The Benefits of Hanging

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” And when it comes to our fitness, sometimes it’s the simple things that can have the most benefit.

So why should you be including dead hangs into your regular workout routine? Well let's start with what a Dead Hang is:

A dead hang is a simple bodyweight exercise that targets muscles in your upper body. It is when you either hang from a pull up bar or rings and let your body hang long for as long as possible.

To practice dead hangs grip the bar. Lift your feet and hold yourself in a hanging position - simple. Some of the benefits of the dead hang include increased grip strength and spinal decompression as you stretch your back. Once you’ve practiced this hanging exercise, consider some of the other dead hang variations like the single-arm dead hang or the neutral grip dead hang.

If you are new to this style of training, it can be catered to any fitness level. By starting on a box, you can modify how much of your body weight is hanging from the bar. You can keep reducing the height of the box until you are free hanging. If you are somewhere in the middle and just need to build up endurance, you can have a box or step and have one foot planted on top and the other hanging. This way it mimics the dead hang and will get you hanging without aid sooner than later.

So, when I ask Zap PT Peter Vayne about the benefits of ‘simply’ hanging… he knows just what I’m talking about.

Remember the good ol’ days when you could effortlessly swing on the monkey bars as a kid? Just hanging on without a care in the world. Simple? Yes! Fun? For sure! Something you can’t imagine doing now? Sadly true.

So, Peter is here today to remind us of all the awesome benefits we can access just by simply hanging around.

Peter, who is based at Zap Fitness in Kidman Park, South Australia, is certainly no stranger when it comes to understanding how our bodies move. As a celebrated contemporary dancer and circus arts aerialist, Peter takes human movement pretty seriously.

According to Peter, “The very first thing I notice with my new clients is that often their grip strength is weak. If I can improve their grip strength, I know it will show a notable improvement in their strength endurance and their overall ability to lift. Hanging from a bar for timed intervals is the perfect way to improve grip strength.”

“Generally, I will have my clients hang for between 10 - 30 seconds, depending on the person, with the goal of building up to a one-minute hold.” He adds.

Improved grip strength is not the only benefit to hanging

As Peter explains, “A dead hang on the bars is fantastic for shoulder mobility and range of motion. You can depress and retract your shoulder blades while you hang as well as activate your scapula by basically shrugging your shoulders up and down.”

Hanging is also great for spinal decompression

If you’re a desk all day or perhaps you lay on your back when you sleep, chances are you may a compressed spine aka a tight spine. Peter agrees saying that, “I will often have clients try a relaxed hang. It gives their upper body the chance to stretch and decompress without spending a cent.”

Stretches the upper body

It's a great stretching exercise for your back, arms, shoulders and abdominal muscles, made possible with the opposite forces of your palms' grip on the bar and the gravitational pull of the rest of the body.

Reduces shoulder pain

Hang is good for people with shoulder impingement and even rotator cuff injuries. Here's why: Apart from stretching the brachial arteries, the hang also stretches and strengthens the supraspinatus tendon. This is the tendon that's mainly responsible for shoulder strength, mobility, and endurance.

Improves shoulder mobility

When your arms are raised straight up as in the dead hang, this gives the tendon room to move and stretch without getting pinched. This allows you to exercise, stretch, and reshape this tendon and the surrounding muscles and bones.

Corrects posture

Since both your arms are holding the pull up bar, the body’s weight is divided equally between the two. This helps to realign the body, straighten your back and correct any imbalances inadvertently created in the body.

As far as coaching cues go, Peter recommends the following for nailing your dead hang…

1. Begin with a pull-up bar

2. Grasp the bar with a shoulder width (or slightly wider) grip with your palms facing away from your body (overhand grip)

3. Wrap your thumb around the bar

4. Ensure your arms are at a dead hang (straight, no bend in the elbow) you should not feel any muscle engagement from your lats

5. Relax your body while you hang for the desired amount of time – no swinging, no fidgeting. Just focus

For more insights from Peter, why not drop into Zap Fitness Kidman Park or check out Peter’s Facebook page @PVFitnessAdelaide.

– By Prue Houston

Contact Peter Vayne at Zap Fitness Kidman Park

Phone: 0434 921 611

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: PV Fitness

Instagram: PV Fitness