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Handstand 1
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 Workout
Specific Warm Up
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Forehead to W 8x | Rotate your hands for the thumbs to point towards the ceiling as your bring your arms to the W. Make sure you have a 90 degrees angle in your shoulders and that your elbows are in line with the shoulders. Pull your hands and elbows up towards the ceiling and not back.Keep your chest on the floor the entire time and rotate your hands for the thumbs to point towards the ceiling.Keep your legs engaged but on the floor. Point your feet and make your ankles touch. | |
 | Straight to W 8x | On the way back stop with your elbows in line with your shoulders and a 90 degree angle in your elbows. Lift your forearms towards the ceiling and squeeze on top for a moment.Keep your chest on the floor the entire time and rotate your hands for the thumbs to point towards the ceiling.Keep your legs engaged but on the floor. Point your feet and make your ankles touch. | |
 | Back Extension 8x | Then externally rotate your arms, squeeze your shoulder blades together in the back, look up towards the ceiling and engage the whole back lifting the upper body of the floor.Keep your feet about shoulder width apart on the floor the entire time.Move slowly! The longer this takes the more control and strength you will develop! | |
 | Elbow Lift 8x | Lift your elbows up as you were trying to make them touch behind your head. Bring them back down slowly. Do not slam them into the floor.Keep your legs engaged but on the floor. Point your feet and make your ankles touch.Move slowly! The longer this takes the more control and strength you will develop! | |
 | Shoulder Warm Up with Elastic 4x each | Keep your mid and lower back stable and engaged at all times. Do not arch beyond your chest.Your wrists stay in the same position towards each other. Do not allow your hands to rotate to eliminate the possibility of your shoulders rotating.Exhale as you open your shoulders. | |
 | Dynamic Shoulder Opener at Wall with Foam Roller 8x | Look upwards past your hands and push your chest towards the wall.Lock your elbows and slightly depress your shoulders.Place your feet about hip width apart on the floor underneath your hips. | |
 | Kneeling Shoulder Shrug with Elastic - Chest to Wall 2x6 | Lock your elbows and look at your hands.Reach towards the ceiling pushing as tall as you can and cover your ears with your shoulders. Make sure the elastic comes out of the back of your hands like an extension of your fingers and not from the thumb or pinky side.Go slow on the way down and keep your elbows locked. Both directions matter! | |
 | Shoulder Lift - Chest to Wall 2x6 | Keep your quads, hips and chest connected with the wall at all times.Lock your elbows and look at your hands. | |
 | Wrist Warm Up as needed | Rotate, twist and move them to stretch them in each direction.Spend more time in positions where you feel less mobile or even stiff.Keep your elbows locked and hands shoulder wide apart. | |
 | Overhead Wrist Curl 8x each side | Place your hand overhead, lock your elbow and elevate your scapula. Look towards the front.Open your hand every time your wrist moves into extension and fully close as you move into flexion.Train your forearm muscles and fingers in exactly the way that you need the when fighting for balance in handstand or when gripping a bar or rings. | |
 | V-Up Arm Pulses 20sec | Engage your arms to be able to swing them dynamically.Lock your knees, point your feet and squeeze them together. | |
 | Half Superman Plank Push Up 2x4 | Look at your hands and keep them around shoulder width apart.Push your lower back up and engage your core to create an even and slightly rounded line.Flex your feet on the floor and keep them next to each other. |
Light Handstand Training (2)
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Wall Walk 2x2 | 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.Look at the spot in between your hands. Do not look at the wall placing your chin on your chest. | |
 | Half Slide Away 1x4 | Do not pull your hips or arch your back. Stay in a perfectly straight line from shoulders to toes. The only position change should be in the shoulders and wrists.Do not place your hands too far away from the wall. The main focus of this drill is not conditioning but technical refinement.Keep your elbows locked and elevate your scapula fully at all times. | |
 | Slide Away 2x3 | Do not pull your hips or arch your back. Stay in a perfectly straight line from shoulders to toes. The only position change should be in the shoulders and wrists.Move slow and stay in control at all times. Do not use momentum to get off the wall. Do not jump off the wall and do not take 1 foot at the time off the wall.Come back to the wall with your entire body from wrists to toes in 1 straight line. | |
 | Slide Away Wall Tap 2 sets | You can not see the wall coming and don't want to place any weight on the wall. You therefore have to move very slowly.Keep your immobile leg perfectly on top of the hands, shoulders & hips. Do not arch it towards the back as a counterweight.Remind yourself how to do a Slide Away. Lean your shoulders towards the front the get the feet off the wall. | |
 | Straddle Slide Away 2x3 | Don't just lock your legs inside of your hips but actively push them open. Do not accidentally close your legs whilst leaning towards the front., Lock your legs inside of your hips. Do not accidentally close your legs whilst leaning towards the front.Do not pull your hips or arch your back. Stay in a perfectly straight line from shoulders to toes. The only position change should be in the shoulders and wrists.Keep your elbows locked and elevate your scapula fully at all times. | |
