Tutorial: Superfunctional Hanging Twist

8th February 2019

WHAT

The superfunctional hanging twist is an excellent mobilization exercise for the hip, spine and shoulder.

It can be used both as a warm up and cool down exercise, but also as a mobility exercise during a workout.
If a superfunctional bar is unavailable, the exercise can still be performed with a regular high bar, or on a Swedish ladder.

Position the bar high enough to reach comfortably with an overhead reach. Grab the bar at shoulder width, with the body directly underneath.
Allow the body to hang, softening the knees, and let the torso stretch long.
Begin by rotating the hips/legs to the right, as far as comfortable. Hold this for 5-10s, or one full deep breathe. Slowly turn to the opposite side and repeat.
Continue for time or desired reps.

Modern lifestyles often impose restrictions on spine mobility. Prolonged sitting, computer work and driving are some of the causes for this to happen. While these restrictions may not show in the short term, they can very quickly affect daily movements and exercise performance.
Loss of spinal mobility can commonly lead to compensatory movement above and below the point of restriction, including the hip and shoulder. For example, a loss of thoracic (mid/upper spine) mobility can lead to excessive loading of the shoulder joint or the hip joint, potentially resulting in pain and injury.
Simple spinal mobility exercises, such as the hanging twist, can help to restore movement in the spine, as part of a 360-degree approach to spine health.
For many people, shoulder range of motion is often limiting. Therefore, use of a superfunctional bar will allow for a small amount of shoulder rotation alongside the hip/spinal rotation. This will prevent the shoulder from limiting the range of motion. As spine mobility improves, excessive shoulder rotation will reduce.