Arch Hang
oec:arch-hang
A calisthenics straight-arm exercise where you hang from an overhead bar and retract and depress the shoulder blades while extending the thoracic spine to pull the chest toward the ceiling.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Active Arch Hang, Scapular Pull-Up Hang, Straight-Arm Scapular Hang
How to do it
Setup
- Grasp an overhead pull-up bar with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
- Hang with your feet off the floor, arms fully extended overhead, starting in a relaxed dead hang.
Movement
- Depress your scapulae by pulling your shoulder blades down away from your ears.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together into retraction while extending your upper chest toward the bar.
- Keep your elbows locked straight as your torso tilts backward into an arched posture.
- Hold this arched position for the target duration, or lower under control back into a dead hang to complete a repetition.
Breathing
Breathe continuously and smoothly, exhaling slightly as you pull into the arch and maintaining steady diaphragmatic breaths during a hold.
Cues
- Drive your shoulder blades down into your back pockets.
- Chest to the sky, arms stay locked.
- Break the bar apart to engage your lats.
Common faults
- Bending the elbows to pull higher.
- Keep arms completely straight; all movement must come exclusively from the shoulder blades and upper back.
- Excessive arching through the lower back rather than extending the thoracic spine.
- Maintain moderate abdominal tension and focus on opening and lifting the chest toward the ceiling.
- Shrugging the shoulders toward the ears.
- Actively depress your scapulae before attempting to retract and arch.
Safety
- Ensure the pull-up bar is secure and the drop zone below is clear of obstructions.
- Avoid forcefully hyperextending the lumbar spine if experiencing lower back sensitivity.
Muscles
Joints
- Shoulder blade: Depression, Retraction
- Shoulder: Extension, Adduction
- Thoracic spine: Extension
- Elbow: Isometric stabilization
- Fingers: Isometric stabilization
Details
- Movement
- Vertical pull
- Modality
- Calisthenics, Strength, Mobility
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- pull
- Laterality
- bilateral
- Kinetic chain
- closed
- Level
- intermediate
- Equipment
- Pull-up bar or Gymnastic rings
- Record
- Duration; or Repetitions
- Load
- bodyweight
Related
- progression of Active Hang
- regression of Pull-Up
- part of Pull-Up
Sources
- wger: Arch Hang, by wintercyan (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.