What Is the Dead Hang Trend Taking Over TikTok and Is it Good for You?

A simple bodyweight exercise has taken over social media after gaining viral attention. But what is a dead hang?

Holding onto an overhead bar and allowing your body to hang may look like you're just relaxing, but it turns out this bodyweight exercise has many benefits for all fitness levels.

With thousands of videos gaining millions of views on the video-sharing site TikTok, fitness buffs are sharing their dead-hang videos with the particularly satisfying "spine decompress" result.

Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Betsy Grunch told Newsweek: "A dead hang for spinal decompression creates space between the vertebrae, leaving room for the bulging disc to be pulled back into its correct position."

Relieving pressure on the nerves and surrounding soft tissues, it increases circulation and, in turn, the flow of nutrients, oxygen and fluids keeping the spine healthy.

"Being in the sitting position like those with a sitting job or sedentary lifestyle (or anyone in modern society) can encourage prolonged flexion, known as hunchback or kyphosis, to the neck and back. It also compresses the spine and lower back as well," said Grunch.

"Also modern society's use of cellular devices can promote "text neck" or kyphosis of the neck and upper back as well—a dead hang can help provide a counter stretch to help with the health of those muscles that support the spine."

Qualified personal trainer Brooke Harris is from the U.K., and a recent TikTok video of her dead hang gained thousands of views and responses.

She told Newsweek: "I only recently started incorporating dead hangs into my routine. I started doing dead hangs to decompress my spine, stretch out my upper body, improve my grip strength, and to help improve my posture."

Harris's video appears to show the moment the spine decompresses as she hangs from the gym bar, with replies calling it "mesmerizing."

While the popularity of the simple exercise is booming online, Grunch explained the technical benefits it offers: "It provides spinal decompression—stretching the musculoskeletal components to the spine, including the latissimus dorsi muscle and the trapezius muscle, which are the largest muscles in the back.

"It also helps decompress the ligaments and discs within the spine to help with back pain."

As gravity works to stretch out the back and increase space between the vertebrae, Grunch recommends incorporating it into your exercise routine.

"[It] can even help decompress irritated nerves or spinal stenosis. It may also help increase circulation to your muscles and may help rehydrate your intervertebral discs, which helps with spinal health overall," Grunch said. "It can also help improve your posture overall, which can help with chronic back pain."

She recommends 30 to 60 seconds of dead hang, several times a day, but it isn't just reserved for when there is an overhead bar nearby either: "A great alternative is an inversion table as well, for 2 to 3 minutes, a few times a day."

As well as helping improve back health and posture, dead hangs also support grip strength and forearm strength, and stretch the shoulders and rotator cuffs.

After recently including the dead hang in her routine, Harris captured the moment she performed hers: "I randomly decided to film myself doing dead hangs during an upper-body workout so I could see for myself my spine decompressing. I found it really satisfying to watch, so decided to upload to TikTok," she said.

While there are many positives to incorporating the dead hang, there are some reasons to be cautious too: "If done improperly, it can harm the shoulder, elbows or hands," said Grunch. "[I] always recommend talking to your doctor if you suffer from rotator-cuff issues or upper-extremity problems."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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