Here is your full workout for today. This overview includes name, reps, and most important cues. IMPORTANT!! To see the video click the (“+”) symbol next to the exercise name, and it will expand.
Look after yourself and only do what feels safe enough.
Make sure to warm up well.Â
Dashboard | Â Handstand Workout
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| W-Raises | 8 reps | Go slow and focus pulling shoulder blades together | |
| W to Y-Raises | 8 reps | Actively keep lifting arms up on Y-Raises | |
| Back Extensions | 8 reps | Initiate lift by externally rotating your arms until thumb is facing the ceiling | |
| Arm Circles | 8 per direction | Extend arms to the side and create small circular movements | |
| Elbow Raises | 8 reps | Lift elbows as high as you can | |
| Wrist Warm-Up | Few reps each | Choose 2-3 Exercises, or feel free to add your own. Go through these until your wrists feel ready. | |
| Shoulder Opener at Wall | 2x30sec | ||
| Shoulder Stretch on Floor | 2x30sec | Look at hands. Bring chest to floor. Isolate the stretch into the shoulders and keep hips over knees! | |
| Shoulder Lifts on Floor | 2x4 | Look at your hands. Do not arch your back. First reach away from your to elevate your scapula. Only after lift the hands off the floor. | |
| Chest to Wall Shoulder Lifts | 2x4 | Push your entire body including chest, core and hips against the wall. Look at your hands. First reach up towards the ceiling to elevate the scapula and then back. If you can not reach back due to a lack of mobility push your armpits towards the wall instead. | |
| Active Shoulder Opener at Wall with Foam Roller | 8x | Look at your hands. Push the chest towards the wall and roll the roll against the wall in each rep. |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall Walks | 2x2 | Engage your whole body! Do not allow your back to arch or your shoulder blades to stick out behind your back.Take small and controlled steps with your hands facing towards the front.Only your feet should touch the wall. Do not place your knees, hips or chest on the wall.Do not look at the wall. Instead look at the spot in between your hands. | |
| Single Leg Tuck Slide | 1x3 each side alternating | Align your hips and shoulders on top of the center of your hands. Create a 45 degree angle at the hips for the feet to touch the wall.Pull 1 knee down to the tuck at the time whilst keeping your shoulders and hips perfectly squared. Pull the knee down in a vertical line and avoid it sticking out to the side.Do not push your feet up the wall too far between reps. Your hand-shoulder-hips line needs to stay intact at all times.Touch the wall with your feet and the working knee and shin only. | |
| Tuck Slides | 2x4 | Make sure your shoulders stay right on top of the center of your hands. Do not push them open in the direction of your armpits or allow them to close and slide in the direction of your back.Keep your knees together and make them touch the wall as you pull them down.Pull your knees as low as possible whilst engaging your lower back. In the tuck position your hips need to be in a slight anterior pelvic tilt. As soon as your lower back rounds and your hips flip into a posterior pelvic tilt your knees are too low.Lock your elbows, elevate your scapula and look at the spot in between your hands. | |
| 45 Handstand Single Leg Tuck Slides | 2x2 each side none alternating | Align your hips, shoulders and top foot on top of the center of your hands. Create a 45 degree angle at the hips for the other foot to touch the wall.Isolate the movement into the working leg only. Place the knee on the wall and pull it as low as possible without un-squaring the hips or flipping them into a posterior pelvic tilt.Focus on the immobile leg. Keeping it perfectly stable is much harder than moving the other knee down to the tuck and back up.Make sure your shoulders stay right on top of the center of your hands. Do not push them open in the direction of your armpits or allow them to close and slide in the direction of your back. | |
| 45 Handstand Lateral Leg Isolation | 2x1 each side | Align your hips, shoulders and top foot on top of the center of your hands. Create a 45 degree angle at the hips for the other foot to touch the wall.Focus on the rotation of your leg inside of your hip. In the straddle position the leg needs to be externally rotated. When the leg is on top it needs to be in parallel.Focus on the immobile leg. Keeping it perfectly still is much harder than moving the other one to straddle and back.Due to the nature of this exercise you will be slightly piked in your single leg straddle position. This is ok as you gain lots of shoulder strength and coordination but moving the wall leg not just against gravity but also against the friction of the wall. Find a flat and even wall and wear slippery socks! | |
| Slide Away to Straddle to Straight | 2x2 | Carry your legs into the straddle from the straight. The downward movement of the legs in combination with gravity will create momentum. The faster you go the harder it will be for your shoulders to stay elevated and your elbows to remain locked.When your legs are together your feet should be in a parallel position. As soon as your legs open they have to rotate externally.Move slow and work on staying in control at all times. The goal is not just to jump from one position to the next but even to control the journey between the positions.Keep your scapula elevated, elbows locked and and the weight in the fingertips at all times. Look at the space in between your hands and engage your legs! | |
| Straddle Slide Away to Straight to Straddle | 2x2 | Remind yourself how to do a Slide Away first. Lean your shoulders towards the front the get the feet off the wall and stabilize your handstand.When your legs are together your feet should be in a parallel position. As soon as your legs open they have to rotate externally.Move slow and work on staying in control at all times. The goal is not just to jump from one position to the next but even to control the journey between the positions.Keep your scapula elevated, elbows locked and and the weight in the fingertips at all times. Look at the space in between your hands and engage your legs! | |
| Box Tuck Single Leg Isolation | 1x2 each side alternating | Bring your foot on top to align it with your hips, shoulders and center of your hands.Time your hips and knee. If you were watching this drill from the side the foot should travel up and back down on one vertical line.Keep your immobile leg fully bent and the heel close to your glutes. Place your shoulders on top of the center of your hands and push out tall.Make sure the box for your tuck is high enough. Your hips have to be in a slight anterior pelvic tilt and never in a posterior one. Only place the knees on the box. | |
