Dead Hang Scores and Pointers

[sonovthegun]

I was looking at the Tuesday WOD this week and saw that a lot of guys did DH pull ups and I was wondering what your deadhang scores are.

I did it yesterday and I hit 16 on a fat bar. I know the USMC wants 20, so I feel kind of sh!t about that.

As for pointers, will they stop you if you swing? I don't mean kip, but swing slightly. You burn more energy coming down so I drop my weight, but I find this produces a sort of "purposeless kip;" it doesn't help, but looks like kipping.
Your thoughts and scores gentlemen.

[leahy_j]

my buddy is joining the marines and his recruiters want him to do twenty. i saw the recruiters doing it and they swung quite a bit.i doubt they could get away with that at parris island though

[B HURB]

I usually get around 12-13 deadhangs. When I took my last pst I swung a little bit going down (cause I don't like wasting energy lowering myself just like you....especially cause I'm a heavy b!tch) and my motivator didn't say anything. When the swings got a little ridiculous I just hung longer and let myself stop swinging and then finished the set.

[MrParker]

Most I have ever done was 27 I think, maybe 25, can't remember but I only weighed about 180lbs at the time. Now I can only do about 15-17 but I weigh 215lbs now. I used to just do 10x10 or 15x10 twice a week. Marines, I have never seen a marine do a deadhang pullup. I would go up to the gym on my ship when the marines would be up there doing pullups, I would always laugh under my breath watching them do pullups, going down about a quarter of the way down and bouncing back up. Then I would go over to the bar being a "sailor" and crank out my set of 15 dead hangs just to make fun of them. Just one of my experinces. To get better at deadhangs you just have to do deadhangs all the time.

Bill

[scskowron]

I went up to 10 rungs on yesterday's ladder. Best deadhangs I've done is 20 on a 2" bar. I don't think the only way to improve deadhangs is to practice deadhangs because I mostly do half-kipping pullups and my numbers continue to improve.

[mcarthurtl]

when you all do dead hang pull ups do you actually lock out your arms to where your elbows turn in? Whenever I do them I stop just before that so i do not mess up my elbows. I have always learned that it is bad for your joints to lock out your arms. My max right now is 27 and I am trying to get to 35 for dead hang.

I was a competitive climber when I was younger and climbed on a team so that helped a lot with the pull-ups.

[sonovthegun]

35??? Damn dude!!!!

I don't notice any pain at all, and I don't think my arms rotate out. Don't know. I know if I drop too fast I can feel major pull in my shoulders.

[gmt-nyc]

One effective way I've found to increase DHPUs is to do weighted PUs, and gradually increase the reps. I haven't done a max rep effort of BW that I can recall, but I know I can do 15 w/ 25# and 10 w/ 45# as warm-ups during my 1RM efforts. Right now my 1 rep max is 130#, I failed a little over a month ago trying 135# during a 1RM CrossFit WOD. Hanging 3 45# plates between your legs is also terribly uncomfortable. FYI, my avg daily BW is ~190# (fluctuates between 187-193# intraday). Weighted pull-ups also help reduce swinging thanks to gravity, and weights reduce your ability to kip. Try it, its a real eye opener your first time! But start with low weights, like 10# and increase weight gradually.

[MrParker]

Well if it works for you then roll with it. When I started training when I was 14 years olds (1994) there was no avalible internet and I don't think crossfit was around yet? But to us kipping was cheating so we never did anything but deadhangs. I rarely do kipping pullups, not to say they don't work, I just like doing deadhangs. I also think the best way to get better at a certain range of motion, you have to train in that range of motion or that form. I also go just to the point of relaxing the muscle due to a bad shoulder. No biggie, everybody has there own idea of best due to there own experinces. As long as it works then it works.

[christian gotcher]

Took a max last week- 23. I lock out fully, meaning my arm is extended to where it would be if I was naturally hanging off the bar. When I'm doing Crossfit routines with significant numbers, or pull-up contests (where the others know how to kip), I kip. Otherwise, I deadhang (Helen- Kip, Lynne- Deadhang).

I was assigned for a short midshipman trip to 'see the fleet' and the Marine unit there was conducting a PFT. They were good about keeping full extension, and they didn't lift the legs up, but there seemed to be plenty of swinging from the chest.

[bigv123]

I STRONGLY recommend mixing in some weighted DHPUs with your regular program. It will make a HUGE difference...and do it fast.

V

[sonovthegun]

Thanks guys

Let's me know where I am, what I'm doing right, and what I should do more of. Thanks. I'll definitely hit the weighted pull-ups more. Got away from it. Used to do them often [to be honest that's around the time my Dead Hang score went up significantly......hmm............curious:/ ]

Keep the tab running though, that way we can keep up the competition and try to kick each others @$$e$.

Much appreciated
Hoo-Yah

[scskowron]

I STRONGLY recommend mixing in some weighted DHPUs with your regular program. It will make a HUGE difference...and do it fast.

V

Do you recommend 1RM or max sets at a prescribed weight?

[bigv123]

One-rep maxes are almost completely useless for what we're doing here. Just take your standard workout and add about 25 pounds once every 3rd or 4th back workout. Your total number of reps will decrease of course, but, you'll feel it in a good way :) The additional grip work won't hurt either. Along those lines, try and use a fat bar whenever possible. It'll make the pull ups MUCH harder and work your grip strength like crazy!

Right now, I do my pull ups with a total of 315 pounds to pull. Mind you, I'm still a year out from re-enlisting. But, I'll guarantee that when time comes to do pull-ups on the PST...I'm going to post a monster number.

V

[TAMU_2008]

20 is my Personal Best...the swing is not a factor if you dont just fly into kipping...dont waste energy comming down..thats actually where you waste most of your energy..on the down movment...you should litterally just push urslef down..dont fight yourself..dont waste that energy..

When training use weighted pull ups...makes a big difference..just like when you swing a weighted bat when youre on deck at a baseball game..when you get up to the plate the bat youre swinging feels like a feather..if youre use to doing pullups 25 or more lbs heavier then you are then you will be able to really make those numbers get up high

Gig'Em

[gmt-nyc]

I'm with BigV on this one. 1 RM are good for a gauge, but are not practical for what you're looking to do -- increase your max reps to 20+. Let's put it this way, if you can get to the point where you're doing 10 reps with 45# hanging from your waist without failing, I'd wager that you would be able to put up 20 reps with no weights with ease.