aHumans are a species that has lived for a long time, and there is scientific disagreement as to when our ancestors stopped living. Moving along the treetops – but According to a recent study Shoulder rotation and elbow extension originally developed to help us climb more efficiently, and we’ve never fully abandoned it.
Over the past few decades, people have rediscovered an ancestral love of hanging, whether it be CrossFit, obstacle races, ninja warriors, or even gladiators, all of which remind us of the pure joy of hanging from a bar, tree branch, or ring. But even if you’re not into strength training, Salmon Ladder Hanging every now and then is a great way to improve your skills, and it’s one of the easiest things you can do at home.
First, and perhaps most obviously, hanging requires (and develops) a great deal of grip strength, which goes beyond simply opening a jar. more than A study There are indications that good grip strength is a reliable biomarker of aging and a predictor of future disease and disability. It is not entirely clear which side of the spectrum this relationship is causal in. Good grip strength is likely closely related to overall strength. Good predictor of all-cause mortality – But if your grip is weak Symptoms of “prematurely” aged cellsrather than the cause. That being said, if you can A stronger grip never hurts, and it will also help with exercises like the deadlift, which is a full-body exercise in which you lift a very heavy bar off the floor, helping to develop full-body functional strength.
Hanging from a bar as you move downwards might also benefit your shoulders: “Many people find that dead hangs (hanging from something with straight arms and letting the rest of your body hang) increase mobility and stability in the shoulders, helping to prevent injury,” says personal trainer. Mike Jurhom“It also strengthens upper body muscles like the latissimus dorsi and trapezius in your mid and upper back, helping to address some of the posture problems that can come from sitting at a desk all day. It also strengthens the core muscles you use to stabilize your body while hanging.” Orthopedic surgeon Dr. John M. Kirsch says he has cured several patients with shoulder problems (including himself) by hanging, but the results are entirely anecdotal and no doubt more research is needed.
Dead hangs also seem to gently relieve pressure on the spine, which feels great if you’ve been sitting all day or squatting with a heavy barbell on your back. Recent Research “Dead hangs have been shown to increase back flexibility, especially if you have a significant spinal curvature,” says strength and conditioning expert Rachel McPherson. “However, depending on your spinal health, it’s not necessarily a good idea to jump straight into dead hangs,” she says. “For example, people with scoliosis are often advised to train in a ‘semi-hanging’ position with their feet on the floor.”
So where do you start? First, you need a place to lounge. If possible, it’s best to get a pull-up bar in your home. There are plenty of options available, from ones that can be removed in seconds to semi-permanent ones that will fit most door frames. “I keep a bar on my stairs, and it’s so easy to just hang for a minute in the morning and a minute before you go to bed at night,” says strength and movement coach. John Nicholson“I also have rings that I hang on a tree in my yard, but I hardly ever use them because the kids want to hang them up.” If you start installing hanging options in your kitchen, garage or anywhere, you’ll find that the number of hanging items will increase.
One great option from here is to get into the habit of hanging for a few seconds every time you pop into the kitchen for a cup of tea, go to the toilet, etc. If your strength or weight makes it difficult for you to hang for more than 20 seconds, start with something easier.
“You can adjust the resistance by placing the bar or rings low or by creating a small step under your feet so that your feet touch the ground when you squat,” says personal trainer Amanda Grimm. “You can adjust the intensity by slowly lifting your feet so only your toes touch the floor.”
Nicholson says it’s also worth spending some time on both “passive” and “active” hangs. “An active hang is one where you pull your shoulders back and down, whereas a passive hang is one where you just hang without exerting any extra force,” he says. “One easy way to categorize upper body movements is as a push or a pull. So if you think of the plank as an exercise that engages the major muscles as you push something away from your body, an active hang engages the muscles as you pull something toward your body. It’s the first movement in a pull-up or chin-up, so it’s great for rock climbers and swimmers looking to build shoulder strength, or for those looking to do their first chin-up.” (For starters, most serious pull-up doers visualize a chin-up with their palms facing in, which engages the biceps a little, whereas a pull-up focuses on the back muscles, with the hands facing away.)
Once you’ve got those two tips down (sorry), you can start to think about incorporating more demanding variations of the movement. But don’t rush into it too quickly. “Training is about your body adapting to the stimuli you give it, so it’s important to think ‘outcome’ and not ‘output,'” says Nicholson. “You can’t just hang for 60 seconds once and think, ‘OK, I can do that, I don’t need to do it again.’ That’s output but little to no result. Think about the benefits (grip strength, shoulder health, etc.) of hanging for 60 seconds several times a day for 30 days or more.”
Once you’ve mastered this, you’ll be better prepared for more difficult moves like brachiating, where you swing from hold to hold like a gibbon, or chin-ups. Eventually, you might even progress to “muscle-ups,” where you pull yourself up over the bar and push yourself up while keeping your arms straight, or “ratchets,” where you jump from bar to bar with both hands at the same time. But don’t worry if you can’t achieve such circus moves: even the simplest hanging has plenty of benefits. “I think dead hangs are a great time to focus on breathing, meditation, and mindfulness,” says Grimm. “It helps to calm the body and actually helps you hold on for longer.”
“This is one of the first things I get people to do,” says Nicholson. “Most people complain that their hands hurt and absolutely refuse to hang out for sets. So I say, yeah, you’ve got to buy a bar at home and do this all the time. And those who do are hooked within a month. The first thing they do when they walk into the gym, before they even talk to me, is hang from the bar. Once you get through the first few days, you’ll feel amazing.” Give it a try, and reconnect with your ancient ancestors. But my best advice: teeth Use of thumbs is permitted.
Battleground States
Once you can hang for 30 to 60 seconds several times a day, it’s time to add more active hanging to your arsenal.
Scapular Suspension
These activate some of the muscles used in a “normal” pull-up, but without as much strain. Start in a dead hang, then do a reverse “shrug” by squeezing your shoulder blades together, lifting your body slightly upwards. Hold at the top position, then lower yourself down.
Kip Swing
This is a simplified version of the swing gymnasts use to make their moves more impressive, but don’t try it with a bar unless you’re securely fastened to a wall or squat rack. It involves two positions: “hollow body,” where your body is behind the bar and your feet are forward; “superman,” where your chest is out and your feet are back. Do it with control, and feel the stretch in your shoulders.
Shake left and right
Again, don’t do this on a wobbly bar. Gently rock your hips from side to side, gaining momentum to take your weight off one arm. At the top of the swing, quickly lift one hand off the bar and then back again to swing it to the other side.
Brachiation
There are two ways to tackle the traditional monkey bars: the bent elbow method is fast but tiring, and the extended arm method is more efficient but takes practice. Try both.
