Is it okay if my shoulders touch my ears?

Yes, in a passive lat hang, allowing the scapula to elevate toward the ears is necessary to fully elongate the lats and decompress the joint.

What if I cannot hang for very long due to grip strength?

You can keep your toes on the ground to support some of your body weight while still allowing your upper body to experience the stretch.

The lat hang is safe to perform daily, especially after overhead pressing movements or long periods of sitting at a desk.

Learn how to perform the Lat Hang stretch correctly to relieve back pain, decompress the spine, and improve your overhead range of motion.

Reach up and grasp a sturdy pull-up bar with an overhand grip, placing your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Slowly lower your body until your arms are fully extended and your feet are either resting lightly on the floor or hanging freely.
Relax your shoulders and allow them to travel upward toward your ears to maximize the length of the lateral muscles.
Take deep, controlled breaths, focusing on expanding your ribcage to increase the internal stretch of the fascia.
Maintain this passive tension for thirty to sixty seconds while keeping your core lightly engaged to prevent excessive arching in the lower back.
Release the bar carefully by placing your feet firmly on the ground before letting go with your hands.

Couching the neck by tensing the upper traps during the hang.
Holding the breath, which prevents the ribcage from expanding and deepening the stretch.
Excessively arching the lower back instead of maintaining a neutral spine.
Dropping too quickly from the bar rather than controlled dismounting.

Lats · Stretching