If you’ve scrolled through TikTok lately, there’s a very good chance you’ve seen dozens of fitness influencers doing a common dead hang.
Hanging from a bar may not look like it’s going to do much for you. But as it turns out, performing a dead hang comes with a bevy of benefits
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What Is a Dead Hang?
Think of the position you hold right before doing a pull-up: you hold onto the overhead bar with your arms extended, and your feet off the ground.
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According to Johnny Loreti, a certified strength and conditioning coach and owner of Back Bay Fit and BTT Back Bay, dead hangs help to elongate the spine due to the pull of gravity.
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Performing the dead hang in a more active compression by pulling your shoulders down and away from your ears to engage your lats and lower traps helps improve shoulder stability and strength
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This is also particularly beneficial for athletes who participate in sports that require a strong grip, such as rock climbing or gymnastics
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While a dead hang is primarily an upper body movement, Loreti notes that it can also activate your core in a major way.
Avoid doing it if you have shoulder/wrist injury, have a spine condition or have little overhead mobility