Gripping Hanging Swinging
Embrace your Inner Ape
Introduction:
Evidence shows that hanging can reshape posture, heal shoulders, and even increase height.
Dr. John M. Kirsch prescribes hanging for patients recommended for shoulder surgery, with 90% avoiding surgery.
Our shoulders evolved for hanging and climbing, but modern lifestyles deprive us of these natural movements.
Benefits of Hanging:
Decompresses the spine, creating space in compressed areas.
Opens up muscles around the shoulder, like lats and chest.
Reshapes bone surrounding the shoulder for more movement freedom.
Increases grip strength, a predictor of mortality.
Strengthens shoulders and core, enhancing overall strength and athleticism.
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Hanging Form and Programming:
Keep shoulders relaxed, ribs pulled down, and head above ribs.
Hands should be shoulder-width apart.
Breathe steadily, expanding the rib cage.
Start with passive hanging, letting gravity stretch you.
Build grip strength gradually; use chalk for better grip.
Take it slow; aim for a 60-second hang.
Hang daily for 3 minutes or every other day for 5-6 minutes.
For regular practice, have a bar or rings at home.
Progressing to One Arm Hanging:
Start with two-arm active hangs.
Progress to one-arm relaxed hangs, initially with feet on the ground.
Train for one-arm active hangs, pulling the body weight with one shoulder.
Practice alternate one-arm hanging for brachiating benefits.
Personal Experience:
The host shares his journey of overcoming shoulder dislocations through hanging and calisthenics.
Emphasizes the importance of gradual progress and comfort.
Conclusion:
Encourages viewers to share their experiences with hanging.
Promotes their "Bulletproof Shoulders" program for further shoulder strengthening.
Go Hang!
Transcript:
[0:00] There's evidence showing that hanging can reshape your posture, heal your shoulders, and even make you taller. Dr. John M. Kirsch reports prescribing hanging to his patients who were recommended for shoulder surgery. 90% ended up not needing surgery just from hanging. So, there's no question that it's healthy, but why? If you look at the structure of our shoulders, it's very clear that we evolved from brachiating apes. Our shoulders are meant for hanging and climbing, and other than apes, we're the only animals with shoulders that can move like this. So, we're only noticing the magic of hanging because we were depriving our bodies of something that they were actually meant to do.
[0:50] We're going to share with you the best method to develop your hanging abilities, but first, what does hanging actually do for the body? It decompresses the spine by using gravity to pull the hips away from the shoulders, creating space in places that are typically more compressed from modern-day lifestyle. This can be very important for those of us who lift weights or work a physically demanding job. It opens up muscles around the shoulder like the lats and chest that can commonly become stiff from sitting at a computer. And it can literally reshape the bone surrounding the shoulder to make more space in the ball and socket to move more freely. But that's not all. It increases grip strength, which is one of the biggest predictors of mortality, meaning the stronger your hands, the less likely you are to die. And if done correctly, it can actually make your shoulders and core more strong and resilient, translating to more strength and athleticism throughout the whole body. With this many benefits, there's really no excuse not to. Let's try it out.
[1:44] First, let's take a look at some of the key points to get the most out of the basic hang: shoulders relaxed and up towards the ears; the ribs are pulled down, achieved by keeping slight tension in the core muscles; head sits right above the ribs; hands shoulder-width apart is optimal, but you can play with this; steady breathing, try to expand the rib cage. Passive hanging is about letting gravity do the stretching for you. Your grip is probably the first thing that's going to give out, but don't worry, the grip gets stronger quickly, and using chalk can help create more friction. Take it slow; you won't heal your shoulder or stiffness in one session. Play the long game and be cautious. It should feel like a nice stretch. Feeling pain or pinching is
not what we're looking for. In that case, consult a medical professional before proceeding.
