Dead hang for shoulder health, imbalance, and more!

If you looked at my handstand before, my legs were leaning a little bit to the left side. And something was limiting my left shoulder ROM, yet ive always done my mobility/stretching. Now, when i started gymnastics type of training about two and a half years ago, i started simple like so many of you guys here. On my WUps i did 60seconds of dead hangs every time and never had any problems with my shoulders. But as i got stronger and learned a bit, i forgot about the dead hang. Maybe simply because it became so easy - just hanging.

I started getting some weird sensations in my shoulder couple of months ago when i started training nearly on a daily basis and introduced myself to pbars and high bar ie. started taking gymnastics more seriously and in a more demanding way.

I didnt do long (60second) dead hangs for maybe a year, but just now ive been doing them every day for a month, and my back feels alot better, my handstand is almost straight, my biceps have grown alot in a month, and the shoulderpain is gone. Its incredible what just simply hanging from a bar with relaxed back and shoulders can do to you. I cant see it being anything alse that did it. Dead hangs are simply awesome! i never guessed they would fix my handstand too.

Ive read that dead hangs also relieve spinal disk pressure and in some way it also treats nerve roots?

The dead hang is absolute magic. I don't know why it's been forgotten. Back in the day we used to do it in yoga as well, but some how it was forgotten, I think because it might give calluses and requires a minimal amount of grip strength.

Now that we do it regularly at the studio, it's very common to see students just hop up on the bars and hang before class. Something that warms my heart.

At my very regular, very mainstream gym every so often the everyday gym rats get up the courage to ask me about the BtGB workouts I'm doing. Depending on what I'm doing that day I always get them to try something just to let them have a taste of what's going on.

When doing pull ups I have them them just hang for a bit. It's always fun to see the trouble they have just to hang. Since most of them do "pull ups" anyway I tell them to shoot for full extension and always a paused 5-10s hang at the end, not to just throw themselves off the bar.

When doing ring work I just have them jump into support. Again, always fun to see the struggle there just to hold a basic position. The instructive point of value with the rings is the required press of the shoulders down and proper body tension.

When doing handstand work I sometimes try to get them somewhat inverted by using a box depending on eagerness. Always instructive for them to feel the strength need to hold just part of their body weight overhead.

Are we talking pronated, supinated, or neutral?

I also love deadhangs, but never had much major benefit from them until working chin hangs. This seemed to help shoulder flexibility a LOT

phrak said:

Are we talking pronated, supinated, or neutral?

I also love deadhangs, but never had much major benefit from them until working chin hangs. This seemed to help shoulder flexibility a LOT

I alternate between supinated and pronated grips, usually do 30sec both, sometimes just use pronated for 60secs, dont know why, actually

Supinated, Pronated, One arm....just hang out for a bit...

Revive a dead thread time!

How does dead hang compare to other shoulder stretches in terms of effectiveness? Dislocates (Coach Sommer's favourite stretch), German hang, arms against wall and push down, bridges, etc?

I've just tried dead hang with one arm and it feels nice. A nice stretch around the armpit area, especially the lats and even stretches the obliques. I think I'll spend the next couple of weeks doing that and stop with the dislocates and bridges. I'm getting bored of dislocates. And I spent the last twelve months running round in circles.

Sailor Venus said:

I think I'll spend the next couple of weeks doing that and stop with the dislocates and bridges. I'm getting bored of dislocates. And I spent the last twelve months running round in circles.

Dropping the dislocates and bridges is a terrible idea.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

Dropping the dislocates and bridges is a terrible idea.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

What about deadhangs themselves, are they a good idea?

Of course they are excellent.

That is why I have been recommending them for years and also why they are an integral part of the Foundation courses.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

I understand your frustration, but that's like saying you're bored with brushing your teeth so you're not going to do it anymore. It's essential conditioning so you can have healthy shoulders, not something that's fun.

Are you working both grips? Are you using sufficient weight to stimulate the right muscles? Are you doing any supplementary stretching and mobility to help you through your sticking points?

Was just experimenting with German hangs off a chin up bar, hands at nearly twice shoulder width. They hit the pec minor pretty nicely. Normal hangs stretch the lats and the triceps. I'm starting to think the pec minors get in the way of us achieving the shoulder range of motion we want.

thecolin said:

 

I understand your frustration, but that's like saying you're bored with brushing your teeth so you're not going to do it anymore. It's essential conditioning so you can have healthy shoulders, not something that's fun.

 

Are you working both grips? Are you using sufficient weight to stimulate the right muscles? Are you doing any supplementary stretching and mobility to help you through your sticking points?

 

Hmmm. Usings weights sets my anterior deltoids (plus the other deltoids too) on fire, still feels nice though. I tried the other and it feels pretty strange. I had to use more than 2x shoulder width with that unfamiliar grip. Underhand grip is much harder.

Will dislocates by themselves guarantee a shoulder girdle range of motion like Francesca Jones's? As I'm not convinced from experience.

Sailor Venus said:

 

Hmmm. Usings weights sets my anterior deltoids (plus the other deltoids too) on fire, still feels nice though. I tried the other and it feels pretty strange. I had to use more than 2x shoulder width with that unfamiliar grip. Underhand grip is much harder.

