Dead Hang challenge?
Discussion
How long can you do ?
My PT got me doing dead hangs at our last session a few weeks back, I managed a minute, found it beneficial but getting somewhere to do it at the gym isnt always easy so got a bar off Amazon and mounted it near the back door. Its very sturdy being on eight pretty beefy screws so quite reassuring.
Skinned my knuckle tightening a bolt so couldn't grip properly until it healed a bit as it kept splitting so had to wait, done the last two days and can do 1.15 now. Got a little app on my phone that gives you a countdown and then beeps every x seconds so you can work out how long you have been there, got it set for 15 seconds.
Aiming for two minutes, am 55, 91 kilos, I go to the gym and am quite good at lat pull downs as otherwise I dont think I could have managed that long without that, thought it was a bit feeble but 1.15 is actually alright. World record is I think 1 hour and 21 seconds !
Its weird, its one of those things that you think is dead easy, most folk manage 15/20 seconds, some cant do it at all. Think we think back to school and the monkey bars in PE when stuff like that was easy but then you were maybe 45 kilos and had the grip strength of a Chimpanzee.
Its apparently really beneficial for posture, grip strength, stretches your spine and shoulder mobility, grip strength is a bit indicator for health and longevity.
My PT got me doing dead hangs at our last session a few weeks back, I managed a minute, found it beneficial but getting somewhere to do it at the gym isnt always easy so got a bar off Amazon and mounted it near the back door. Its very sturdy being on eight pretty beefy screws so quite reassuring.
Skinned my knuckle tightening a bolt so couldn't grip properly until it healed a bit as it kept splitting so had to wait, done the last two days and can do 1.15 now. Got a little app on my phone that gives you a countdown and then beeps every x seconds so you can work out how long you have been there, got it set for 15 seconds.
Aiming for two minutes, am 55, 91 kilos, I go to the gym and am quite good at lat pull downs as otherwise I dont think I could have managed that long without that, thought it was a bit feeble but 1.15 is actually alright. World record is I think 1 hour and 21 seconds !
Its weird, its one of those things that you think is dead easy, most folk manage 15/20 seconds, some cant do it at all. Think we think back to school and the monkey bars in PE when stuff like that was easy but then you were maybe 45 kilos and had the grip strength of a Chimpanzee.
Its apparently really beneficial for posture, grip strength, stretches your spine and shoulder mobility, grip strength is a bit indicator for health and longevity.
J4CKO said:
Wow, when was that ?
Last year at some point. The gym did a little thing where the longest dead hang got some free kit, wrist wraps or something. I didn't win, think I was beaten by a few seconds. I've done a 1m10s single arm too. Like I say, I had much better grip strength at the time but your average hobbyist climber would beat that quite easily. We have a challenge at work where you hang on the end of a crane while it moves out and back in. Total operation takes about 2:30. So far in 10+ years only three people have completed it. Most people make it just past the half-way point, around 1:30-1:40 and then drop as their grip just goes. We had one guy who was a avid climber, he could have just hung there all day if he wanted. He had a high strength to weight ratio, and was well conditioned to hanging with his arms above his head. It's made a little harder given you need to hold an edge with finger tips, rather than wrapping your hands around a pull up bar, but it is the blood loss and grip loss from the arms which gets people.
When I used to climb regularly, I easily got over 3 minutes. Forget the exact time, but you'd expect if you're spending 5 hours hanging off your fingertips every 2-3 days, you're going to be able to do dead hangs and pullups with between 1 and 5 digits per hand. The 3 minute hang was also not with a proper grip, just off the fingers (open hands).
Nowadays, I do more functional stuff to suit tennis and other sports, so probably over a minute... when my tennis elbow isn't there.
That all said, since I can't prove what has happened in the past when I was at my peak, I'm going to say my record was 84 days.
Nowadays, I do more functional stuff to suit tennis and other sports, so probably over a minute... when my tennis elbow isn't there.
