For those of you hanging loose already from yesterday's challenge, the second of ten, I wanted to add a little more depth to your experience. Dangling is a super exercise, as are most of those selected for this 10 week challenge, and it's worth understanding why. So let's dig.
Regrettably, while I’ve done pulling exercises as far back as I can remember, I only adopted dangling later in life. I could feel the accumulated constriction caused by desk work, and found it more and more difficult to release with basic stretching exercises. Gravity is a bitch, and sometimes the best course for keeping her in check, is the infamous slap.
Dangling is a no-nonsense, high load exercise that makes it damn near impossible for your tissues to resist. The weight of the lower body pulls the hips away from the shoulders, and forces the release of muscles molded to round the back and compress the spine. Which brings me to the first of its incredible benefits:
Spinal Decompression
Dangling, or hanging from a bar, decompresses the spine by allowing gravity to gently create space between the vertebrae, relieving pressure on intervertebral discs and spinal nerves. This decompression is more than just immediate relief—it can trigger the body’s natural healing processes. By reducing mechanical stress on discs, dangling promotes rehydration and nutrient absorption, potentially reversing early degenerative changes and restoring the spine’s resilience.
Similar to chiropractic realignment, it alleviates nerve impingement and enhances joint mobility, but it also stimulates long-term healing by improving blood flow, reducing inflammation, and encouraging better posture. Over time, this simple practice can support natural alignment, improve spinal health, and foster deep recovery from the stresses of modern life.
You’re an Ape… Hang With It
The human shoulder is a marvel of evolution, designed for a range of motion unmatched by most other mammals. Brachiation, the act of swinging from bar to bar or branch to branch, unlocks the full potential of this intricate joint, building strength, resilience, and mobility in a way few other activities can.
As you swing, your shoulders pass through dynamic arcs of motion, activating stabilizers like the rotator cuff and trapezius to ensure the humeral head stays securely within its socket. This constant interplay strengthens not just muscles, but also tendons and ligaments, creating a joint capable of handling both dynamic and static loads. Meanwhile, the motion gently decompresses the joint, promoting blood flow and synovial fluid circulation, which nourishes cartilage and supports long-term joint health.
Brachiation is more than just a workout—it’s a reconnection with our evolutionary heritage. Humans share this ability with apes, whose shoulders evolved for climbing and swinging through trees. This natural motion doesn’t just improve strength; it reconditions the body for the functional demands of life, correcting postural imbalances, preventing shoulder impingement, and enhancing proprioception, or joint awareness.
In essence, brachiation transforms the shoulders into versatile, injury-resistant tools, capable of handling everything from climbing to carrying. It’s a primal, rhythmic dance with gravity, one that not only sculpts the body but reawakens its deepest potential for movement.
Grip Strength Matters
Dangling profoundly enhances grip strength by engaging the flexor muscles of the fingers and forearms, as well as the intrinsic hand muscles, all of which are often underdeveloped in daily life. Over time, this leads to specific adaptations, such as increased muscle hypertrophy in the forearms, strengthened tendons and ligaments in the hands and wrists, and improved endurance in the grip. This directly to improved global pulling strength, enhancing performance in exercises like pull-ups, rows, and deadlifts.
Additionally, the nervous system becomes more efficient at activating grip-related muscles, enhancing neuromuscular coordination and force output. These adaptations don’t just benefit the hands—they extend to global pulling strength, improving performance in pull-ups, deadlifts, and climbing, where a weak grip often limits potential.
Beyond fitness, grip strength is a critical indicator of overall health and longevity; it correlates with cardiovascular health, functional independence, and even reduced mortality risk. Imagine carrying this powerhouse tool with you not just for the next week, but for the next ten years.
What does that version of you look like in a decade, that can hang for a minute straight?
For those of you well into yesterday's hanging challenge, I hope you can carry some of these awesome benefits with you into practice, and fight for a few more seconds with every attempt.
Be Weightless!
Tom Fazio
Weightlessness | Mind Body Performance