20240207 Day 668 Part-2 - FAQs: “My shoulder(s) hurt when I do hanging exercises,. Any tips?”

20240207 Day 668 Part-2
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FAQs: “My shoulder(s) hurt when I do hanging exercises, pull-ups, etc. Any tips?”
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I think it’s safe to assume that most people when “hanging” are doing so be default with a double pronated grip.
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Oftentimes we use the same grips at the same widths day after day or week after week and grind on, particularly connective tissues in the same way which can lead to discomfort, pain and possibly injury over time.
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A good general practice is to play around slightly with grip widths. Even a slight variation or a fingers width in or out is a meaningful difference to the angle of pull on the joint which you may find provides some relief to your discomfort and maybe even better leverage for the exercise.
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Another thing is to strap in to increase surface area on the bar and to make that connection a more stable “platform” to generate force from. Remember, if you’re hanging, the fixed point that your body is connected to is the bar in your hands. The more stable you are in any situation, the more force you can generate. think about it like squatting and generating force into the ground through your foot. Same principle here just inverted.
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The other thing with straps is that stability limits the rotation of your shoulder capsule while the joint is under stress from hanging and/or having force go through it. When you just jump up and grab the bar to do a pull up or toes to bar, your grip can slip as you fatigue, you could start altering your form by inwardly rotating to assist the lift, etc.. These form deviations are akin to inward knee valves when squatting. It’s a way to “cheat” another rep but can also lead to joint pain and dysfunction. You don’t twist your wrist benching or twist your feet squatting but MANY people do twist their wrists and consequently shoulders without thinking on the bar and then say “hanging hurts me.” 🤷🏿‍♂️
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Lastly, try a different grip. Try a neutral grip for toes to bar or pull-ups. Try chins (supinated grip) in stead of pull-ups for a few sessions. See how the different grips treat you.
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All that to say, before you give up on a movement because of discomfort, take a more sophisticated approach to analyzing why it’s hurting you. It may lead to some game changing discoveries 🤷🏿‍♂️
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