Dead Hang
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Jump up and grip the pull-up bar slightly wider than shoulder-width. Let your body hang completely — arms straight, feet off the floor. Allow the shoulders to shrug up slightly (passive hang) — feel the spine decompress. Relax the entire body. Breathe steadily. Hold for the time prescribed on the workout card. Build up over weeks. If grip fails early, use chalk or straps to extend the set.
Why It Works
The dead hang decompresses the entire spinal column, counteracting the compressive forces of skating, lifting, and checking. It also builds grip strength and shoulder mobility — hanging from a bar with full shoulder elevation restores the overhead range chronically restricted by hockey posture. NHL medical staff recommend 60-second dead hangs daily as shoulder health maintenance for all positions.
Hockey Transfer
Builds the grip and shoulder endurance needed before pull-ups become possible — also decompresses the spine. If you can dead-hang 60 seconds at bodyweight, you've earned grip work. If you can't, that's the homework.
Coaching Cues
- "Pronated grip"
- "Arms fully extended"
- "Shoulders engaged (not shrugged up to ears)"
- "Brace core"
- "Breathe"
Common Mistakes
Actively pulling the shoulders down — the passive hang (shoulders elevated) decompresses the spine more effectively. Not doing it long enough — under 30 seconds provides minimal benefit. Swinging — stay still and control the hang. Skipping it because it's 'just hanging' — spinal decompression is serious recovery work.
Progression / Regression
Single-arm dead hang — massively increases grip and shoulder demand.
Assisted hang (feet lightly touching the floor) — reduce load while building shoulder comfort.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Strength/neural
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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