A strong handshake generally makes a good first impression, but there is more to your grip than conveying confidence and trustworthiness. Science points to a stronger grip as an important key to overall strength and longevity. The strength of your handshake even indicates heart health, research has found.

While it may seem like a small part of your body’s total strength, grip strength is a foundational component of physical fitness, linked to injury prevention, as well as a reliable benchmark for many aspects of health and functional independence as we age.

Stronger grip muscles help stabilize wrists, reducing the risk of strains and injuries during daily activities and physical exercise. Tasks such as carrying groceries, opening doors and jars, and even getting out of a chair all require adequate grip strength. A stronger grip also enables more progressions in fitness training, increasing the ability to get stronger by enabling people to lift more weight and perform more repetitions.

Pro sports prioritize grip strength training for obvious reasons (such as gripping a bat or a ball), but it’s seldom considered a staple in general fitness programs. To help you get a better grasp on how your hands measure up, here’s a road map to assess and strengthen your grip at home.