Training Tip: Straight Arm Hangs - Part 1

This is all about building up to awesome (and safe!) straight arm hangs. 💪

When you hang, you should be in an active position, meaning you can pull up or invert without making any adjustments. This is how we warm them up:

⭐️First, we activate the core in one of our favourite exercises! Known as hollow body rockers, or banana rockers (or by @erickgym as canoes) we engage the lower abdominals by pressing the lower back into the floor and knitting the ribs together, then lift the shoulders and legs off the floor. Then we rock, keeping the body moving as one unit!

⭐️Second, we flip over into child's pose for some floor pull-ups (inspired by @the_artist_athlete - follow her for fantastic conditioning/technique tips). With these, we're engaging the serratus anterior, which will support your straight arm hang in the air. Begin in child’s pose with the arms stretched out. Pull your shoulders down and rotate your armpits towards the floor (watch closely for this in the video - it’s a tricky move, and if you miss it, you miss the point). Pressing your hands into the floor and providing your own resistance, pull yourself up until your elbows are on the floor, and shoulders are right above them. Reverse back to child’s pose.

It can take some practice before you start to feel the pinch below your shoulder blades.

We'll talk about proper technique for hanging, and how important it is, in a future post. So keep following! Or, better yet, join us for a Cirque-It class and start improving your straight arms hangs, straddle inversions, and more!

See the schedule and sign up here!

Lindsay