 | Straddle Slide Away to Legs Together 2x2 | Engage your glutes whilst closing your legs to avoid piking at the hips.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 elbows locked and elevate your scapula fully at all times. | |
 | Slide Away to Straddle 2x2 | Externally rotate your legs as you open into the straddle and carry them down to avoid creating momentum. Only open our legs as far as you are able to remain well aligned.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 elbows locked and elevate your scapula fully at all times. | |
 | 45 Handstand Lateral Leg Isolation 1x2 each side none alternating | 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! | |
 | L Handstand Single Leg Isolation - Bent Knee 2x2 each side alternating | With the leg on top pressure on your shoulders is less horizontal and more vertical. Use this to push out extra tall. Work on holding this newly gained height on the way back down to the starting position.Engage your back and pull your hips into a slight anterior pelvic tilt when you are brining the leg back to the wall to keep your weight in the fingertips. Do not allow your lower back to round when returning to the L.Bend your wall knee slightly to ease pressure on the hamstring and allow yourself to focus fully on alignment. Make sure you lock out the working leg as soon as possible on its way up to the handstand. | |
 | L Wall Jump 4x each side | Stab the foot up straight towards the ceiling to align your top leg with the already aligned hands and shoulders. Do not arch the leg over towards the back.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!In case of a temporary lack of hamstring flexibility bend your wall knee slightly to ease the tension. | |
 | 45 Handstand Single Leg Circle - Parallettes 2x1 each side & each direction | 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 and in the tuck position it needs to be in parallel.Focus on the immobile leg. Keeping it perfectly still is much harder than moving the other one in a circle.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! |
Handstand Conditioning
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Advanced Back to Wall Press Negative 4x total | The distance of your hands to the wall has to be quite big in order to stay connected with the wall. Externally rotate your hands to ease the pressure on your wrists.Separate your movements. First move into your deepest straddle keeping your feet on the wall, only when you can not open your legs any further transition into the pancake, allow your hips to pike and the feet to leave the wall. Pull your feet towards your wrist. When you can not go any further allow your lower back to round and the hips to come off the wall for the feet to travel towards the floor.Go as slow as possible and try to stay in control the entire time! If you feel like you are about to lose control: Stop and simply try to freeze in place! | |
 | Wall Tuck Planche - Negative 5x total | Protract your shoulders and round your back. Do not allow your shoulder blades to stick out in the back.Go as slow as possible and try to stay in control the entire time! If you feel like you are going to low and you are about to lose control: Stop and simply try to freeze in place!Lock your elbows! This is a straight arm drill. If you are not training on parallettes consider externally rotating your hands to ease pressure on your wrists. | |
 | Tuck Planche Pull to L Sit - Elevated Feet 4x total | As your feet reach the end of the surface swing through to a Bent Knee L Sit. Try to stay in control at all times.Protract and depress your scapula. Do not allow your shoulder blades to stick out behind. Round your back as you pull into the tuck.Lock your elbows fully. This is a straight arm drill! Rotate the pits of your elbows about 45 degrees towards the front. Externally rotate your hands to ease the pressure on your wrists. | |
 | L HSPU - Elevated Hands 3x max | Start with your hands shoulder wide apart vertically aligned with your shoulders and hips. Look at your hands and elevate your scapula.Your upper body should travel down and back up on the same line. Keep your back straight. Make sure not to look at your hands and not to push your shoulders towards your armpits on top.Place your feet on a box, table or kitchen counter for the legs to be about parallel to the floor when you are at the very bottom of the movement. Do not place your feet against the wall! Bend your knees slightly in case of a temporary lack of hamstring mobility | |
 | Alternating Dumbbell Shoulder Press 8x each side | ||
 | Elbow Tap in L 2x4 each side | Place your shoulders on top of the center of your hands, lock your elbows and keep your hands shoulder wide apart with the fingers facing towards the front. Look at your hands! Engage your lower back to pull on the hips in the direction of the anterior pelvic tilt to stabilize the hips on top of the hands.Place your feet on a box, table or kitchen counter for the legs to be about parallel to the floor. Do not place your feet against the wall!In case of a temporary lack of hamstring flexibility bend your knees slightly to ease the tension. | |
 | L Handstand Shoulder Correction - Feet on Box 1x6 | Every time your shoulders pass on top of the center of your hands stop for a moment, push out extra tall and move on.Lock your elbows and look at your hands.In case of a temporary lack of hamstring flexibility bend your knee slightly to ease the tension. | |
 | L Handstand Shoulder Shrug 1x6 | Lock your elbows and look at your hands.Move especially slow and careful on the way down when you depress your scapula to protect your shoulders from impact and to build strength and awareness in this vulnerable position.In case of a temporary lack of hamstring flexibility bend your knees slightly to ease the tension. |