{"id":629109,"date":"2026-10-13T07:42:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T07:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/629109\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T07:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T07:42:19","slug":"dead-hang-challenge-what-happened-after-30-days-at-age-63","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/629109\/","title":{"rendered":"Dead Hang Challenge: What Happened After 30 Days At Age 63"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"april<\/p>\n

April Nading<\/p>\n

When 63-year-old April Nading decided to challenge herself to dead hang every day for a month, she did so with one goal in mind: decompressing her spine.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d been dealing with a tingling sensation in her leg and toes caused by an issue with her spinal discs for almost a year, so when a chiropractor she\u2019d visited mentioned that dead hanging might help, she decided to give it a go.<\/p>\n

One month on, and Nading has increased the amount of time she\u2019s able to hang and decided to keep up her new habit\u2014and it\u2019s not just because her symptoms have improved. Here are a few of the changes she\u2019s noticed over the course of her one-month challenge.<\/p>\n

1. Her shoulders are more mobile <\/p>\n

Before the challenge, Nading had a \u201cslight pinch\u201d in her shoulder and left elbow, but by the end of the 30 days, all of that discomfort had gone. This is likely because dead hangs move the shoulders into flexion\u2014a position they\u2019re rarely in when we go about our day-to-day lives. This can lead to an improvement in overall shoulder flexibility<\/a> and range of motion.<\/p>\n

2. The tingling in her leg and toes has gotten better<\/p>\n

While dead hanging every day for a month hasn\u2019t completely got rid of Nading’s tingling, she says it\u2019s definitely helped, which is one of the reasons why she wants to keep hanging every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy to report that after a month of dead hanging, the tingling in my leg is better,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not completely gone, but it\u2019s not as intense or as frequent as it was before I started dead hanging, and I\u2019m hoping it will keep improving with continued hang time.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is likely because of how hanging can relieve pressure within the spine, as strength and conditioning coach Andy Vincent previously told Women\u2019s Health<\/a>: \u201cHanging from a bar allows your spine to elongate with gravity, potentially relieving pressure on the vertebrae and discs,\u201d he explains. \u201cThis decompression can alleviate back pain and improve overall spinal health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nading also says a \u201ctweak\u201d she experienced in her lower back during some yoga poses also seems to have gone, which could be related to this spinal decompression.<\/p>\n

3. She feels a lot stronger\u2014and her muscles are more defined <\/p>\n

Dead hanging can affect more than just your shoulders: in fact, it can work and build strength across your upper back and core too. This was one of the big benefits Nading noticed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe more I did it, the stronger I got,\u201d she says. \u201cNow I can hold for 90 seconds, and I\u2019m a lot stronger than I was before I started. My arms are also more defined!\u201d<\/p>\n

This increase in her strength also applied to her grip; at the beginning of the challenge, she needed gloves to hold onto the bar, whereas by the end she could hold on without them for 90 seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do have callouses on my hands as a result of hanging\u2014something I\u2019ve never had in my life, and I\u2019m actually kind of proud of,\u201d she adds. \u201cMonkey bars have also gotten easier\u2014I can swing from one bar to the next without pausing!\u201d<\/p>\n

How to do a dead hang<\/p>\n

Want to start your own dead hang challenge? Follow the instructions below to get started.<\/p>\n

Find or set up a bar.Grip the bar using an overhand grip (palms facing away from you). Your hands should be shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. It is usually more comfortable to go slightly wider.Don\u2019t jump into the position; set up so that you can simply take your feet off the floor or a block if you’re tall enough, and get into position without too much swinging.Exhale fully to engage your core, squeeze your glutes, tuck your tailbone, and relax your shoulders. The aim is to keep your ribcage down and pelvis slightly tucked to prevent your spine from hyperextending, maintaining a steady breath and avoid exaggerated swinging\u2014a little movement is normal.Hold the position until you feel your shoulders and neck beginning to tense excessively.<\/p>\n

Of course, you\u2019ll need somewhere to hang from, but a pull-up bar is relatively cheap to buy and is a helpful piece of equipment to have around if you want to build upper-body fitness.<\/p>\n

Find the Perfect Women\u2019s Health Training Program for You\"Chevron\"Chevron\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Lauren Geall is deputy site editor for Women\u2019s Health UK and Men\u2019s Health UK. She graduated from Exeter University with a BA in English Literature before studying an MA in Magazine Journalism at City, University London. She\u2019s been writing about health, fitness and wellbeing for over five years, with a total of seven years in digital journalism. Prior to her current role, she worked at Stylist as the acting health and fitness editor. As well as being a keen runner, Lauren is passionate about women\u2019s sport and can often be found cheering on Arsenal Women at the Emirates or keeping tabs on the Red Roses\u2019 latest win.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"April Nading When 63-year-old April Nading decided to challenge herself to dead hang every day for a month,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":629110,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[565,134,111,139,69,240404,268546],"class_list":["post-629109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-uk-synd","tag-268546"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}