It may come as a surprise, but grip strength is one of the most important measures of overall health. Defined as "the amount of force you have when you clench your hand around an object," according to the Cleveland Clinic, it's a marker of chronic disease risk, immune system health, mental health and even how long you might live.
The dead hang - an exercise in which you hang from a bar overhead with your arms fully extended, your body in a straight line and your feet off the ground - is one metric that can be used to measure how much grip strength you have and also improve it.
But if you've tried dead hangs before and couldn't hold on to the bar for more than a few seconds - or you're reading this and thinking there's no way you'd even be able to do a dead hang at all - don't fret!
We've compiled a list of reasons you might not be able to hang on to the bar for long during your head hang - plus exercises you can do to help.
One of the main reasons you may struggle to hold on to the bar for very long during your dead hang is weak grip strength. Your forearm muscles dictate how strong your grip is (or isn't). To strengthen your forearms - and therefore improve your grip strength - add the following exercises into your routine.
Another contributing factor to not being able to hold a dead hang is a large back muscle known as the latissimus dorsi ("lats" for short). To do a dead hang, you need to activate your lats, so if this muscle is weak, the exercise may be hard to do. To strengthen your lats, add the following exercise into your routine.
Your core (which includes both your abdominal muscles and low back muscles) also plays a big part in the ability to perform a dead hang because your core muscles attach the upper half of your body to your lower half. This is important because your core transfers forces between the two to help your entire body stay still and stable during the dead hang. To strengthen your core, add the following exercise into your routine.
Finally, weak glutes and adductors can contribute to the challenge of a dead hang. When you're doing a dead hang, squeezing your hips and glutes during the duration of it is important so your body doesn't swing. Keeping these muscles braced will help you hold the move longer. To strengthen your glutes and adductors, add the following exercise into your routine.
Another suggestion for improving your dead hang is to try multiple grip variations. Below are a few different options you can try.
A pronated grip is when your palms are facing away from you. This is the same grip you'd use if you were doing a pull-up. This grip relies mostly on your forearm and lat strength and is the most difficult way to hold a bar.
A supinated grip is when your palms are facing in toward you. This is the same type of grip you'd use if you were doing a chin-up. This grip relies mostly on your biceps, but your lats and forearms are involved too. This grip reduces the strength needed in your lats because your biceps are doing a lot of the work. This grip is normally easier than a pronated grip.
A mixed grip is when one palm is facing in toward you and the other palm is facing away from you. This alternated hand position may make you feel more "locked-in" and secure on the bar.
A closed grip is when your palms are facing away from you, your fingers are wrapped around the top of the bar and your thumb is wrapped underneath the bar. This is the safest grip choice and it best maximizes your grip strength.
Also called a false or thumbless grip, this is when your palms are facing away from you and your fingers and thumb are all wrapped around the top of the bar. This type of grip is harder than the closed grip because you don't have your thumb wrapped underneath the bar for more security.
A hook grip very similar to a closed grip where your palms are facing away from you, your fingers are wrapped around the top of the bar and your thumb is wrapped underneath the bar. The difference, however, is your thumb is wrapped so far underneath the bar that you can grab it with your index and middle fingers. This locks your thumb under your fingers to further promote security during the dead hang, but it can be uncomfortable at first.