Dead Hang
A hold from a pull-up bar on straight arms, timed rather than counted. It trains grip endurance and lets the shoulders and lats lengthen under your bodyweight. Choose it to build the grip for pull-ups and heavy pulls, or as a short shoulder stretch at the end of a session.
Updated
Primary muscles: Forearms. Equipment: Bodyweight, Pull-up bar.
Muscles worked
Primary
Equipment
How to do it
- Stand under a pull-up bar, on a box if you can't reach it.
- Grip the bar overhand with the hands about shoulder-width apart and the thumbs wrapped around.
- Step off and hang on straight elbows, bending the knees if the feet touch the floor.
- Let the shoulders rise toward the ears only as far as feels comfortable.
- Keep the legs together and the body still under the bar.
- Hold for the target time, then step back down under control.
Watch for
- Swinging or kicking the legs.
- Bending the elbows to make the hang easier.
- Sharp pain at the front of the shoulder (pull the shoulders down slightly or end the set).
Breathing
Breathe slowly and steadily for the whole hang; don't hold your breath.
Tip
Build up in sets of 20 to 30 seconds, and stop each set before the grip slips.
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