The Gripp Score: Complete Guide to Grip Strength Benchmarks

The gripp Score is a 0–200+ point system that classifies grip strength across six tiers — Beginner (0–30) to Professional (200+). It accounts for your body weight, hang time, age, and gender. It is calibrated to longevity research including gender-specific benchmarks: 120 seconds for men and 90 seconds for women, both aged 40.

You can deadlift 200kg. You can bench press your bodyweight. You train consistently.

But you don't know if your grip is weak, average, or strong. You have no frame of reference.

Most gym-goers have no idea where their grip sits. Dynamometer readings give you a number in kilograms. Dead hang times give you seconds. Neither tells you what that number means for your body weight, age, or gender.

The gripp Score fixes this. It maps your dead hang performance to a number from 0 to 200+, then places you in one of six tiers. You hang until you drop. You get a score. You know where you stand.

This guide explains what the gripp Score is, how it's calculated, what each tier means, and how to use it to guide your training.

Key Facts

1. The gripp Score is a 0–200+ numerical system, not a hang-time rating — your score is calculated from body weight × hang time, compared against an elite baseline for your age and gender. Two people with the same hang time can have very different scores.
2. The six tiers are defined by score, not time alone — Beginner (0–30), Intermediate (31–66), Advanced (67–99), Elite (100–133), World-Class (134–199), Professional (200+). Hang time thresholds vary by body weight and age.
3. Elite tier (Score 100) begins at 90 seconds for average-weight individuals — this is the longevity benchmark for women aged 40. For men aged 40, 120 seconds represents the upper Elite threshold (Score 133).
4. World-Class (Score 134–199) exceeds both longevity benchmarks — it spans approximately 121–179 seconds. Professional (Score 200+) requires 180+ seconds: true athlete-level grip endurance.
5. Gripp Score 67 is the chronological age baseline for Grip Age calculation — at Score 67, your Grip Age equals your chronological age. Each point above or below adjusts your Grip Age by 0.2 years.
6. The tier system is gender-neutral; the biological benchmarks are not — Score 100 is Elite for anyone. But 90 seconds represents a different percentile for men versus women at the same age, because their elite baselines differ.

What Is the gripp Score?

The gripp Score is a numerical classification system for grip strength based on dead hang performance.

It works like this: you hang from a pull-up bar with a passive grip. Arms straight. No active shoulder engagement. You hang until your hands open and you drop.

What it measures:

Grip endurance. How long your hands can sustain bodyweight load before fatiguing to failure. This reflects forearm muscular endurance, tendon capacity, and neural drive to the grip.

What it does not measure:

Peak grip force. Maximum squeeze strength in kilograms. Single-rep maximum crushing power. For those, you need a dynamometer.

The gripp Score and dynamometer testing complement each other. Dead hang measures endurance. Dynamometer measures force. Both matter. Different contexts require different metrics.

gripp is a grip strength training app that uses the gripp Score — a 0–200+ six-level benchmark — to measure and improve your grip.

How Is the gripp Score Calculated?

The Gripp Score accounts for body weight, age, and gender to create a fair comparison across different individuals. A 60kg person and a 100kg person hanging for the same duration are performing dramatically different feats of strength — the heavier person is supporting significantly more load. The app normalizes your performance against age and gender benchmarks, then outputs a score from 0-200+. This removes the bias that makes raw hang time misleading when comparing across different body weights. Example: A 40-year-old male weighing 90kg hangs for 60 seconds.

His raw performance: 60 seconds After normalization for his body weight and age group: Gripp Score 86 (Advanced tier)

If a 60kg person of the same age also hangs for 60 seconds, their Gripp Score would be lower — around 57 (Intermediate tier) — because they're supporting less load relative to the benchmark. Why this matters: Two people can have identical hang times but completely different Gripp Scores. Body weight is a significant variable. This is why the score — not raw hang time — is the correct unit for tracking and comparing grip performance.

The exact calculation accounts for your demographic benchmarks, but the app handles this automatically. Your job is simply to hang as long as you can. The app does the rest.

The Six gripp Score Tiers — Full Reference Table

Each tier represents a distinct level of grip capacity. Hang times shown are approximate references for a 70kg person aged 40.

*Hang time approximations for a 70kg person aged 40. Your exact tier depends on your body weight and age — use the gripp app to calculate your score.

Key distinctions:

• Beginner and Intermediate tiers indicate grip is a bottleneck. Fix this before progressing other training.
• Advanced tier (Score 67) is the minimum baseline. Most gym-goers should target this first.
• Elite and above indicate grip strength is an asset, not a limiter.
• World-Class and Professional are targets for longevity-focused training or advanced athletes.

