force during a short squeeze. It therefore measures the ability of the hand and forearm to produce maximal voluntary force under this protocol.

In clinical and population settings, grip is used as a practical indicator of muscle strength and functional reserve. It is not the same as whole-body strength, physical performance or the amount of muscle. That is why it is most useful alongside muscle mass, pain, everyday function and a repeated trend.

Visual guide

From four attempts to a useful result

The visuals separate directly measured force, the best-attempt summary and the body-weight-derived ratio. Illustrative numbers are not reference norms.

Four attempts, two summary results

Directly measured

Left 1
34.2 kg
Left 2best attempt
35.1 kg
Right 1best attempt
36.0 kg
Right 2
35.4 kg

Portal summary

Left 35.1 kg
Right 36.0 kg
Illustrative data. The portal retains both attempts and uses the best valid performance for each hand in the summary.

The same force, a different HGS/WT ratio

Body weight 70 kgSame grip force: 35 kg

35 / 70 × 100 = 50.0%

Body weight 80 kgSame grip force: 35 kg

35 / 80 × 100 = 43.8%

HGS/WT is not another measurement. It is a calculation that changes when body weight changes even if grip force stays the same.

Structure and function can move differently

Strength stable / risingStrength falling
Muscle mass stable / rising

Muscle stable · strength stable

Structure and performance are both stable.

Muscle stable · strength falling

Review pain, fatigue, protocol and the repeated trend.

Muscle mass falling

Muscle falling · strength stable

Functional performance is holding for now; keep following it.

Muscle falling · strength falling

A reason to review routine, function and potentially seek professional assessment.

The matrix does not assign a diagnosis. It shows why grip strength and muscle mass answer different questions and should be read together.

Fields in the portal and report

What you actually see in the grip-strength result

Each field answers a slightly different question. Kilograms, side difference and HGS/WT are not three independent measurements.

01

First and second attempt for each hand

Four directly measured maximal squeezes: L1, L2, R1 and R2.

A few tenths of a kilogram can be ordinary attempt variability. Keep handle setting, posture, instruction and order consistent for a trend.

Detailed value guide
02

Best performance for the left and right hand

The summary uses the best valid attempt for each hand while retaining the original attempts.

One best attempt is convenient, not error-free. Follow a repeated trend rather than a change at display-resolution level.

Detailed value guide
03

Difference between hands

The percentage difference between the better right- and left-hand results.

The dominant hand is stronger on average, but there is no universal pathological cut-off. A new difference with pain or loss of function matters more.

Detailed value guide
04

HGS/WT – strength relative to body weight

The best grip divided by body weight and expressed as a percentage.

The ratio changes when weight changes even if force does not. It is most useful for your own trend, not as a universally fair comparison between people of different size.

Detailed value guide

Practical interpretation

How to read the result without false precision

  1. 01

    Check the protocol first

    Use the same handle span, upright standing posture, straight arms slightly away from the body and a gradual build-up of force. Pain or an uncertain grip changes the result.

  2. 02

    Then combine hands and attempts

    The best attempt summarises performance, while spread between attempts shows how consistently the test ran. Read side difference with dominance and history.

  3. 03

    Finish with InBody and the trend

    Strength can rise without more muscle mass and vice versa. Only the combined development of structure, performance and everyday function tells a useful story.

What can shift the result short term

  • handle setting, elbow and wrist position, and the instruction used
  • fatigue after grip-heavy training, pain, arthritis, recent injury or surgery
  • motivation, speed of force development and rest between attempts
  • time of day, general fatigue, and slippery or cold hands

What one grip test cannot establish

  • whole-body strength, endurance or physical performance
  • a sarcopenia diagnosis or the cause of a lower result
  • an individual lifespan or future health event
  • a true change from a difference of a few tenths of a kilogram
  • a fair population ranking based only on the simple HGS/WT ratio

When not to make a maximal attempt

Do not perform a maximal squeeze with acute pain, swelling, a recent hand injury or operation, marked tingling or numbness unless advised by a professional. Sudden one-sided weakness, especially with facial droop, speech difficulty or another neurological symptom, requires urgent medical assessment.

Evidence and references

Sources and limits of evidence

  1. InGrip User’s Manual

    InBody Co., Ltd. · 2024

    Official measurement procedure, standing posture, handle setting, range, accuracy and maximal-attempt safety.

  2. InGrip – official product information

    InBody · current

    Manufacturer information on the load-cell sensor, adjustable handle and repeatable hand placement.

  3. InGrip integration and result-sheet workflow

    InBody Japan · current

    Two attempts per hand, transfer of the best result into the InBody workflow and the HGS/WT calculation.

  4. Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis (EWGSOP2)

    Age and Ageing · 2019

    Muscle strength as the first step in sarcopenia assessment; 27/16 kg are clinical context from a defined protocol, not universal InGrip norms.

  5. A review of the measurement of grip strength in clinical and epidemiological studies

    Age and Ageing · 2011

    Why device, posture, handle setting, instructions, number of attempts and summary statistic all affect the result.

  6. Measurement and Interpretation of Handgrip Strength for Research on Sarcopenia and Osteoporosis

    Journal of Bone Metabolism · 2020

    A review of protocols, references and the limits of transferring results between populations and dynamometers.

  7. Upper-limb strength asymmetry meta-analysis

    Scientific Reports · 2025

    The dominant side is stronger on average, but individual variation is too wide for a simple diagnostic rule.

  8. International norms for adult handgrip strength

    Journal of Sport and Health Science · 2024

    Large population data confirm effects of age, sex, region and body size; norms do not transfer automatically to another protocol.

  9. Handgrip strength and health outcomes in the PURE study

    The Lancet · 2015

    Population-level associations between lower strength and adverse outcomes, not an individual prognosis or proof of causality.

Premium

InGrip adds a functional layer to body composition.

A Premium measurement presents the strength of both hands next to InBody, blood pressure and MaxPulse. It is not another bioimpedance value, but a separate dynamometer result linked into one visit.

Explore the InBody InGrip device