Will hanging from chin-up bars help me with my tight shoulders?
Stop hanging from chin up bars.
If you have tight shoulders you may be tempted to hang from a chin up bar to improve your shoulder mobility. This might be the worst thing you can do however.
Before we discuss why, try this shoulder assessment to see if you actually have a restriction.
Stand tall with your arms by your side. Lock out both elbows and raise your arms towards the ceiling as far as you can.
Does one arm go higher than the other?
Try it side on to a mirror if you’re not sure.
If one side feels more restricted than the other, or if you struggle to get both arms over your head, you might have a restriction at your shoulder.
One solution you’re likely to come across on the internet is hanging from a chin up bar.
When you pull up to a traffic light and it’s red, you probably stop.
Sure you could drive through and sometimes you’d get away with it. The more times you did it however, the greater the risk it would end badly.
When you raise your arms overhead and they come to a stop, that’s a red light.
Do you want to ignore that and force your shoulder into a different position?
Or do you think it might be wise to stop there for the moment?
Hanging from a chin up bar is the equivalent of driving through the red light with your eyes closed and your fingers crossed.
You’re not just ignoring your central nervous system, you’re effectively giving it the finger.
Not only is that rude, it’ll probably end badly for your shoulders in the long term.
If you’d like to improve your shoulder mobility in a safe and sustainable way, come and speak to us.
