Physical Fitness Norms: Handgrip Strength Test
Physical Fitness Norms for the Handgrip Strength Test (5-18 years)
This page provides normative reference values for the handgrip strength test in children and adolescents.
The handgrip strength test is one of the most widely applied tests to assess upper body strength in children and adolescents. This test is part of many physical fitness tests batteries, such as the Alpha-fit, Eurofit, Asso-FTB, etc. In order to apply the handgrip strength test in your school or club, you will need a dynamometer. After performing the test, you need to evaluate each result (the average result of both hands) in relation to the age and the gender of the child by using the tables with normative scores (percentile scores) below.
GIRLS
Normative Reference Values for Handgrip Strength (kg)
|
Percentiles |
|||||||||||||||
Age |
1 |
3 |
10 |
20 |
25 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
60 |
70 |
75 |
80 |
90 |
97 |
99 |
100 |
5.0 |
4.2 |
4.5 |
5.0 |
5.3 |
5.4 |
5.6 |
5.9 |
6.3 |
6.7 |
7.1 |
7.3 |
7.7 |
8.4 |
10.1 |
10.8 |
11.2 |
6.0 |
5.0 |
5.5 |
6.2 |
6.7 |
7.0 |
7.2 |
7.7 |
8.1 |
8.6 |
9.1 |
9.3 |
9.7 |
10.6 |
12.1 |
13.2 |
13.8 |
6.5 |
5.4 |
6.0 |
6.8 |
7.5 |
7.8 |
8.0 |
8.5 |
9.0 |
9.5 |
10.0 |
10.3 |
10.8 |
11.7 |
13.1 |
14.4 |
15.1 |
7.0 |
5.8 |
6.4 |
7.4 |
8.1 |
8.5 |
8.8 |
9.3 |
9.8 |
10.4 |
10.9 |
11.2 |
11.7 |
12.7 |
14.2 |
15.4 |
16.0 |
7.5 |
6.1 |
6.9 |
8.0 |
8.8 |
9.2 |
9.5 |
10.0 |
10.6 |
11.2 |
11.9 |
12.2 |
12.7 |
13.7 |
15.3 |
16.5 |
17.1 |
8.0 |
6.5 |
7.3 |
8.6 |
9.5 |
9.9 |
10.2 |
10.9 |
11.5 |
12.1 |
12.8 |
13.1 |
13.6 |
14.7 |
16.3 |
17.6 |
18.3 |
8.5 |
6.7 |
7.7 |
9.1 |
10.1 |
10.6 |
10.9 |
11.6 |
12.3 |
13.0 |
13.7 |
14.1 |
14.6 |
15.7 |
17.4 |
18.6 |
19.2 |
9.0 |
7.8 |
8.7 |
10.1 |
11.2 |
11.7 |
12.1 |
12.8 |
13.6 |
14.3 |
15.1 |
15.5 |
16.1 |
17.3 |
19.2 |
20.4 |
21.0 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
10.7 |
12.1 |
13.4 |
13.9 |
14.4 |
15.2 |
16.1 |
16.9 |
17.8 |
18.3 |
19.0 |
20.4 |
22.8 |
24.0 |
24.6 |
11.0 |
12.1 |
12.8 |
14.1 |
15.5 |
16.2 |
16.7 |
17.7 |
18.6 |
19.6 |
20.6 |
21.2 |
21.8 |
23.5 |
26.4 |
27.6 |
28.1 |
12.0 |
14.3 |
14.8 |
16.1 |
17.7 |
18.4 |
19.0 |
20.1 |
21.1 |
22.2 |
23.3 |
24.0 |
24.7 |
26.7 |
30.0 |
31.2 |
31.7 |
13.0 |
16.5 |
16.8 |
18.1 |
19.9 |
20.6 |
21.3 |
22.5 |
23.6 |
24.8 |
26.0 |
26.8 |
27.6 |
29.8 |
33.7 |
34.8 |
35.3 |
14.0 |
18.3 |
18.6 |
19.8 |
21.5 |
22.2 |
22.9 |
24.1 |
25.2 |
26.4 |
27.7 |
28.5 |
29.2 |
31.5 |
35.4 |
36.5 |
37.1 |
15.0 |
19.1 |
19.4 |
20.7 |
22.5 |
23.2 |
23.9 |
25.1 |
26.2 |
27.4 |
28.7 |
29.5 |
30.3 |
32.6 |
36.7 |
37.9 |
38.5 |
16.0 |
19.7 |
20.0 |
21.2 |
22.9 |
23.6 |
24.3 |
25.4 |
26.6 |
27.8 |
29.1 |
30.0 |
30.8 |
33.2 |
37.8 |
39.1 |
39.7 |
17.0 |
20.7 |
21.0 |
22.2 |
23.9 |
24.6 |
25.2 |
26.4 |
27.6 |
28.9 |
30.3 |
31.2 |
32.1 |
34.8 |
40.3 |
41.9 |
42.7 |
18.0 |
21.7 |
22.0 |
23.2 |
24.9 |
25.5 |
26.1 |
27.4 |
28.6 |
30.0 |
31.5 |
32.5 |
33.4 |
36.4 |
42.9 |
44.8 |
45.7 |
The values are expressed in kg, and they are average of the strength in right and left hands.
