Hang Around for Health

If I had to pick one physical activity that is healthy for human beings, and which they don’t do very much, it would be hanging. Shoulders are built for hanging and swinging, but these actions are rarely included in exercise programs. Pull-ups offer similar benefits, but they aren’t as natural, simple, and easily tolerated.

Our distant ancestors lived in trees for millions of years, so they grabbed onto lots of branches. The best way to get around in trees is brachiation, which means swinging from branch to branch with long arms. Gibbons can brachiate at speeds up to 35 miles per hour, which is faster than Usain Bolt can run. Human ancestors descended from the trees long ago, but we retain many of the anatomical characteristics that evolved for brachiation, such as hugely flexible shoulders, long arms, rotating wrists, and clasping hands.

The naturalness of hanging and swinging is easily seen by watching young children, who start doing these movements spontaneously.

If there is a bar within reach, they will start hanging from it, usually with the knees moved up into a position that aligns and stabilizes the trunk. Swinging comes next, which they do by pumping the feet back and forth. If kids play near a set of monkey bars, most will eventually learn to swing hand to hand, without any coaching. You won’t see them busting out a set of pull-ups unless they are involved in competition or formal practice. But hanging and swinging are as natural as running around.

Many movement coaches, trainers, and even surgeons speculate that hanging from a bar is great for shoulder health, and even a cure for shoulder pain. The proposed mechanism is creating space in the joint to avoid compression or impingement of sensitive tissues.

The Epidemiology of Shoulder Pain: A Narrative Review of the Literature
https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/40393

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