| Box Tuck Hover | 2x1 each side | Align the foot on top of your hips, shoulders and center of the hands. Before you attempt to hover the second knee you should already be in full control of your handstand.If you feel like you have to arch your back to use the top leg as counter weight your alignment is off. Push out tall from your shoulders and move them on top of the center of your hands instead of trying to force this to work by opening into a banana position.Make sure the box for your tuck is high enough. Your hips have to be in a slight anterior pelvic tilt and never in a posterior one. Only place the knees on the box.Keep your hover knee fully bent and keep the foot close to your glutes. This will help bring the weight on top of the center of your hands. |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight to Straddle to Straight | 1x3 | Carry your legs into the straddle from the straight. The downward movement of the legs in combination with gravity will create momentum. The faster you go the harder it will be for your shoulders to stay elevated and your elbows to remain locked.When your legs are together your feet should be in a parallel position. As soon as your legs open they have to rotate externally.Move slow and work on staying in control at all times. The goal is not just to jump from one position to the next but even to control the journey between the positions.Keep your scapula elevated, elbows locked and and the weight in the fingertips at all times. Look at the space in between your hands and engage your legs! | |
| Straight to Tuck to Straight | 2x2 | Move slow and work on staying in control at all times. The goal is not just to jump from one position to the next but even to control the journey between the positions.Time your hips and knees. If you were watching this drill from the side the feet should travel down and back up on 1 vertical line.Pull your knees as low as possible in the tuck but stop before your lower back rounds, shoulders close or elbows bend. | |
| Vertical Leg Isolations From Straight | 1x2 each leg alternating | Pull your knees as low as possible without allowing your lower back to round or the hips to un-square from the shoulders.Keep your immobile leg perfectly on top of the hands, shoulders & hips. Do not arch it towards the back as a counterweight.Do not slide the moving foot along the immobile leg. instead create a small gap and keep your shin in a right angle to the floor.Keep your scapula elevated, elbows locked and and the weight in the fingertips at all times. Look at the space in between your hands and engage your legs! | |
| Lateral Leg Isolations from Straight | 2x1 each leg | Focus on the immobile leg. Keeping it perfectly still is much harder than moving the other one to straddle and back.Focus on the rotation of your leg inside of your hip. In the straddle position the leg needs to be externally rotated. When the leg is on top it needs to be in parallel.Keep both elbows locked and shoulders elevated. Due to the nature of the movement you will have more weight on one side of your body. It is up to you to create the visual illusion of the weight staying perfectly even between your hands.Engage your legs! They make up a significant part of your handstand. Lock your knees, point your feet and squeeze the water out of them. |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Slide Away | 3x total each side | Bend your block elbow so your shoulders and hips remain parallel to the floor. Elevate your scapula to cover your ears.Place equal amounts of weight on both hands.Bend your block elbow so your shoulders and hips remain parallel to the floor. Elevate your scapula to cover your ears.Lean your shoulders towards the front to get the weight off the wall and keep your hips perfectly straight!Film yourself from the side and watch it back between sets to check on your form and increase upside down body awareness and coordination. | |
| Kneeling Side Bends | 1x4 each side | Keep your hips perfectly immobile on top of your knees.Place your hands behind your head.Isolate the side bend between your last rib and the hip bones.Keep both of your shoulders in line with your hips. Gently drive your bottom shoulder towards the front and the top one towards the back. | |
| One Legged Kneeling Side Bends | 1x4 each side | Place your hands behind your head.Keep your hips perfectly immobile on top of your knees.Isolate the side bend between your last rib and the hip bones.Keep both of your shoulders in line with your hips. Gently drive your bottom shoulder towards the front and the top one towards the back. | |
| Deep Side Bends - Wall | 2x2 each side alternating | Keep your shoulders stable and isolate the side bend between your last rib and the hip bones!Make sure the distance between your armpits and the wall remains constant. Keep your shoulders stable in between your hands.Adjust the distance to the wall and how far you open your legs according to your available middle split flexibility. Once your hips pike and your back arches you are opening your legs too far.Only allow your feet to touch the wall and push your legs open fully. They must create one solid structure with your hips. | |
| Vertical Wall Walks - Legs Together | 2sets of 2x down up down up (starting with each hand once) | Squeeze your legs together. This is the first priority! Make sure to use a flat and even wall and wear slippery socks.Freeze at every movement change. This will allow you to check on your positions and forces you to stay up longer and ultimately to get stronger.Place your floor hand close to the block to make getting on top of it easier.Before pushing up align your block hand, shoulder and opposite hip. For this bend your block elbow and bend towards the side between your hip bones and the last rib. |
With all wrist warm ups there is no specific number I want you to do, just do them until your wrists are fully warmed up. Generally better take more time to warm up instead of less. Pick the exercises that feel the best for your wrists, and if you already have a wrist warm-up routine, just go with that one.
Exercise 1 - Place palm of hand on the floor in various positions and angles (e.g. fingers facing your knees, fingers pointing to the outside, etc) while you load weight on to your arms gently
Exercise 2 - Place one hand on top of the other and only move your arm around (from straight to bend, imagine you are drawing circles with your elbow)
Exercise 3 - Place back of hands on ground and gently load weight on to your arms. Move around from side to side, front and back to stretch them out a bit.