The German Hang is the end point on a gymnastics move called a “Skin The Cat.” It’s also extreme shoulder extension, a range of motion many people are lacking due to neglect. We need shoulder extension to do dips and other fundamental exercises, however most of us just compensate for our shortcomings and leave ourselves prone to injury. Doing this stretch will help breathe some new life into your shoulders.
Use caution and common sense when stretching deep, remember to take your time to watch the video. Start slow and work yourself deeper into the stretch over time. Breathe slowly and deeply through the nose. If you are holding your breath, then you’re probably going too far. Back off until you can breathe deeply and slowly resume. If it hurts or feels “sketchy” or you go numb, then stop. Take it slow on this stretch, I have seen people get injured here because their ligaments and tendons were not ready for it. Ease in to it slowly and don’t try to support your full bodyweight unless you have some previous experience with this stretch.
German Hang. Day 4 of 30 from Force Distance Time on Vimeo.
Here are the rules for the 30-Day Stretch Fucking Harder Challenge. Each day do the deep stretch, post it on Instagram and tag some friends to do it with you. Post your stretch with the tags: #stretchfuckingharder #supplepandas #30daypandachallenge Tag me @coachpanda. Come back here to my website or vimeo channel to see more details on each stretch and modifications and scaling options. Try to stay in each stretch for at least 2 minutes per stretch per side. Remember to breathe slowly and deeply and start gradually and move deeper over time. Back off if it hurts.