HLL - Open or closed shoulders?

[Longshanks]

I just started these this week and by the end of the first set my lats felt like they were getting a really good stretch since I didn't tighten them. I wasn't sure if this is right or not since it doesn't say to contract your shoulders down in the book, and I know the aim is to hit the core as much as possible and not the lats. Do you contract the lats or not on this one?

[Blairbob]

Strive to keep the shoulder angle as open as possible. This is easier when doing them on a bar next to a wall or set of stall/swedish bars. It's somewhat possible on a regular bar but you have to be very mindful about keeping them open (aka not cheating).

[Animalonfire]

Ido had a blog post on this as-well http://idoportal.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html I like the one arm version because it doesn't require Stahl bars. I think hardest of all would be one arm stahl under-grip(with tempo and weighted of course), but theoretically it isn't much harder than a perfectly performed no frills HLL.

[Longshanks]

Thanks for Ido re-post. Those one arm ones look sick! Think it'll be a few years before I'm doing them...

[Ortprod]

Ya, the one arm ones are quite hard on the shoulder girdle.

[Longshanks]

I think after reading through Ido's advice a bit more thoroughly I like the idea of a 5sec hold at the top of the ROM for the full HLL. Although I'm not up to that ROM yet I'd be tempted to do the 5sec hold at the top of my ROM (about a 45degrees off the top) once I'm capable of it.

[Alexander Moreen]

I'm curious, shoulders extended(full dead hang, shoulder by my ear) or retracted and pulled down for a one arm HLL? With extended I always twist away from the arm holding the bar, doesn't feel any harder or easier though.