1998 sportsman 500 brake question

Hi, my 1998 sportsman 500 brakes work BUT squeezing the lever is like squeezing a block of wood (and sine my brain srgery i have lost alot of grip strength in my hands. is this normal for these bikes or is there something i can do to make it easier (closer to what my motorcycle brake lever pull used to be like)? thanks in advance for any help, much appreciated.