How the gripp Score Is Calibrated

The gripp Score tiers are not arbitrary. They're calibrated to three reference points.

Population norms

Grip strength declines with age. Average dead hang time for untrained adults in their 30s sits around 30–45 seconds. By age 50, it drops to 20–30 seconds without training.

The Advanced tier (Score 67–99, approximately 60–89 seconds) represents the upper end of average capacity for trained adults. Gripp Score 67 is the baseline used for Grip Age calculation. At Score 67, your Grip Age equals your chronological age. Above 67, your Grip Age is younger. Below 67, it's older. Each point equals 0.2 years of adjustment.

Longevity benchmarks

Longevity researchers use dead hang benchmarks as health span targets. These benchmarks are gender-specific:

• Men aged 40: 120 seconds — Gripp Score 133, the upper Elite threshold
• Women aged 40: 90 seconds — Gripp Score 100, the Elite tier entry point

These targets correlate with lower all-cause mortality and maintained upper-body function into later life. They represent grip levels associated with healthy ageing in large population studies.

The gripp Score tiers align to these benchmarks precisely:

• Elite tier begins at Score 100 — the 90-second women's longevity target
• Elite tier tops out at Score 133 — the 120-second men's longevity target
• World-Class (Score 134+) — exceeds both gender-specific longevity benchmarks

Reaching Elite tier puts you at or above the longevity benchmark for women. Reaching its upper bound puts you at the benchmark for men. World-Class and Professional go further still.

Training progression logic

The tiers reflect natural training plateaus.

Most untrained gym-goers start in Beginner or Intermediate. With consistent dead hang training, they progress to Advanced in 8–12 weeks.

Breaking into Elite (Score 100, approximately 90 seconds) requires addressing plateau root causes — forearm endurance ceiling, raw grip strength limits, or technique degradation under fatigue. This is where the Level Busters protocols in the gripp app come in.

World-Class and Professional require weighted hang progressions or years of sustained training. Few gym-goers reach these without deliberate grip-focused work.

gripp Score vs Dynamometer Testing

The gripp Score uses dead hang time. Dynamometers use peak force in kilograms. Both measure grip. Neither is "better" — they measure different things.

What dead hang measures (gripp Score):

Grip endurance. How long you can sustain load. Reflects muscular endurance, tendon capacity, and fatigue resistance. Predicts performance in pulling exercises, calisthenics, and sustained grip tasks — carries, hangs, rows.

What dynamometer measures:

Peak grip force. Maximum squeeze strength. Reflects raw strength and neural drive. Predicts performance in deadlifts, crushing-type tasks, and single-effort maximum force production.

When to use each:

Use gripp Score (dead hang) to assess training readiness for pull-ups, muscle-ups, levers, and endurance-based grip work. Use dynamometer to assess peak crushing strength, track grip strength decline with age, or compare to clinical norms for health screening.

How they complement each other:

You can have high peak force but low endurance. A 60kg dynamometer reading (strong) combined with a Gripp Score of 50 — Intermediate tier — means your grip is strong but not endurance-trained.

You can have high endurance but lower peak force. A Gripp Score of 100 — Elite tier — with a 45kg dynamometer reading (moderate) means your endurance is excellent but raw strength lags.

Most gym-goers need both. Dead hang builds endurance. Heavy deadlifts, farmer's carries, and thick-bar work build peak force.

The gripp app includes both: dead hang timer for gripp Score and dynamometer measurement for peak force tracking.

What Is Grip Age?

Grip Age is your biological grip age based on how your Gripp Score compares to population norms.

The baseline: Gripp Score 67 represents average grip endurance for trained adults. At Score 67, your Grip Age equals your chronological age.

The formula:

• Score difference from 67 × 0.2 years = age adjustment
• Grip Age = Chronological Age − Age Adjustment (positive score difference = younger Grip Age; negative = older)

Calculated examples (70kg male, using demographic baselines):

• 30-year-old, 90-second hang: Raw Score 6,300 ÷ Elite Baseline (20–29 male) 6,650 × 100 = Score 95. Difference from 67: +28. Adjustment: 5.6 years younger. Grip Age: 24.4. Strong longevity signal.
• 40-year-old, 45-second hang: Raw Score 3,150 ÷ Elite Baseline (40–49 male) 6,300 × 100 = Score 50. Difference from 67: −17. Adjustment: 3.4 years older. Grip Age: 43.4. Below average. Grip declining faster than chronological age.
• 50-year-old, 75-second hang: Raw Score 5,250 ÷ Elite Baseline (50–59 male) 5,950 × 100 = Score 88. Difference from 67: +21. Adjustment: 4.2 years younger. Grip Age: 45.8. Above average for age. Grip maintained through training.

