Intentional Stress Challenge: Dead Hang

Progressive challenge series to improve the skill of dead hanging.

Everyone is busy. It can often be difficult to fit an hour of exercise or any form of personal time into each day. I love quick forms of intentional stress for this reason. A few minutes can always be found to give yourself a small win and the opportunity to practice self-care.

There may not be a quicker way to reach elite levels of intentional physical stress than the dead hang (you climbers than can hang for thirty minutes to an hour don’t count).

To perform a standard dead hang, use a secure overhead bar that you’re able to reach or get to without jumping. Keeping your arms shoulder width apart, grip the bar with an overhand (palms facing away from you) grip. While keeping your elbows straight, allow your body to begin hanging without your feet touching any surface. 

Dead hangs offer many benefits: grip strength, spinal decompression, shoulder mobility, posture support, upper body flexibility, minimization of muscular imbalances, and muscular endurance training of the core, arm, and back regions. 

As with almost all the forms of intentional stress, the reported physical benefits are significant but the greatest value comes from the opportunity to develop resilience and strengthen the mind. Dead hangs will test your soul. They’ll physically cause fatigue within seconds for the average person, especially in the hands and forearms. As the discomfort quickly builds in these small muscles, the emotional centers in your brain will begin setting off alarms and encouraging you to drop. 

Resist that urge. 

Walk up to the bar knowing you’re about to experience some pain and decide beforehand that you’re going to push through it by focusing on your breathing, repeating a phrase, visualizing success, or some other effective strategy. Even if it’s just for five extra seconds, the practice of delaying response between emotions and subsequent action is everything.