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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forehead to W | 8 reps | Go slow and focus pulling shoulder blades together | |
| Straight to W | 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 | |
| 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. |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall Walks | 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.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. | |
| Tuck Slides | 1x4 | 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 | 1x2 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 | 1x2 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.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! |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg Circles from Straight | 1x2 each direction | 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.Work on isolating the movement exclusively into your legs! Your elbows should stay locked and the shoulders fully elevated and immobile throughout the entire drill.Hold each position for at least a short moment and bring your body to a visual stop of movement.Do not try to outrun your balance. Stay cool! If something does not go as planned: come to a stop, fix your position and then move on. Alternatively, you can also come down and reset from the top or simply continue. | |
| Straight Single Leg Isolations | 2x2 each side alternating | Keep your immobile leg perfectly on top of the hands, shoulders & hips. Do not arch it towards the back as a counterweight.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.Whilst the aim is to bring the leg all the way down to parallel you can start by only going until around 45 degrees If you are limited by your current level of flexibility or skill.Carry your leg down slowly and don't drop it. Stay in control at all times. A spectator should be able to say stop at any moment and you should be able to freeze. | |
| Lateral Leg Isolations from Straight | 2x2 each side none alternating | 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. | |
| Miami Slide Away | 1x3 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. | |
| Miami Straight Straddle Straight | 2x3 each side | Bend your block elbow so your shoulders and hips remain parallel to the floor. Elevate your scapula to cover your ears.Engage your glutes whilst closing your legs to avoid piking at the hips.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!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. |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevated Kneeling Side Bends | 4x each side | Keep your hips immobile. Stabilize them using your core!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. | |
| Standing Side Bends with Arms Over Head | 4x each side alternating | Place your hands overhead about shoulder wide apart.Work on side bending flexibility and especially stability. Use your core to keep balance and control.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. | |
| Deep Side Bend | 2x2 each side | Imagine you are in a toaster. You do not want to burn your feet or shoulders. Do not rotate!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!Push your legs open and externally rotate them inside the hips to lock them. Do not allow one of them to close or slide out!Start small and work deeper over time. Always put quality first! It is normal that one side will be easier than the other. |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Transfers - Full Straddle | 1x2 each side alternating | Start by looking at your hand. Then bring your shoulder slightly towards the outside to align it with your hand. On the way back look at the spot between your hands first and then bring your shoulders back to the middle.Lock your elbows, push out tall and work on staying in control at all times!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.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. | |
| Small Transfer Shrug - Full Straddle | 2x2 each side alternating | Start by looking at your hand. Then bring your shoulder slightly towards the outside to align it with your hand. On the way back look at the spot between your hands first and then bring your shoulders back to the middle.Aim to keep your free hand flat on the floor. Of course this is not possible but it will help you to isolate the work into the supporting shoulder and to keep the free shoulder low by your ear.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.Lock your elbows, push out tall and work on staying in control at all times! | |
| Miami Floor Combi Part 2 - Full Straddle | 1x each side | Focus on one movement at the time. First step is getting up into the Miami. Only when you are stable move on to the next part.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.When your hands moves the body should be completely immobile.Look at the hand that you are standing on and connect the side of your face with the supporting shoulder. | |
| Miami Floor Combi Part 1 - Full Straddle | 3x each side | 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.When your hands moves the body should be completely immobile.Your hand has to move upwards, away from the floor to get on top of the block but your shoulder has to stay low. Rotate the arm inside your shoulder joint.Look at the hand that you are standing on and connect the side of your face with the supporting shoulder. | |
| Miami Floor Combi Part 2 - Legs Together | 2x each side | Focus on one movement at the time. First step is getting up into the Miami. Only when you are stable move on to the next part.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.When your hands moves the body should be completely immobile.Look at the hand that you are standing on and connect the side of your face with the supporting shoulder. | |
| 3 Blocks Step There - Full Straddle | 2x each side | Align your supporting shoulder and opposite hip through side bending on top of your supporting hand in each step.Look at the hand that you are standing on and connect the side of your face with the supporting shoulder.When your hands moves the body should be completely immobile.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. | |
