Hang in There

I completed 35 tactical pull ups at the TSC. I was on the bar for close to three-and-a-half minutes in order to accomplish this many reps. I used one variation of the pull up to help me reach this lifetime best: hanging. Shocker right? I feel that an athlete instinctively knows he or she must be able to hang in order to perform a pull up. It's logical. If you can't hang, you can't do a pull up. But too often its overlooked since the "focus" is to do more pull ups. There is also a lot of glamour out there when it comes to pull ups. Frenchies, typewriters, one arm, fingers, etc. will flood your social media feed if you let it. Don't get me wrong, all those variations are great and fun for those who can do them. But the hang is at the core of all those, and it's so easy. Well, let me rephrase. It is simple.

I have applied the hang by itself and within a pull up set. Both are great and work. Do pull ups, then hang. Hang, then do pull ups. Hang, then pull up, then hang again. It almost becomes like a game which can increase your motivation to do an otherwise monotonous task. Plus, you reap the benefits of decompressing your spine and opening up your shoulders for other things like overhead work. Win.

I have to mention the impact that grip has on pull ups. When it comes to doing any task that requires manipulation with the hands, grip is a major factor for success or failure.

There are many receptors in the hands that constantly give the brain feedback. The brain uses this information to make decisions on how to distribute energy. For example, does the brain allow the upper body muscles to keep performing pull ups, or start to shut off the power if it's sensing that grip is being lost? If the brain senses that grip is secure, then everything else can keep right on going as there is no danger of losing grip. Hanging also acclimates that the hands to pain accompanying hanging. Have you ever struggled to grip something because it's hurting your hands? Yeah, chances are you were indeed strong enough to hold onto it, but the pain-signals your brain was receiving were strong enough to shut down your grip power. Repeatedly subjecting the hands to hanging will desensitize the pain receptors to the brain. Yes it still might hurt, but the brain is conditioned for this to be "normal," and you keep your grip strength.

If you want to do a big set of pull ups, then hanging will check almost all the boxes needed to do so. Hanging covers everything: mobility, confidence, strength, endurance, pain tolerance, and grip. After hanging for over 3 minutes while doing pull ups, I can tell you all those are not just luxuries but requirements. Especially the pain tolerance part...