Weighted Dead Hang
Decompresses the spine and loads the shoulder at full overhead range — the cheapest overhead flexibility work there is
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Stand on a box under a pull-up bar. Grip overhand with the hands about shoulder width. Add load with a dip belt only when a bodyweight hang is easy.
The rep
Step off the box and hang with straight arms. Let the shoulders rise to the ears as you settle in, then gently pull them down a little so the hang is active rather than slumped. Relax the ribs and breathe slowly for thirty seconds. Step back onto the box to finish rather than dropping.
On the exercise card
- Let the shoulders rise to the ears, then gently pull down
- Relax the ribs
- Step off, do not drop
- Tempo
- settle in
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| Dropping off at the end | Step back onto the box. Dropping on tired shoulders is an easy way to jar them. |
| Arching the back | Relax the ribs down and let the legs hang straight. |
| Gripping too wide | Shoulder width lets the shoulders reach their full range. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- Feet resting lightly on the box to take some weight, or a shorter hang.
- Harder
- Added load, or a longer hang.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
It loads the shoulder at full overhead range and lets the spine lengthen, and all it needs is a bar and thirty seconds. Seven programs use it: AFL, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, general fitness, bodybuilding and bodyweight training.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFL | Upper Power | 2 × 30s hold | BW or +load |
| Soccer | Upper + Core | 2 × 30s hold | BW or +load |
| Basketball | Upper + Trunk | 2 × 30s hold | BW or +load |
| Gymnastics | Shoulders + Core | 2 × 30s hold | BW or +load |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Region
- Full body
- Classified as
- Mobility
- Prescribed in
- AFL · soccer · basketball · gymnastics · general fitness · bodybuilding · bodyweight training
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Towel Pull-Up | Thick grip pulling — judo / BJJ / climber gi-strength |
| Fat-Grip DB Row | Wide-grip row — forearm + lat strength |
| Wrist Roller | Forearm endurance — striker / climber |
| Plate Pinch Hold | Pinch grip — thumb + finger strength |
| Farmer Carry (heavy) | Bilateral grip + trunk under load |
| Single-Arm Farmer Carry | Anti-lateral-flexion + grip |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
Your first month is free, with nothing to pay today. Then A$24.99/month, cancel any time. On the App Store and Google Play.
- Install itFree to download on iPhone and Android.
- Tell it how you playYour sport, your season, the nights you train and the kit you have. No account needed.
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