| 3 Blocks Step Back - Full Straddle | 2x each side | Align your supporting shoulder and opposite hip through side bending on top of your supporting hand in each step.Look at the hand that you are standing on and connect the side of your face with the supporting shoulder.When your hands moves the body should be completely immobile.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. | |
| Miami Outside Transfer - Legs Together | 2x2 each side | 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.Push out tall from your supporting shoulder. Do not allow it to collapse towards the front.Look at the hand that you are standing on and connect the side of your face with the supporting shoulder.Whilst generally harder and a bit more fragile the advantage of drills with legs together is that you basically only have 1 leg. So squeeze them together hard and take advantage! |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lateral Wall Walks - Baby Straddle | 2x there and back with 4 blocks | The baby straddle position is harder to control but gives you the advantage that your opposite leg and the supporting arm create one perfect vertical line.Align your supporting shoulder and opposite hip through side bending on top of your supporting hand in each step.Look at the hand that you are standing on and connect the side of your face with the supporting shoulder.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. | |
| Vertical Wall Walk with Block on Side | 2 sets of up down up down | 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.Adding the extra block on the side will require you to reach for the block. This will make it harder to keep the free shoulder low! Take the challenge and grow with it!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. | |
| Miami Climb in L | 2x 2 each side alternating | 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.The push needs to come exclusively from the block arm and should only be vertically. Your body should not change its general position during the climb.The free hand is for balance only. Only slide up on the fingertips when you can not reach the floor with a flat hand anymore.Stay focused and go slow on the downward motion of the climb and keep your opposite hip on top of the supporting shoulder. The only thing in your body changing here is the supporting elbow! |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protraction Cat 'n' Cow | 1x8 | Place both of your hands in the band and place it around your upper back to create extra resistance and to help identify where to push and engage to achieve protraction. If your band is too long rotate one end to create twists and ultimately shorten it to the desired length.Keep your scapula depressed the entire time. Slightly arch your back as you move into retraction and round your back as you push into protraction. The emphasis here should be on the protraction moment. It should feel as if you were trying to make your shoulder touch in front of your chest.Lock your elbows and turn the pits of your elbows 45 degrees towards the front.Keep your head in a neutral position and look at the floor. Do not look towards the front or in a mirror next to you as you might strain your neck. If you want to check on your form film yourself! | |
| Tuck Planche Changes | 2x3 | Protract your shoulders and round your back. Do not allow your shoulder blades to stick out in the back.Use your hip flexors and compression muscles to pull your knees towards your chest. Lift your hips high enough to clear the forearm with the knee in each rep. Do not open your leg and the hips to move it around the arm.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.Squeeze your Tuck Planche on top in each rep for a moment. | |
| Walking Lean Push Ups | 1x4-6 | Lower down from a regular push up position. Now walk your feet towards the front to bring your shoulders towards the front and push back up. Then walk back to your starting position. Engage your core to keep your body from toes to head stable.Protract your shoulders and focus on keeping protraction the entire time. To do so you must combine strength and coordination.When extending your arms your head and shoulders should travel in a vertical line. This is not easy. Overcompensate! It should feel as if you were pushing forward and up in a sligthly diagonal line.Externally rotate your hands to ease the pressure on the wrists. | |
| HSPU Slide Away | 3xmax -1 | Start with a Half Slide Away. From a perfectly straight line lean your shoulders towards the front until your feet want to come off the wall. Keeping this angle in your upper body perform your HSPU. At the top of the push up take the feet off the wall and align everything in a straight handstand.Point your feet and slide them on the wall. Avoid walking your feet on the wall. Try using a wall that is smooth and even for your feet to travel without extra resistance.Separate the movements to stay clean and efficient.Allow your elbows to flare out naturally but aim to keep them approximately at a 45 degree angle. | |
| Dropset Perform the following 3 exercises back to back. Do not rest between exercises. rest 2-4 min between rounds | 3 rounds | ||
| Sitting Plate Push Up | 6-12x | Place the plate on your flat hands in front of your chest. This will force you to lift the hands towards the front whilst extending the arms mimicking the pathway of the HSPU.Allow your elbows to flare out naturally but aim to keep them approximately at a 45 degree angle.Look at your hands and elevate your scapula when your elbows are locked. Allow your scapula to depress naturally as you bend your arms.Engage your core to keep your back straight. | |
| Dead L HSPU - Elevated Hands | 3xmax -1 | Elevate your hands for increased range of motion.In each rep place your head on the floor just in front of your hands and release pressure form your arms.Allow your elbows to flare out naturally but aim to keep them approximately at a 45 degree angle.Your upper body should travel down and back up on 1 diagonal line. Do not arch your back and do not push your shoulders towards your feet on top. Do not aim your nose towards the floor but your forehead. | |
| Tuck Planche Push Up Negative | 2x4-6 | First hold your Tuck Planche with fully locked elbows and protracted shoulders. Only after lower down as slowly as possible.Keep your elbows close along your body.Hold your upper body parallel to the floor the entire time. Your entire body should move as one unit.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! |
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.