Bars.....for Hanging

This weeks post was inspired by the devastation I brought to my hands last week on the way to 200 pulls in a scheduled work out. By 130, my hands were shredded; really bad shape for whatever reason.

Needless to say, kipping pull ups were out of the question for the balance of the week, considering my palms. By mid-week they were clearly on the mend, but still could not stand up to major pull up work.

So to combat my withdrawl from the bar, instead of pulling, I just HUNG from it....and....HUNG....and.....HUNG!

Bar hangs or Pull up holds are a perfect exercise to help you work on your grip strength and to work on the scapular muscles in your back. Many of us have weak spots in our grips and our scapular, the latter which stablizes the shoulder blades and provides the foundation for so many other upper body exercises. Weakness in this area can limit your ability to perform at maximum levels with outher upper body lifts like a simple bench press.

For a simple bar hang, all you have to do is grab onto a pull-up bar, like you're going to do some pull-ups, and just hang for as long as you can. Don't re-grip, just hold on as long as you can with your initial grip. This will work your hands, fingers and will torch your forearms. Grip strength, of course, will provide for better results in many other activities, lifts and sports.

To get your back into the act, pull your chest up to the bar and hold for 20 to 30 seconds. When this becomes routine, add weight by using a vest or a dumbbell.

Several lessons learned this week. 200 pulls was pushing too hard and I need to embrace my own advice and not push to failure/maximum too often. Second, as always the case, with a little creativity, something good came out of my banged up palms.....a hanging contest in this case.