That all said, since I can't prove what has happened in the past when I was at my peak, I'm going to say my record was 84 days.
horsemeatscandal said:
J4CKO said:
Wow, when was that ?
Last year at some point. The gym did a little thing where the longest dead hang got some free kit, wrist wraps or something. I didn't win, think I was beaten by a few seconds. I've done a 1m10s single arm too. Like I say, I had much better grip strength at the time but your average hobbyist climber would beat that quite easily. 
TX.
Hoofy said:
Nice one.
It's a combination of strength and weight. If you removed your legs, you would be lighter so could hang for longer.
Yeah, but couldnt get on the bar It's a combination of strength and weight. If you removed your legs, you would be lighter so could hang for longer.
I work from home so I go and flick the kettle on and whilst it boils go and hang off the bar, first one is always a bit feeble but managed 45 secs on the second one again.
Was 200.6 pounds today so quite heavy for dead hangs, does seem to be beneficial though and makes me want to drop weight to see if I can improve.
If you have space for one I think its worth doing, back does feel better for it, not that it was bad but the odd niggle, cost me £41 off Amazon and £12 for a cheap aerobic step to get onto it.
Makes you realise in films and on TV how much is trickery or just how strong and light some folk are, worked with a guy who swore, at about 19 stone he could have a good go at the Ninja Warrior course, easy to say from a comfy chair but reality is very different, like the guy at work who reckons he can beat any assailant or martial artist by "kicking them in the b
ks". Us blokes can be full of s
t about stuff like this cant we ?I do remember at my peak of climbing fitness, I was crossing from one wall to another, and for a moment just hung there like Ethan Hunt with my arms straight. That is how you rest your arms in climbing, though - with arms straight. And then you bring your legs up to the next hold.
CSR Performance said:
For both seconds.
I just read this thread and thought I’d have a go. As someone who’s never done any upper body strength training I knew I’d be st, but we do have a pull up bar I installed ages ago in the vain hope I’d get more into strength training!
For the record; 48yrs old, 6’2” and weigh 13st. Should really be better at it but I’ve also got one knackered shoulder that won’t hold out for very long. Managed 38s before my fingers and left shoulder gave out. I won’t be doing any action movie style muscle-ups any time soon!!
t, but we do have a pull up bar I installed ages ago in the vain hope I’d get more into strength training! For the record; 48yrs old, 6’2” and weigh 13st. Should really be better at it but I’ve also got one knackered shoulder that won’t hold out for very long. Managed 38s before my fingers and left shoulder gave out. I won’t be doing any action movie style muscle-ups any time soon!!
BigMon said:
I can almost do a minute but no more.
I'm worried about straining something now I'm in my mid fifties though.
I'm 6ft 6 and 15.5 stone.
Age isn't an issue if you've been training regularly. I was doing dead hangs for minutes in my 40s. Now in my 50s, I'd give it a go right now but my tennis elbow is holding me back. And they say exercise is good for you.I'm worried about straining something now I'm in my mid fifties though.
I'm 6ft 6 and 15.5 stone.
Hoofy said:
BigMon said:
I can almost do a minute but no more.
I'm worried about straining something now I'm in my mid fifties though.
I'm 6ft 6 and 15.5 stone.
Age isn't an issue if you've been training regularly. I was doing dead hangs for minutes in my 40s. Now in my 50s, I'd give it a go right now but my tennis elbow is holding me back. And they say exercise is good for you.I'm worried about straining something now I'm in my mid fifties though.
I'm 6ft 6 and 15.5 stone.
I do this occasionally at the gym. It does seem to help with back aches/pain.
Normally somewhere between 1 and 1.5 minutes. 52 and 85kg. I try to do this at the start of a gym session, as at the end of the session it always seems to be much harder. Occasionally I will do a few reps with 1 min rest in-between, the hangs get much harder doing this.
Normally somewhere between 1 and 1.5 minutes. 52 and 85kg. I try to do this at the start of a gym session, as at the end of the session it always seems to be much harder. Occasionally I will do a few reps with 1 min rest in-between, the hangs get much harder doing this.
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