Dead Hang
Trains the upper back. No equipment needed. None of our programs use it yet, but you can add it to any session you build.
Free to use. The app times the hold, times your rest and remembers every set.
In the programs
None of our programs use the Dead Hang
It is in the app, so you can add it to any session and log it like anything else. It is just not written into one of our 50 free programs. If you want a upper back exercise that is, there are 13 on the Upper Back page.
Muscles worked
What Dead Hang trains
Technique
How to do the Dead Hang
- Stand below a pull-up bar and grasp it with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Use a box or bench to reach the bar if needed.
- Lift your feet off the floor so you are hanging with your arms fully extended and your body relaxed and straight.
- Hold the position for the desired duration, keeping your grip firm and your shoulders engaged.
- Lower your feet back to the floor or box with control to finish.
Form cues
Getting it right
- Keep your shoulders slightly engaged by pulling them gently away from your ears rather than hanging completely slack.
- Breathe steadily and evenly throughout the hold.
- Build up your hang time gradually as your grip strength improves.
- Avoid swinging; keep your body still and your core lightly braced.
Substitutes
Swap Dead Hang for
The app's swap picker ranks these the same way: same muscles, similar movement, similar equipment.
Let the app run the Dead Hang for you
Durata times the hold, times your rest and puts last session's time in front of you, so you always know the number to beat. That works on any of our 50 free programs, or on a session you put together yourself.