Increasing Your Dead Hang Time
Q: "I have recently come out of a lay off from training. I now know what I want to put all of my training toward: I want to have the longest dead hang time possible. How long can I just hang on the bar? My muscles just do not seem to have that juice and fire power that they did 5 weeks ago. Do you have any suggestions or advice about any of this?"
-Johann
My Answer: For dead hang time, it's more about isometric strength, or holding yourself in a static position. There are 3 factors involved in dead hangs:
1) Grip Strength- This is fairly obvious. What I suggest you do is work on your isometric grip strength. Do some fat bar training if you have access to that equipment. If not, then do some plate pinches. Do some farmer's walks as well.
2) Dead Hang Form- The easiest way to hang is to let your arms and body hang straight down. Don't move or sway a lot. Just take a shoulder width grip. Anything wider than shoulder-width makes it harder on you.
3) Breathing and Contracting- You have to breathe in a slow and relaxed manner, but contract your upper body muscles. Make sure that you make each breathe last as long as you can. When you exhale, tighten your grip and your abs.
When you train to prolong your dead hang time, don't go to failure. Hang on the bar for as long as you can, but as soon as you feel your grip loosening, then it's time to stop. Rest for 10-20 seconds, then get back on. Keep repeating until you can no longer hold yourself for even 10 seconds. Once you've reached that point, it's time to stop and end that exercise. Try to do this every day. Test your dead hang time once a week.
-Johann
My Answer: For dead hang time, it's more about isometric strength, or holding yourself in a static position. There are 3 factors involved in dead hangs:
1) Grip Strength- This is fairly obvious. What I suggest you do is work on your isometric grip strength. Do some fat bar training if you have access to that equipment. If not, then do some plate pinches. Do some farmer's walks as well.
2) Dead Hang Form- The easiest way to hang is to let your arms and body hang straight down. Don't move or sway a lot. Just take a shoulder width grip. Anything wider than shoulder-width makes it harder on you.
3) Breathing and Contracting- You have to breathe in a slow and relaxed manner, but contract your upper body muscles. Make sure that you make each breathe last as long as you can. When you exhale, tighten your grip and your abs.
When you train to prolong your dead hang time, don't go to failure. Hang on the bar for as long as you can, but as soon as you feel your grip loosening, then it's time to stop. Rest for 10-20 seconds, then get back on. Keep repeating until you can no longer hold yourself for even 10 seconds. Once you've reached that point, it's time to stop and end that exercise. Try to do this every day. Test your dead hang time once a week.
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