How To Do Handstands – Handstand Training For Balance

By Staff Report
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Updated: October 16, 2020

Handstands are one of the best exercises you can ever do for your upper body. They include the arms, shoulders, back, and core in order to be performed flawlessly. You need to have total mastery over your body, and it’s one of the toughest moves to master, right after the Planche. There are many levels and progressions in this complex move, but first, we’re going to talk about some benefits.

Why should you learn this move?

We spend hours in front of telephone or computer screens, while hunching our shoulders and heads forward. Not only that but if you type on a keyboard for more than a few hours, then the risk of you getting carpal tunnel significantly increases. Click here to read more.

The way to strengthen your wrists, improve your posture, and get the most that you can out of your posterior chain is by doing five minutes of handstands every day. It’s also good for your blood circulation. During our everyday functioning, most of our blood is located in the legs.

When you flip your position the other way around, all the blood comes rushing down due to the force of gravity. It goes into your arms and head, and that does wonders for your entire metabolism. There aren’t any excuses as to why you shouldn’t learn it, since the only equipment you need is your body, and you carry that everywhere you go.

During the progression stage, the only thing you’re going to need is a wall, so there are literally zero excuses. It might seem scary at first to flip your entire perspective the other way round, but progress happens outside of our comfort zones.

The warmup

A lot of people don’t like doing warmups. They think that a workout needs to be an hour-long, and they don’t have the time to stretch out and do some dynamic warmups. Well, that’s how most injuries happen. It costs nothing to start your workout with five minutes of warming up, and it will surely help you perform better.

It’s also an integral part of training for a handstand. You can’t jump into it, and if you try doing it without moving the wrists for a bit, you’ll likely be injured. Just as you don’t go to the gym and put on 315 pounds on the bench press, you don’t start walking on your hands the instant you begin training. Before turning upside down, it’s essential to move the shoulders and the wrists.

They’re the main points of stability, and you need a full range of motion. Drop down on your knees and put your palms on the floor, and start moving in all directions while keeping the hands in a single place. Try going forwards and back, all while putting some pressure inside the palms. This will move all of the ligaments and get them ready for something more intense.

Then, put the backs of your hands on the floor, and get a nice stretch in the forearms. Try straightening your arms in that position, and move a little bit, if you have more range of motion. As soon as you do this for a minute or so, it’s time to work on the shoulders. A few rounds of jumping jacks will do the trick, but if you’re not in the mood for that, you can also try arm circles.

The progressions

The secret behind gaining stability in a handstand position lies in the core. If you don’t have a strong core, you’re not going to be able to hold the position for long, and you’ll always collapse. It’s simple physics. First, lay on the floor, tuck your knees into your chest, and hug them with your arms.

When you do that, try to engage your core and keep your head straight. The position will likely look as if you’re jumping cannonball into a pool. You can go to http://www.howtohandstand.com to find out more. Rock back and forwards, and if it’s too easy, let go of the knees and keep them at a 90-degree angle.

If you have that down, it’s time for the next step, which progresses to the wall. Before you try this, make sure that you can do at least 50 pushups, so you have the necessary shoulder and arm strength. Find a wall and get in a pushup pose in front of it. Your feet should be touching the wall, and then raise your body in a downward-facing dog position.

The hips need to be high. When you have that down, start walking your feet up the wall. If that’s too difficult, placing them on a box, chair, or something that’s a bit off the ground will help out a lot. Progress is progress, no matter how small the steps are.

If you’re comfortable staying in a position with your feet placed on a high box, then walking up the wall won’t be a problem. Try moving your arms closer as your feet go higher. This is the step that you need to be the most careful about.

Make sure that you have enough energy in your arms to go back the distance. As soon as you reach the point of verticality, you have achieved what you were looking for. You’ll be in a handstand position against the wall. The only thing left would be to practice the movement every day and try moving the feet away.