The Primal Workout Week 4 - Hang Out and Get a Grip

In true dad fashion, let me tell you my best bench max.

355. (Yay!)

How did I get there?

I benched a lot.

However, before I touched a bench I did a ton of pushups. This was before high school and since I didn't have access to weights, pushups were the next best option. I truly believe that my body was "ready" to bench when I got to high school. I remember being able to rep around 185 pretty early on and rep out dips no problem.

You know what I couldn't do to save my life?

Pull-ups.

But for most people, they don't have the chance to do them, aside from a playground.

What else could I not do as a kid?

Hang.

Monkey bars weren't even touched by me. If they were, it was for less than a second. Yes, being able to hang from a bar can lead to a pull-up, but hanging alone is great for our bodies for a lot of other reasons.

When I got out of high school and into college, my max pull-up count was about 1.

Me and two friends just worked on it every day, without a plan. Actually, the "plan" was just to max out 3 times before our workout, then max out 3 times after. The 3 was because the pull-up bar in the gym had 3 different grips: overhand, underhand and neutral. We did that any day we worked out.

Magically I got to 15 as a new max.

Let's apply that same "shut your brain off" plan to your hanging.

Real Old Man (Hand) Strength

Have you ever shook hands with a strong "old" man?

Maybe even someone who doesn't even lift, but his grip crushes your hand.

What gives?

Hands are meant to be used often. Now we just use them on keyboards. These "old" men grew up doing manual labor. Nothing too taxing, but constant use. Maybe chopping wood, working a farm, construction, or working in a garage.

We run the risk of losing this.

There is a subset on the internet of guys that are self-conscious of their hand and wrist size being small. What can we do about this epidemic? (Usually the answers have been coming from arm wrestlers, but we don't have to go that far.)

Now you could start just using your hands more, but that would require you to get a manual labor job or a hobby where you use your hands a lot. Otherwise, the easiest option is to just get a pull up bar from Amazon.

Grip Strength and Longevity

Everyone wants to have a long, healthy life while we're still on earth.

One of the ways to maintain that is with grip strength.

Another is also being comfortable with getting down to and off the floor, since falling is a major problem in the elderly. It seems like grip and ground work are a good combination.

Listening to an Original Strength Bodcast (yes, like podcast but for your body, it's a joke), with Tim Anderson and Aleks Salkin, I learned that grip strength is a better indicator of longevity than other markers like cardio. Not sure if that's true, but I think the last thing we want as we age is being frail. Not being able to get off the floor, or pull ourselves off the floor, sounds like a major problem.

Now, I know it's more convenient, but instead of using one of those hang grip machines, I think a more natural move to go with would be hanging.

• It works your grip (obviously).

• It adds some resistance to your shoulders, which can help people with shoulder issues (or prevent them).

• It allows you to decompress your spine.

• It helps improve your posture.

• It can lead to the pull-up, the same way that being able to stand leads to exercise on two legs (squatting).

So you're inspired, great! But what do you actually do?

Ido Portal Strikes Again

I got that last idea from none other than Ido Portal, the movement specialist guy. He already had the Squat 30 Minutes for 30 Days challenge, and later came out with hanging for 7 Minutes for 30 days. He points out that not only is hanging something we'd do in nature anyway (hanging on, climbing), it also leads to some of the strongest pulling people pound for pound: gymnasts and rock climbers.

It just makes sense. If your hands, arms and shoulders are "ready" in the pull-up position with lots of use, then when it's time to engage in the actual pull-up, it will feel easier. A progression to the pull-up is just hanging from the bar anyway, so it's a great start for the people that think it's not possible for them.

The same with the squat challenge, 7 minutes is a lot and you don't have to start with that.

You just need some time every day.

The Hang Out Plan

Before we begin, if you plan on doing any sort of hanging through the day, this would mean that you need to get some sort of pull-up bar to place in your home OR in your office (that would be awesome). Otherwise that would mean you need to go to the gym, but I think an at-home pull-up bar has so many benefits that greatly outweigh the measly cost (you can get one for under $30).

Here's the plan:

• Same with the squat plan, pick a time that feels good to you. It can be anywhere from 30 seconds to 7 minutes. Break up the time as needed.

• If you're short or if your grip is weak, start with a step or put the bar closer to the ground so you can spot yourself with your feet. You could even get rings that are easily adjustable for height.

• Only use as much leg assistance as needed. You'll get stronger and one day won't need it.

• Then work to using no legs at all for all of your hangs.

• Work different kinds of hangs, like passive (regular hanging) or active (bring your shoulders down as you hang).

• You can even progress to one arm or using a wrapped towel if you want a monster grip.

• As a bonus, you can start working on pull-ups (because you'll be spending a lot of time there anyway). Here's a simple progression.

  • Hang for 3 sets of 30 seconds

  • Hang with bent arms (the top of the pull-up) by jumping there or using a step. 3 sets of 15 seconds

  • Work on negatives, where you start at the top and lower yourself down slowly (for can be for up to 10 reps per day).

  • Start working on a full pull-up.

  • Yes, you can do it.

  • Yes, it can be that simple.

The same with the walking plan or the squat plan, if you don't have time to do this, don't fret. If you do have access to a gym or equipment, no excuses. If you're already training hard and doing a decent amount of pull-ups already, then your grip is probably pretty solid. You can still sprinkle more hanging in through the week, so don't shy away from it.

Experiment.

Get a Grip…On Life

I think a strong grip leads to a lot of other benefits than just a strong grip.

I've heard it said that if your grip is strong, your strength in other strength movements improves. I'd think that this would carry over to things like deadlifts, the Olympic lifts, farmers carries, etc. It also makes sense for pull-ups, muscle-ups, etc.

For longevity, we've talked about grip strength into old age, rehabing your shoulders and improving your posture.

What about the rest of life though?

Stress relief.

We all know the thing about using a "stress ball" to melt stress away. It's just another way to put some tension into something. I hope that all of my writing convinces you that you need to go outside, move around more and exert some energy. A bit of self-imposed stress helps melt the stress of the rest of life away. It's a great way to start the day so it sets the tone for the rest of the day. It's a great way to end the day to put energy into something positive if you've had a bad day.

Your grip is no different.

Honor the design of your body, your hands, arms and shoulders, and put them to use.

Thanks for reading!

As always, feel free to respond to this newsletter if you have any questions or fill out this questionnaire if there's a topic you want me to cover.

See you in the next one.