The Strength Metric That Predicts How Long You'll Live

G'day Legend,

As you read this, I'm on a plane to the west coast to train with and interview arguably one of the most fearless athletes to ever exist. This person has made a career out of holding on (literally) in situations where letting go means death. The ability to do this work is insane, and it's all possible because of you. Thank you for supporting the channel, newsletter, and letting this brand grow.

Ironically, one of the core skills this athlete relies on to perform is grip strength, which research now shows is one of the strongest predictors of lifespan. How does the ability to hold your shopping bags tell us about life expectancy? Let me explain.

In this week’s newsletter (4 min read):
💪 The grip strength test that predicts mortality
🧠 Why strength is a systems indicator
🏋️ The daily habit that builds resilience

If you’ve got a mate trying to build longevity who doesn’t know about grip strength yet, send them THIS link.

The Grip Strength Predictor

Growing up, my brothers and I played a game called "crush the hand." You grip each other's hands and squeeze until someone quits. My older brother Brendan always won. Stupid older brother strength (that's definitely a thing).

Turns out, grip strength is a real indicator of health. The PURE study tracked nearly 140,000 adults across 17 countries for four years. Researchers had participants squeeze a hand dynamometer and tracked heart attacks, strokes, and all-cause mortality.

The results: for every 11-pound (5 kg) drop in grip strength, risk of death increased by roughly 16%. It predicted mortality more strongly than blood pressure. For context, a healthy adult male usually produces grip strength around half his bodyweight in one hand. For women, it's roughly a third to half of bodyweight. But it’s not about big forearms — that's about having a system that works.

Quick question: If it were a matter of life and death, how long do you think you could hold onto something? The athlete I'm about to reveal will absolutely smoke you.

Why Strength is a Systems Indicator

To hang your full bodyweight, everything has to work. Your brain, nervous system, muscles, and tendons all have to fire together. It's a full-body systems test, not just a hand thing.

That's why it matters for longevity. It tells you whether the whole machine holds together under load.

So next time you go shopping, farmer's carry those bags all the way home.

Your Real-World Test:

If you don't have a dynamometer, here's the test: hang from a bar and see how long you can hold on.

• Under 20 seconds? There's work to do

• Around 30 seconds? Baseline strength

• 45–60 seconds? Structural integrity

• Over a minute? You're strong, not just in your hands, but through your shoulders, nervous system, and connective tissue

The Daily Habit That Builds Resilience

You don't need a lab test or expensive tech to improve longevity. You need to hang. Or carry. That's it.

Grip strength is built through load and time under tension. When you hang from a bar, you're training more than forearms. You're teaching your nervous system to stay switched on under load, strengthening connective tissue, improving shoulder stability.

The dead hang is honest. If something's weak, you feel it immediately.

The Foods That Build Grip From the Inside

You can't eat your way to a stronger grip, but you can fuel the system that builds it.

Connective Tissue Support: Bone broth, gelatin, collagen peptides. Your tendons and ligaments are mostly collagen. Give them the building blocks. 

Neuromuscular Function: Magnesium (spinach, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate). Your nervous system needs magnesium to fire cleanly under load. Without it, the signal from brain to muscle gets fuzzy.

Testosterone Support: Zinc (oysters, red meat, pumpkin seeds). Grip strength correlates with testosterone, and zinc is essential for production. Grass-fed beef from Force of Nature is my go-to 3-4x per week.

Quick Win: Add 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds to your post-workout meal. High in both zinc and magnesium.

The Protocol:

• Start by accumulating 60 seconds total across a few sets

• Build toward 60 seconds unbroken

• Or make it practical: carry groceries in one trip, farmer's carry heavy dumbbells

Resilience isn't built in comfort. It's built by holding on.

Quick Notes

💪 I’m so stoked to train with this athlete this week — stay tuned for the rollout.

🎥 New YouTube is live — Hybrid training with Nick Bare and Max Joliffe for BPN athlete week in Austin. Watch it HERE.

#EatGoodFeelGood

— DC