Alternating Dead Hang

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Stand beneath a pull-up bar and grip it with an overhand (pronated) grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width.
2. Step off the floor or a box to enter a full dead hang with your arms fully extended and feet clear of the ground.
3. Engage your core and pull your shoulder blades slightly down and back to create 'active' shoulders, avoiding a complete passive collapse.

How to do it

1. Exhale and slowly shift your center of mass toward your right arm while maintaining a rigid, square torso.
2. Carefully release your left hand from the bar, keeping your right arm locked and resisting the urge for your body to rotate.
3. Hold the single-arm hang for 2-5 seconds, then return your left hand to the bar and inhale.
4. Shift your weight to the left side and repeat the movement with the right hand released, alternating sides with a controlled tempo.

Form checklist

• Keep shoulders 'active' by pulling them away from your ears to protect the joint.
• Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs to prevent excessive swinging or twisting.
• Maintain a firm, full-palm grip on the bar with the thumb wrapped for security.
• Ensure the transition between hands is slow and deliberate rather than a sudden drop.

Pro tips

• Focus on 'crushing' the bar with your hand to increase neural drive and shoulder stability through irradiation.
• Contract the oblique on the side of the hanging arm to counteract the rotational force and keep your hips square.

Make it harder

• Increase the duration of the single-arm hold to 10 seconds per side.
• Use a 'fat grip' attachment or wrap a towel around the bar to significantly increase the demand on your forearm and grip strength.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the alternating dead hang work?

The alternating dead hang primarily targets the lats and trapezius, and also works the abs and serratus anterior as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the alternating dead hang?

The alternating dead hang uses pull up bar.

Is the alternating dead hang good for beginners?

The alternating dead hang is rated advanced. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

Related exercises

• Back LeverAdvanced · erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings, lats, pectorals, and trapezius
• Band Assisted Pull-UpBeginner · lats and trapezius
• Band Bent Over Lat PulldownIntermediate · lats, rhomboids, and trapezius
• Band Bent Over One Arm KickbackBeginner · biceps, lats, rhomboids, and trapezius