Grip strength and physical fitness: a predictive study with active elderly

INTRODUCTION: Evaluation of handgrip strength (HS) is a useful method for assessing overall muscle strength of old people. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between HS and the physical skills of old people practitioners of physical exercise, according to sex. METHODS: A descriptive study with 106 women and 30 man practicing physical exercises in a university extension program, which underwent a battery of Senior Fitness Test (lower limb strength, upper limbs strength, lower limbs flexibility, agility / dynamic balance, upper limb flexibility and aerobic endurance). HS was evaluated by a handgrip dynamometer. We used descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential U test of Mann Whitney tests for independent samples and simple linear regression. The significance level was 5%. RESULTS: The HS right and left was higher in men than in women (p