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Bodyweight Please Don't Try This At Home - Hanging Upside Down on Rings

Steve Freides

Steve Freides

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Senior Certified Instructor Emeritus
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The first exercise thing I've done every day for about the last month is a "Skin The Cat" on the rings, and for the last week or so, I've been hanging upside down from the rings on the way back. I started with a brief pause in that position, then began adding 5 second a day to my hang. I did 35 seconds yesterday. So far, so what? It seems not that big a deal to me. NB: I started doing this because it feels really good on my sinuses to be upside down for time. I used to do this with headstands but those can be a bit hard on your neck. I did a 12-minute headstand a few years back, just for the heck of it. (My shoulders and t-spine have told me they're not interested in handstands at this time. :) )

I did a quick look online - records seems to be in the neighborhood of 3 minutes, and I liked the sound of that rather than endless hanging regular on a bar. But apparently the Guinness Book won't consider WR for this as they consider it too dangerous a thing to be attempting in the first place.

Anyone else do this? Please do not, do not, do not try this unless you are confident in your ability to get out of it gracefully.

-S-
 
I do and have done inverted pull-ups this way when without barbells. I infact felt (and looked) my fittest when running and doing “circus tricks” like this, levers and OAPU. Stoked my vanity no end.

I must say, sinus clearance was not anywhere near my motivating factors… but the strength and psychological benefits of doing something hard that not many appear to be able to do is brilliant.
 
My thoughts run to the British roadie in Wayne’s World, who slept upside down from a pull-up bar like a bat claiming it was Keith Richards’ secret to longevity…

That aside, I’ve heard various accounts of people claiming benefits to being inverted, not to mention the shoulder benefits of the “skin the cat”. Aside from the sinus clearance, what other benefits do you feel it produces?

I know Dan John has espoused for “playing on the rings” as a great workout in itself, not to mention that supporting your body with hands and arms must offer a relief to the spine.

Some have mentioned such phenomenons as the cycling of blood flow as well. Perhaps, someone here could elaborate further or is more willing to do a simple google search than I …

For it is too fine a day in Paris for me to descend into that rabbit hole.
 
I was in gymnastics when I was a kid and hanging like that was no big deal. I'm sure, ummmm, many decades and a hundred pounds later it would be a different story.

I do hang with inversion boots fairly often and can have head rushes after doing them once in a while. So yeah, I think there's certainly potential for concern (obviously I'm not concerned enough to stop doing them), but the inversion is good for my back and hips.
 
I haven't for a while. At some stage in my early 50s I became more risk averse. Dunno why, compered to my late 40s!
I doubted my DIY skills probably. Should something go catastrophically wrong it's a ceramic floor and gravity v no escape of a direct top of the head collision. So I stopped doing them at home and only did them at a gym type gymnastic centre with a deep ball pit landing zone. Did them there instead but have not been for a good few years.
I used to like it for balance, alignment and strength rather than inversion itself. Inverted pull ups are good fun, different.
No idea for hanging time other than nowhere near failure!!!
 
Boris Bachmann said:
I do hang with inversion boots fairly often and can have head rushes after doing them once in a while. So yeah, I think there's certainly potential for concern (obviously I'm not concerned enough to stop doing them), but the inversion is good for my back and hips.
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They still make inversion boots?

I haven't seen those in decades.
 
Boris Bachmann said:
I was in gymnastics when I was a kid and hanging like that was no big deal.
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I agree. And I’m still high school sized. What I was really wondering was whether it was actually harder than a regular bar hand. At the ~30-second level I’m at, I can’t really say it’s harder but the record seems to be much less, hence my questions.

-S-
 
Philippe Geoffrion said:
That aside, I’ve heard various accounts of people claiming benefits to being inverted, not to mention the shoulder benefits of the “skin the cat”. Aside from the sinus clearance, what other benefits do you feel it produces?
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I have a diagnosed case of vertigo. I get dizzy pretty easily and don’t have good balance - I have to rely more on visual cues than one is supposed to. But I can still get into some positions and, if I do it not too quickly, I can stay for a while.

StC is a great shoulder stretch and resilience kind of thing.

-S-
 
Inversions:
I invert every day. I use a shoulder stand with hands supporting the hips or back. Sometimes I keep the hips low and do more of a plow pose. Some days I go as vertical as possible. I set my timer for five minutes and stay inverted on my shoulders. This is a part of my daily yoga practice. Inversions seem to teach the body to stay unified. Inversions might also help expand vision (vestibular stimulation?) and help with the circulatory system.

Skin The Cat:
Fun to go slow and controlled on these.

Upside down ring hang:
Also fun. I spontaneously did this yesterday and just hung out there for a while. I see the danger aspect. S&S gives a grip and core strength that allows one to attain this spontaneously.
 
Grip endurance was always my limitation when I was working on rings Skin the Cat. Can't imagine just hanging inverted for more than 15 sec.
 
GovernorSilver said:
I did not have access to the necessary equipment at the time. This was several years ago.
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Forgive me if I'm preaching to the choir, but I began my barbell deadlifting with a single 4' x 6' rubber mat and a starter weight set. That's still pretty much my setup, albeit fancier plates and bar now. It is the "everyman" lift - no spotters needed, no power rack or squat stands or bench needed.

Steve "There is no zealot like a convert" Freides :)
 
Steve Freides said:
Forgive me if I'm preaching to the choir, but I began my barbell deadlifting with a single 4' x 6' rubber mat and a starter weight set. That's still pretty much my setup, albeit fancier plates and bar now. It is the "everyman" lift - no spotters needed, no power rack or squat stands or bench needed.

Steve "There is no zealot like a convert" Freides :)
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I had a barbell set. Worked up to double bodyweight DL under PttP. Then I hurt my shoulder on a KB arm bar attempt by stupidly selecting too heavy a KB. After the shoulder healed up enough for me to feel good about the DL, I racked up too heavy a weight, got careless, and just as stupidly hurt my low back. I sold the barbell set afterwards - had to make the buyer come and carry the bar, plates, etc. themselves.

I bought the rings some years later, along with GMB Rings One.

My 2023 training will be split between Easy Muscle and isometrics. I don't anticipate spending much time on rings this year other than brachial hanging.

My initial comment on this thread was just a share of my past, not the present.
 
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