BOYS
Normative Reference Values for Handgrip Strength (kg)
Percentiles |
||||||||||||||||
Age |
1 |
3 |
10 |
20 |
25 |
30 |
40 |
50 |
60 |
70 |
75 |
80 |
90 |
97 |
99 |
100 |
5.0 |
4.4 |
4.8 |
5.5 |
6.0 |
6.3 |
6.5 |
6.9 |
7.3 |
7.7 |
8.2 |
8.4 |
8.8 |
9.5 |
10.4 |
11.5 |
12.1 |
6.0 |
5.4 |
6.0 |
6.9 |
7.6 |
7.9 |
8.1 |
8.6 |
9.1 |
9.6 |
10.1 |
10.4 |
10.8 |
11.7 |
13.0 |
14.1 |
14.7 |
6.5 |
5.9 |
6.6 |
7.6 |
8.3 |
8.7 |
9.0 |
9.5 |
10.0 |
10.6 |
11.1 |
11.4 |
11.9 |
12.8 |
14.3 |
15.4 |
16.0 |
7.0 |
6.4 |
7.2 |
8.3 |
9.0 |
9.4 |
9.7 |
10.3 |
10.9 |
11.5 |
12.1 |
12.4 |
12.9 |
13.9 |
15.5 |
16.8 |
17.5 |
7.5 |
7.0 |
7.8 |
8.9 |
9.8 |
10.2 |
10.5 |
11.1 |
11.7 |
12.4 |
13.1 |
13.4 |
14.0 |
15.1 |
16.8 |
18.1 |
18.8 |
8.0 |
7.5 |
8.3 |
9.6 |
10.5 |
11.0 |
11.3 |
12.0 |
12.6 |
13.3 |
14.0 |
14.4 |
15.0 |
16.2 |
18.0 |
19.5 |
20.3 |
8.5 |
8.0 |
8.9 |
10.3 |
11.2 |
11.7 |
12.1 |
12.8 |
13.5 |
14.3 |
15.0 |
15.4 |
16.0 |
17.3 |
19.3 |
20.8 |
21.6 |
9.0 |
9.0 |
9.9 |
11.3 |
12.4 |
12.9 |
13.3 |
14.1 |
14.9 |
15.8 |
16.6 |
17.1 |
17.8 |
19.3 |
21.8 |
23.3 |
24.1 |
10.0 |
11.1 |
11.8 |
13.3 |
14.6 |
15.2 |
15.7 |
16.8 |
17.7 |
18.8 |
19.9 |
20.5 |
21.3 |
23.2 |
26.7 |
28.3 |
29.1 |
11.0 |
13.1 |
13.8 |
15.2 |
16.9 |
17.6 |
18.2 |
19.4 |
20.6 |
21.8 |
23.1 |
23.9 |
24.8 |
27.2 |
31.6 |
33.2 |
34.1 |
12.0 |
15.2 |
15.7 |
17.2 |
19.1 |
19.9 |
20.6 |
22.1 |
23.4 |
24.8 |
26.4 |
27.3 |
28.3 |
31.1 |
36.5 |
38.2 |
39.1 |
13.0 |
17.2 |
17.7 |
19.2 |
21.4 |
22.3 |
23.1 |
24.7 |
26.2 |
27.8 |
29.6 |
30.7 |
31.8 |
35.1 |
41.4 |
43.2 |
44.1 |
14.0 |
20.8 |
21.4 |
23.4 |
26.3 |
27.4 |
28.5 |
30.4 |
32.2 |
34.0 |
36.1 |
37.3 |
38.5 |
42.0 |
48.1 |
49.8 |
50.7 |
15.0 |
25.2 |
25.9 |
28.1 |
31.3 |
32.5 |
33.7 |
35.7 |
37.7 |
39.7 |
41.8 |
43.1 |
44.3 |
47.9 |
54.0 |
55.7 |
56.6 |
16.0 |
30.4 |
31.0 |
33.0 |
35.9 |
37.0 |
38.1 |
40.0 |
41.8 |
43.7 |
45.7 |
46.9 |
48.1 |
51.5 |
57.5 |
59.2 |
60.0 |
17.0 |
35.2 |
35.7 |
37.4 |
39.9 |
40.9 |
41.8 |
43.5 |
45.1 |
46.7 |
48.5 |
49.6 |
50.6 |
53.7 |
59.2 |
60.7 |
61.5 |
18.0 |
39.9 |
40.3 |
41.8 |
43.9 |
44.7 |
45.5 |
47.0 |
48.4 |
49.7 |
51.3 |
52.2 |
53.1 |
55.9 |
60.9 |
62.3 |
63.0 |
The values are expressed in kg, and they are average of the strength in right and left hands.
If you need help with the calculation of those percentile scores, you can use my professional services. For more info, please write to: dr.stefan.kolimechkov@gmail.com
Reference
Kolimechkov, S., Petrov, L., & Alexandrova, A. (2019). Alpha-fit test battery norms for children and adolescents from 5 to 18 years of age obtained by a linear interpolation of existing European physical fitness references. European Journal of Physical Education and Sport Science, 5(4), 1-14.
COACHING