Why it matters:

Grip strength correlates with mortality risk in large population studies. Weaker grip is associated with higher all-cause mortality. Grip Age condenses this relationship into one number.

Lower Grip Age = better health span marker. Higher Grip Age = signal to prioritise grip training.

For a full explanation of the research and how to improve Grip Age, read: Grip Age Explained: What Your Grip Strength Says About How You're Ageing.

How to Find Your gripp Score

Two methods exist: dead hang test or dynamometer measurement. Both are available in the gripp app.

Dead hang test method

This is the primary method for gripp Score.

1. Find a pull-up bar at a comfortable height (you can reach it standing or with a small jump)
2. Grip the bar with both hands, palms forward, hands shoulder-width apart
3. Lift your feet off the ground — full bodyweight load
4. Arms straight, shoulders relaxed (passive hang)
5. Hang until your hands open and you drop
6. Note the time in seconds

Enter your body weight and hang time into the gripp app. It calculates your exact Gripp Score based on your age and gender. Looking up your hang time in the table above gives you an approximation — the app gives you the precise number.

If you can't hang 10 seconds, start with assisted hangs using a resistance band to reduce bodyweight load. Build to 20 seconds before testing unassisted.

For a full testing protocol, read: How to Test Your Grip Strength at Home (And What the Numbers Mean).

App dynamometer method

The gripp app includes a built-in dynamometer using your phone's pressure sensors.

Grip your phone and squeeze. The app measures peak force and maps it to grip strength norms.

This gives you a second data point. Use both dead hang and dynamometer to track different aspects of grip capacity.

When to retest:

Test your gripp Score every 4–6 weeks during active training. Monthly is too frequent — grip endurance doesn't adapt that fast. Quarterly is too infrequent — you lose the feedback loop that tells you whether your training is working.

Using Your gripp Score to Guide Training

Your gripp Score tells you what to train next. Here's what to do at each tier.

Beginner (Score 0–30, approximately under 27 seconds)

Priority: Build foundational capacity. Grip is the bottleneck for all upper-body training.

Protocol:

• Dead hang 3x per week
• Start with 3 sets of 5–10 seconds
• Add 5 seconds per week
• Use resistance band assistance if needed
• Avoid weighted hangs, advanced calisthenics, or high-volume pull-ups until you reach Intermediate

Timeline: 6–8 weeks to reach Intermediate (Score 31+).

Intermediate (Score 31–66, approximately 28–59 seconds)

Priority: Build to Advanced baseline (Score 67+). Grip is still limiting training volume.

Protocol:

• Dead hang 3x per week
• 3–4 sets of 20–40 seconds
• Progress 5–10 seconds per week
• Add basic pull-up and row volume as grip allows
• Too early for weighted hangs or muscle-up progressions

Timeline: 8–12 weeks to reach Advanced (Score 67+).

Advanced (Score 67–99, approximately 60–89 seconds)

Priority: Maintain baseline capacity or push to Elite if needed for specific goals — calisthenics progressions, longevity targets.

Protocol:

• Dead hang 2–3x per week for maintenance
• Can train pull-ups, rows, and moderate calisthenics progressions without grip limiting volume
• If targeting Elite: add weighted hangs or Level Busters protocols (available in gripp app)

Timeline: 3–6 months to break into Elite (Score 100+) with deliberate training.

Elite (Score 100–133, approximately 90–120 seconds)

Priority: Maintain or push to World-Class if training advanced calisthenics or targeting the upper Elite benchmark (Score 133, 120 seconds).

Protocol:

• Dead hang 1–2x per week for maintenance
• Grip is not a limiter in most training
• Can train weighted pull-ups, ring work, muscle-ups, and front levers without grip failing first

Timeline: 6–12 months to reach World-Class (Score 134+) with weighted progressions.

World-Class and Professional (Score 134+, approximately 121 seconds+)

Priority: Maintain. Grip is an asset, not a training focus.

Protocol:

• Dead hang 1x per week or less
• Use grip work as active recovery or warm-up
• Focus training elsewhere unless grip-specific performance is a competitive goal

For full training protocols at each level, read: How to Improve Your Dead Hang: From Beginner to Elite.

Related Articles

• What Is gripp Score? The Six-Level Dead Hang Benchmark
• How to Test Your Grip Strength at Home (And What the Numbers Mean)
• Grip Strength as a Longevity Vital Sign: What the Research Says
• Dead Hang Benchmark Guide: From Beginner to Professional
• Grip Strength by Age: What's Normal and What's Not

Find your gripp Score using the built-in dead hang timer and dynamometer in the gripp app. Download gripp.