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 | |
| Tuck on Back | 1x4 | Push out tall, keep your lower back on the floor at all times! Look at your hands. Keep your knees together and the feet on the same distance to the floor throughout the whole movement! | |
| Straight to Straddle - On Back | 1x3 | Cover your ears with your shoulders, look at your hands pushing against the wall. Keep your lower back pushed against the floor. As soon as your legs open externally rotate them! Keep your feet at the same distance to the floor the whole time. Stop opening your legs when the feet begin to move upwards away from the floor! | |
| 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 | 1x30sec | ||
| Shoulder Lifts on Floor | 1x6 | 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. | |
| Sitting Knee Extension with Block | 2x10 | Keep your ankles together and lock your knees so your feet lift off the floor. Feel your quads engaging on top and squeeze for a moment.Point your feet at the ankle and curl your toes.Sit up straight with your hands relaxed on the floor next to you and your shoulders down. | |
| Scissor Kicks on Back | 30sec | Lock your knees. Fully push the through. Feel your quads on fire.Point your feet at the ankle and curl your toes.Keep your legs parallel to each other.Keep your upper body stable and immobile as you scissor your legs up and down dynamically. |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box Tuck Walk | 1x3 | 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.Do not look at the box. Instead focus on a spot on the floor in between your hands.Make sure the box for your tuck is high enough so that your hips are in a slight anterior pelvic tilt when you get to your final position. Only place the knees on the box. | |
| 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 Leg Isolation | 1x1 each side | Align the foot on top of your hips, shoulders and center of the hands. Before you attempt to take the second knee off 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. Consider placing a mat or something soft on the box to soften the blow in case you lose control and come down a bit faster.Focus on the way back and isolate the movement in 1 leg at the time. Do not use your top leg as a counter weight. Stabilize your hips with your back and use your hip flexors to actively pull the first knee down until it touches the box. | |
| Lower to Box Tuck | 2x1 each side | First focus on getting to the straight handstand. This is the main priority.Engage your lower back to pull on your hips. Do not allow your lower back to round.Focus on your shoulders. Keeping them elevate is key here. Do not allow them to close or to slide towards the front.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. Consider placing a mat or something soft on the box to soften the blow in case you lose control and come down a bit faster. | |
| Tuck Slide | 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. | |
| Tuck Take Off | 2x2 | Engage your lower back and pull your hips into an anterior pelvic tilt. Bring your shoulders on top of the center of your hands and place significant weight into your fingertips. Before you take your feet off you should already be in full control of your handstand.Do not jump off the wall or lean or shoulder excessively towards the front to get off the wall.Take both feet off the wall at the same time!Lock your elbows, elevate your scapula and look at the spot in between your hands. | |
| Slide Away | 1x3 | Start with your body in a perfectly straight line. Your feet should be the only thing touching the wall. Lean your shoulders towards the front and slide your feet down the wall. , Start with your body in a perfectly straight line. Your feet should be the only thing touching the wall. Lean your shoulders towards the front and slide your feet down the wall until your feet naturally lift off the wall. In this moment travel the feet away from the wall and the shoulders back to align everything on top of the center of your hands.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. | |
| Straddle Slide Away | 1x3 | Start with your body in a perfectly straight line. Your feet should be the only thing touching the wall. Lean your shoulders towards the front and slide your feet down the wall. , Start with your body in a perfectly straight line. Your feet should be the only thing touching the wall. Lean your shoulders towards the front and slide your feet down the wall until your feet naturally lift off the wall. In this moment travel the feet away from the wall and the shoulders back to align everything on top of the center of your hands.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. | |
| Slide Away to Lateral Leg Isolation | 2x1 each side | Keep your hips and shoulders perfectly squared and parallel to the floor.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.You are very close to the wall which forces you to engage properly and follow correct form. If not your foot will touch the wall! | |
| Straddle Slide Away to Lateral Leg Isolation | 2x1 each side | Keep your hips and shoulders perfectly squared and parallel to the floor.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.You are very close to the wall which forces you to engage properly and follow correct form. If not your foot will touch the wall! |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standing Side Bends against Elastic attach to Wall | 6x each side | ||
| Assisted Leaning Side Stretch | 15sec each side | Find wall bars, a door, a hallway or anything similar that is stable and provide an opportunity to safely support parts of your bodyweight.Keep both of your shoulders low and your feet about shoulder width apart pointing straight towards the front.Push your hips out towards the side away from your hands for an increased stretch.Make sure both of your hip bones & shoulders stay in line and move into a deeper stretch with each exhale. | |
| Deep Side Bend - Wall | 1x3 each side | 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. | |
| Straddle Slide Away Deep Side Bend - Diamond | 2x2 each side | ||
| Deep Side Bend - Diamond | 2x1 each side | Push your legs open as much as possible but only pull the feet in towards your hips as much as your flexibility allows. Only your toes should be touching each other.Keep your shoulders stable and isolate the side bend between your last rib and the hip bones! Do not allow the shoulder that you are side bending on to collapse towards the front. Look at the spot in between your hands. Do not shift your gaze!Imagine you are in a toaster. You do not want to burn your knees or shoulders. Do not rotate!Start small and work deeper over time. Always put quality first! It is normal that one side will be easier than the other. | |
| Vertical Wall Walk - Legs Together | 2 sets of down up each side | 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. |
Start with your hand open facing towards the ceiling in extension. Now bring the tip of all 5 fingers together and and flex your wrist.
Put hands together in front you in a prayer position. Move hands downwards and elbows out to introduce a stretch. Go through these until wrists feel warm and ready
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.