[2:30] The best place to start is by strengthening your grip and shoulders enough to hang for 60 seconds. Our method is to start by hanging from the bar until you start to fatigue your grip and shoulders, then place your feet down for assistance to make it to the full minute. Some people may need to start with their feet down the whole time, and that's completely fine. As you build up your strength for the full 60-second hang, you can intermittently lift the toes and then place them back down. You'll be surprised at how fast your body gains this strength and achieves the one-minute hang. Relaxed hanging can be done every day, but if you choose to go this path, don't overdo it. Keep each session nice and light, only 3 minutes a day, or try 5 to 6 minutes every other day. This is accumulated, not all at one time.
[3:14] Now, obviously, the question of how can I hang regularly comes to mind. If your only pull-up bar is a 15-minute drive to the gym, then you probably won't be hanging super often. This is why we think it's great to have a bar or rings to hang from at home. Make it easy, accessible for yourself with less barriers. If you're interested in this method, check out our video on the best at-home pull-up bar setups.
[3:38] But the work doesn't stop here. Two-arm hanging is great, but remember, we evolved from brachiating apes that didn't just hang, they swing and climb and they're constantly moving through trees. We need to hang from one arm, and we need to be strong enough to move from a one-arm hang. If you watch someone brachiate from bars, their shoulders are going from relaxed to active positions constantly. If you can do the monkey bars at the park with your kids, then congratulations, you're very unique. Most adults have lost the ability to do this, and it's very valuable to build it back. And the thing about brachiating is that pull-ups will not help you. You have to have control of your shoulders and scapula without the help of the elbows.
[4:20] [Sponsorship Segment]
[5:09] And now back to unlocking the one-arm hang. So, we need to gain more control of our shoulder. We start with a two-arm active hang. In a relaxed hang, actively pull the shoulders down away from the ears, resist bending at the elbows. Feel the shoulder and shoulder blade move downward while your chest moves upward. Keep your ribs pulled down and resist overarching the spine here. Start by holding
this active position for 10 seconds. To progress, you can start to do reps, moving from passive into active and back. We can combine our active hanging with a one-arm relaxed hang. If you can do a two-arm hang for 60 seconds, you should be able to do at least 10 seconds on one arm, but your first time exploring, keep your feet on the ground. It's a lot more demanding on your grip and shoulder. Training the combination of these two sets us up to progress towards our Monkey Bar style of hanging.
[6:55] The one-arm active hang is much harder because you're asking one shoulder to depress and pull your whole body weight upwards. It can take some time to get here; don't rush, and once again, the transition should be through keeping the feet on the ground. Once you feel comfortable hanging on one arm and pulling the shoulder down actively, you're prepared to explore.
[7:10] Now, most parks don't have great Monkey Bar setups for adults, and if you do have one, then go have fun. But one way we can get the same benefits is one-arm alternate hanging. Start in a two-arm hang and let go with one hand. Allow the shoulder to relax so that the resting shoulder is far below the working shoulder, then actively pull the relaxed shoulder back up using those same muscles we used in the active hang previously to pull the other hand back to the bar. Begin by reaching the other hand down to the head so you can alternate quickly. As you progress, you can reach the other hand down towards the pockets or even the thighs to accentuate the movement.
[7:49] So here's a basic one-arm hanging program that you can adjust to your level. We'll post it in the pin comments below. You can combine your daily passive hangs with a couple of days of one-arm hanging for time efficiency. These work great for warming up for a training session.
[8:00] I had some shoulder injuries when I was 18 that led to me having surgery, but I still had shoulder dislocations into my late 20s. I started to think it was just going to be this way my whole life until I started using more non-traditional rehab methods along with basic calisthenics. I started using hanging. I progressed very slowly and didn't push myself beyond comfort. Over time, my shoulders became more resilient, and I started to impress myself with what I was capable of. Now, my shoulder dislocations are a thing of the past, and I feel healthy and strong. What I learned is that bringing back necessary functionality of my body actually helped it heal.
[8:35] Have you experienced the magic of hanging? Are you planning to? Leave us a comment below. If you want more help with strengthening your shoulders to become strong and functional, then check out our program, Bulletproof Shoulders. Link in the description below. Appreciate y'all, as always.