Hand Grip Strengtheners for Seniors: Four to Start Light and Build Up

The goal is a grip trainer that starts at a low resistance and has levels to move up to.

The Vive Squeeze Balls 4 Pack is the one to start with: it runs from soft to very firm in four steps.

This is general information, not medical advice. Check with your doctor if your hands are painful, numb or getting weaker.

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The four trainers, at a glance:

• Vive Squeeze Balls, 4 Pack: 4 levels, soft to very firm, as four balls.
• THERABAND Hand Exerciser Ball: 5 levels; this listing is the green one, 5 lb of force at 50% compression.
• CanDo Digi-Flex Hand and Finger Exerciser: 8 levels, xx-light to xxx-heavy; this listing is Red Light.
• Stovall Adjustable Grip Strength Trainer: 5 levels from swapping springs, 5 to 150 lb.

Four grip trainers with levels to climb

Vive Squeeze Balls, 4 Pack

You want to start soft and move up one ball at a time

Vive Squeeze Balls, 4 Pack Egg-shaped balls Soft, medium, firm and very firm See colors and prices on Amazon

Vive lists four colors, each with a different firmness: soft, medium, firm and very firm. That gives four steps to climb in one pack.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Its geriatric medicine specialist Ardeshir Hashmi says some squeeze balls may be too squishy to give the forearm proper work.

If the very firm ball starts to feel easy, a spring gripper is the next step.

Pass if

You want a force stated in pounds: Vive names its levels in words

THERABAND Hand Exerciser Ball

You want a soft-feel ball with five levels to work through

THERABAND Hand Exerciser Ball, Green Five progression levels 5 lb of force at 50% compression See colors and prices on Amazon

THERABAND makes five progression levels in a 2 inch ball. This green one gives 5 lb of force at 50% compression.

Yellow and red are the softer THERABAND levels, so a first-time user would start there. An extra-large, elongated version is made for large hands, and each exerciser comes with exercise illustrations.

Pass if

You want every level in one box: this listing is the green level only

CanDo Digi-Flex Hand and Finger Exerciser

You want to train one finger at a time

CanDo Digi-Flex Hand and Finger Exerciser, Red Light Eight color-coded levels A separate spring in each finger button See colors and prices on Amazon

The finger buttons each have their own spring, so one finger can be worked alone. With the palm bar removed and placed over the buttons, the whole hand works at once.

CanDo sells eight levels, from xx-light to xxx-heavy, singly or in sets. This listing is the Red Light unit, and it comes with an illustrated manual.

Great if

Eight levels, the most of the four

Pass if

You want a squeeze ball: this is a molded base with finger buttons

Stovall Adjustable Grip Strength Trainer

You want one gripper to grow into over months

Stovall Adjustable Grip Strength Trainer 5 to 150 lb Five springs you change See colors and prices on Amazon

Stovall says its resistance changes when you swap the springs, five in all, across a range of 5 to 150 lb. It is the only one of the four with a force range in pounds across all its levels.

5 lb is the gentle end. A first-time user who starts low would use that end, and the other four springs are for later.

Great if

A stated range of 5 to 150 lb from five springs

Pass if

Your hands are small: the Stovall steel frame is made for big hands

Which trainer for which hand

What to check before you buy

• Levels you can start under. Cleveland Clinic advises first-time users to start with low resistance and work up. Look for a named level or a stated pound figure at the low end.
• Your hand size. The Stovall frame is made for big hands; THERABAND also makes an extra-large version. Small hands may want a ball.
• Ball or gripper. A ball is squeezed in the whole hand. A gripper has handles and a spring.
• One finger or the whole hand. Only the CanDo works one finger at a time.

A short routine, starting light

Researchers in the PURE study followed nearly 140,000 adults in 17 countries. They found lower grip strength was linked to a higher risk of dying.

Take the softest level you have. An exercise page in UMass Memorial Health’s online health library says to make a tight fist or grasp a ball, hold, then relax.

Next, spread your fingers as far apart as you can, then relax. Repeat with the other hand.

Move up one level only when the current one feels easy. A doctor or a hand therapist can set the hold time and the number of repeats that suit you.

When weak hands need a doctor first

Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side, needs emergency care.

The US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, an institute that funds neuroscience research, lists it among the stroke signs. It says to call 9-1-1 immediately if such signs appear suddenly.

If you are concerned about a weakening grip, Cleveland Clinic suggests talking with a healthcare provider. If an exercise hurts, the UMass Memorial Health page says to stop and contact your provider if the pain persists.

When you may not need to buy anything

If you own a racquetball or a hollow squash ball, you already have a trainer. Cleveland Clinic’s specialist says hollow squash balls and racquetballs do the trick just right, and that tennis balls are too big.

A rolled-up hand towel, squeezed firmly, is a free option too, and one of the squeezes listed with grip strength as a marker of aging.

Where to start, and when to stop

For most people starting from weak hands, the Vive set is the natural first step, because it starts soft and gives four steps in one pack. The Stovall suits someone who wants one tool to grow into.

Stop the session if a squeeze hurts, and contact your healthcare provider if the pain persists.