from
https://www.upworthy.com/test-for-longevity

Longevity test: If you can hang from a bar this long, you’re likely to
live longer
Hang time is a great measurement of overall health.
Tod Perry
08.15.24
longevity test, hang time, bar exercises
via Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels and Dinielle De Veyra/Pexels
A man and a woman doing dead hangs.

Would you really want to know how long you have to live? On one hand,
it’d probably inspire you to go out and complete your bucket list. On
the other, it may be depressing to know just how many days you have left.

Well, science has yet to discover a way to determine the average
person's life expectancy. However, some indicators can show whether
someone is in danger of having their life cut short by deteriorating health.

A study published by Clinical Interventions in Aging in 2019 determined
that handgrip strength can be a reliable proxy for how long one has to
live. One of the best ways to judge handgrip strength is to time how
long you can hang from a bar. To test your grip strength, find yourself
a pull-up bar, whether at a gym or local park, take a deep breath and
start hanging.

The study found that 30 seconds is a good target for women and 60 is an
excellent goal for men. Therefore, if you go longer than the goal,
you’re looking at a long life. But if you can’t quite get there, your
life may be shorter than you’d like.

Dr. Peter Attia believes that grip strength is a great way to determine
one’s overall health.

“It's just a great proxy for overall body strength and muscle mass, but
I think it's also a very functional form of strength,” he said on “The
Drive” podcast. “Basically, everything in your upper body is mediated
through your hands. And if your grip is weak, everything Downstream of
that is weak. When you watch someone, who's got a weak grip deadlifting.
It's very difficult for them to deadlift correctly because they don't
create a proper wedge.

Doctors Eve M. Glazier and Elizabeth Ko at UCLA Health say poor grip
strength is connected to numerous diseases. “Research continues to link
a decline in grip strength to a range of adverse health issues,
including heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, Type 2 diabetes and
certain cancers. It has also been found to be a predictor of the
likelihood of post-surgical complications, post-surgical recovery time
and mortality,” they wrote on the UCLA Health blog.

Weight can also significantly affect how long a person can hang from a
bar. So don’t lighter people have an unfair advantage advantage than
those on the heavier side? Well, weight is also an important indicator
of longevity. A study published in Aging Cell found a direct correlation
between increased body mass and decreased longevity.

The good news for people who didn’t quite make their hang time goal is
that you can improve it by practicing dead hangs.

How to perform a dead hang (according to Healthline):

Use a secure overhead bar. Use a step or bench to reach the bar with
your arms easily. You don’t want to jump straight into a dead hang.
Grip the bar with an overhand grip (palms facing away from you). Aim to
keep your arms shoulder-width apart.
Move your feet off the step or bench so you’re hanging on to the bar.
Keep your arms straight and stay relaxed.
If you’re new to the exercise, hang for 10 seconds. Then, work your way
up to 45 seconds to 1 minute at a time.
Slowly step back onto the step or bench before releasing your arms.
Repeat up to 3 times if you wish.
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