Show “Titans” on TNT: why the first task seemed difficult even for Olympic champions?

Nothing is impossible, especially for the athletes participating in the show “Titans” on TNT. They are ready for the most incredible tests of their physical qualities. The first test was hanging on the crossbar only with the help of hands. And it’s not easy at all! Let’s see why the task seemed difficult even the Olympic champions.

Spletna stranrules of the test: participants need to hang on the crossbar using only their hands. It is necessary to hold on as long as possible. It is forbidden to forcefully climb the bar. Advantage is given to those athletes who will last longer than the others.

What’s the challenge?

leader of the “Street Athletics” sports movement.

“The main difficulty of hanging on the bar is the time a person can hold on.

The longer the muscles are in tension, the harder it is to maintain the position. It will get harder and harder with each passing second. Successful performance requires well-developed muscles in the arms, shoulder girdle, back and body. You can, of course, tense only your arms and relax everything else, but you will stay in the position longer if you use your whole body.

The task of the participants was also complicated by the prohibition to go out by force on the bar, because during it you can briefly redistribute the load on the pectoral and cortical muscles. And when there is no such opportunity, you have to work only your arms.

Performing hanging on the bar can cause difficulties for beginners or athletes with weak grip strength and underdeveloped upper body. The best result was shown by gymnast Alexander Sychugov, his time was 20.28. This sport is characterized by a well-developed upper body, which is not the case, for example, in soccer. For example, Roman Pavlyuchenko was able to hold the position for 3 minutes and 36 seconds.

Types of hanging

Execute the exercise in different ways, from this changes the working muscle group, differently distribute the weight and load. Choose the most comfortable way for you.

• Hanging on the shoulders. The essence consists in fixing the bar under the arms and interlocking the hands in a lock / fixation on the perpendicular rack. It is with it that many participants started, because here the main load falls on the shoulders and the body. When these muscles got tired, they switched to the grip and could hold on for a while longer due to the work of the forearms and the strength of the grip.
• Simple (passive) arm hang. In this case, you hang on the bar and relax the rest of your body. So all the load is transferred to the muscles of the hands, which means that the focus is on the hands and forearms.
• Active (power) hang on the hands. With this technique, the whole body is in tension, as when preparing for a pull-up. The muscles of the upper half of the body are especially involved in the work. Shoulders are as if pulled up, arms are not bent. The abs and lower back are also tense and stabilize the body position.

Speaking of technique, it is worth mentioning the type of grip. The most optimal is a straight middle grip. For complex muscle development, you can periodically alternate between different options.

The hang itself can be slightly modified, adding swinging, it will relax the muscles by moving the weight. But you do not need to make sharp jerk movements, they can lead to injuries. Just swing a little, imitating the movement of a pendulum.

It is possible tocomplicate it at the expense of muscular effort. For example, pull the body up a little by rotating the shoulder area. Or you can swing from side to side by shifting your weight from one arm to the other.

If your fitness is not ready for records yet, don’t worry, start with small time intervals, even 15 seconds is good for your first attempts. From practice to practice, add a little bit of time at a time.

How to exercise to do hangs for longer?

The good news is that it’s quite realistic to master this exercise by devoting enough time to workouts. They should be devoted to exercises to strengthen the muscles of the back and arms. Of course, it is best to conduct classes under the supervision of a professional. He will help to put the right technique, which will be the key to your safety and health.

Strengthen your grip strength, it is necessary for many movements with the weight of your own body. It will be easier to perform not only hangs, but also pull-ups, exercises on rings and lifts on the bar.

The grip is different in terms of hand position:

• straight (palms away from yourself), it works the back muscles more;
• reverse (palms towards yourself), which involves the biceps;

The second way to distinguish the grip is its width:

• medium (palms at shoulder width), in this case the load is distributed evenly;
• wide (palms wider than shoulder width), the broadest muscles of the back are involved;
• narrow (palmsnarrower than shoulder width), the muscles of the arms and shoulders are involved.

Try different ones and choose the one that is most comfortable and meets your goals.

Trainer’s tips

To gradually increase the time of hanging, you need proper preparation and following a certain technique. Here are a few recommendations:

1. Start gradually. If you find it difficult to hang for long periods of time, start with a couple or three repetitions and then increase them over time.
2. Choose the right grip. Use a mixed grip (elbows pointing forward and palms straightened out to the sides) or a reverse grip (palms facing you) to make it easier to stay on the bar.
3. Don’t sway. Trying to sway can put more strain on your muscles and make sagging more difficult. Try to maintain a static position.
4. Focus on your breathing. Control your inhalations and exhalations to reduce fatigue.
5. Exercise your upper body muscles. Regularly training your back, shoulder, and arm muscles will help increase your strength and endurance when sagging on the bar.
6. Warm-up and warm-down. Remember to give your joints a good workout before you start and stretch your muscles, improving circulation, after you perform. This will avoid injuries and pain.

But the main recommendation for progress in the exercise is, of course, regular workouts. Include three exercises in your standard sports routine, and the result will not wait.

1. Face pull-ups. They will strengthen your back, shoulder and arm muscles. Perform pull-ups with your elbows forward to emphasize the load on your upper back and shoulders.
2. Australian pull-ups. This exercise is great for developing back, shoulder and arm muscles while minimizing strain. The perfect exercise for beginners or for those who have difficulty with regular pull-ups.
3. Pull-ups on the bar with a wide grip. These will help develop your broadest back muscles, which will improve your ability to sag on the bar.

Do not go out forcefully on the bar if you are not sure that your body is sufficiently prepared. This approach can provoke unpleasant consequences for your muscles, sprains and even injuries. Pull-ups are quite a difficult exercise that requires strength in the back, arms and shoulders.

Kontraindikacije

It is not recommended to perform hanging on the bar if you are bothered by pain in the lower back, especially if it spreads to the legs. An important sign that it is worth refusing to perform, will be numbness of the lower extremities.

You should also avoid the exercise if you have:

• fractures in the back;
• spinal tumors;
• abdominal aortic aneurysm;
• osteoporosis;
• nosečnost.

If any of the above applies to you or if you have any other spinal disorders, problems with muscles or ligaments of the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, you should consult your doctor before training.

It is not necessary to repeat the successes of the participants, because they came to the show to overcome themselves and fight with others, and this does not always coincide with the correct technique. You should only benefit from the sport, so don’t chase records blindly.