 

Will dislocates by themselves guarantee a shoulder girdle range of motion like Francesca Jones's? As I'm not convinced from experience.

If it's a good burn that indicates your muscles are being more strongly activated, that's exactly what you're looking for. You don't need to go crazy, even a few pounds to start so you're not just pumping air. Work your way up to shoulder width (which could take months possibly) without any grinding or popping in the shoulder, then widen your grip and increase the weight and work back to shoulder width over time.

Do the same for the underhand grip. And yes, it feels really awkward starting out.   Keep your hands as wide as they need to be. It seems that most people need to have a much wider grip on these starting out. Just use the same progression as above with a moderate weight.

I don't think dislocates alone will guarantee perfect shoulder alignment, but as I understand it they are the single most important shoulder prehab exercise you should do. Additional exercises like bridge work focusing on thoracic and shoulder extension and shoulder flexion exercises while maintaining a hollow body have been really important for my shoulder development.

I can do a normal pull up hang with no problems, great stretch as discussed. However, when attempting to do it with a chin up grip, I can't actually rotate my arms far enough around. Is this a shoulder ROM issue? 

Probably. Sounds like you lack shoulder external rotation. I find it odd that you have no problem hanging while pronated (pull up grip), but can't even rotate your arms enough to just hang while supinated (chin up grip). Your wrist/forearm flexibility and mobility might be contributing to the lack of ROM, but even so, it shouldn't prevent you from just hanging. Fix the shoulders and free up the surrounding shoulder girdle tissues (especially the lats/pecs) and that should help.

Kyle West said:

Probably. Sounds like you lack shoulder external rotation. I find it odd that you have no problem hanging while pronated (pull up grip), but can't even rotate your arms enough to just hang while supinated (chin up grip). Your wrist/forearm flexibility and mobility might be contributing to the lack of ROM, but even so, it shouldn't prevent you from just hanging. Fix the shoulders and free up the surrounding shoulder girdle tissues (especially the lats/pecs) and that should help.

To clarify, I can hang wtih a supinated grip but after 5 seconds it becomes painful as my forearm feels like it is being forced to rotate.

Ok, everything I said still stands then. As far as your wrist, that happens to everybody, maybe not painful, but everyone's forearms/wrists will have to rotate in order to be able to hang supinated. If you put your hand above your head and externally rotate your arm, you'll end up at about 45 degrees of rotation. A straight bar with a supinated grip rotates the forearm/wrist further to accommodate the extra ROM. That's why a neutral grip/rings/pronated grip is easier on the wrists. This may cause pain for some, but it shouldn't. Most probably just feel a gentle stretch on the wrists while hanging in a supinated position.

BlueLion said:

I can do a normal pull up hang with no problems, great stretch as discussed. However, when attempting to do it with a chin up grip, I can't actually rotate my arms far enough around. Is this a shoulder ROM issue? 

A surprisingly common issue.  Usually indicates tight biceps and lats.

Decrease the load as needed at first by keeping the toes on the ground.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

A surprisingly common issue.  Usually indicates tight biceps and lats.

 

Decrease the load as needed at first by keeping the toes on the ground.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

This is what I did and that sharp forearm pain turned into a wonderful unbearable muscle burn. After about two months of it I'm much more mobile in the shoulder area and the rotation is no problem, so keep at it.

Coach Sommer said:

A surprisingly common issue.  Usually indicates tight biceps and lats.

 

Decrease the load as needed at first by keeping the toes on the ground.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Thanks for the reply Coach. Implementing your suggestions.

I'm having problems with my alignment when doing handstands and believe it has to do with my poor shoulder mobility. I had a shoulder reconstruction about 10 years ago and my left shoulder and now slightly tighter then my right. I am not confident in doing dislocates because of that.

Are the dead hangs a good substitute to help with handstand alignment and greater shoulder ROM? Do you guys have any other exercises that can also help with this problem?

Cheers

Dead hang could be a very interesting exercise to evaluate the handstand shoulders opening without see directly handstand. if you can perform a supine one arm hang without body rotation you should have the necessary shoulders flexibility. i've tested 1 hundred person on that. the only one who had this ability is, by chance (?),  the only one who can demonstrate a perfect hollow handstand. He is my student, and I promote GB movement as primarily conditioning work.

Should you perform dead hangs with your body straight or can you do it on a pull up bar which is lower and requires your legs to bend? I guess the latter isn't as effective.

 

Also would dead hangs be good for someone who has slightly rolled forward shoulders? I guess rows are best to strenghten the traps and pull the shoulders back and down but i can't seem to activate my lower traps with any kind of rowing exercise. My lower traps are weaker than my middle and upper traps apparently.

Sorry to hijack the thread but I was wondering if 1 armed sea hangs were a good idea? I can quite easily hang for 5x60 seconds with 2 hands thanks to climbing ( tested t for fun) I know or climbing being able to hang from 1 arm is a very useful tool but outside of that do you guys think it has other benefits?

alex87 said:

 if you can perform a supine one arm hang without body rotation you should have the necessary shoulders flexibility

 

 

Could you explain why this is?