Just hang. Your grip and shoulders get stronger for free.
Don't fully shrug into your ears. Let a slight pull settle your shoulders into the sockets.
The dead hang loads your lats and upper back in a full stretch while your forearms fight to keep you on the bar, all just by hanging on. Letting your shoulders settle under your own bodyweight decompresses and strengthens positions most lifters never train, and the grip work comes free. It's the simplest test in the gym, and the base of every pull-up you'll ever do.
Thirty seconds is a solid starting benchmark, a minute is strong. Build in short sets, hang until just before your grip fails, rest, repeat, and the time climbs quickly.
Mostly relaxed, but not dumped into your ears. Let a slight pull settle the shoulders into their sockets, as the cue says, so the joint hangs supported rather than slack.
Yes, they build the grip and the strong overhead hang position every pull-up starts from. If your pull-ups die at the bottom or your grip quits first, hangs are the cheapest fix there is.
