The effect of handgrip span on isometric exercise performance

Abstract

Fourteen male and eight female volunteers served as subjects in these experiments lo determine the effect of hand tool dimensions on isometric strength, endurance, the surface EMG above the active muscle, and the cardiovascular responses to isometric exercise. As reported by others, we found that for each individual, there existed one handgrip size at which he or she could exert the greatest isometric strength. Endurance was the same at any work load relative to the maximum strength for a given grip dimension. The EMG and blood pressure responses to isometric exercise were the same at any given grip span: however, the heart rate response was lowest when subjects worked with their muscles at the optimal grip span.