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. |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shoulder Warm Up with Elastic | 8x each | You have 2 separate movements here. Isolate your shoulders in the first one. Add opening of your chest for the second one.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. | |
| Shoulder Openers on Knees with Bent Elbows - Looking at Elbows | 40sec | ||
| Shoulder Stretch on Knees - Chin on Chest | 2x40sec | ||
| Shoulder Lifts on Floor at Wall | 2x8 | Separate the exercise in 4 movements. First reach tall towards the front, then lift your hands up, then bring the hands back down and finally pull your shoulders back towards your hips.Keep your fingers connected with the wall whilst lifting the hands.Lock your elbows and look at your hands.Do not lift your chest off the floor. Isolate the movement into your shoulders. | |
| Shoulder Lifts on Floor with Elastic | 2x8 | Separate the exercise in 4 movements. First reach tall towards the front, then lift your hands up, then bring the hands back down and finally pull your shoulders back towards your hips.Hover your chin close to the floor.Lock your elbows and look at your hands.Do not lift your chest off the floor. Isolate the movement into your shoulders. |
| 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 | 2x2 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 | 3x2 | 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. | |
| Lateral Leg Isolations from Straight at Wall | 2x2 each side 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.Keep your elbows locked and elevate your scapula fully at all times.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. | |
| L Handstand Single Leg Isolation Shrugs | 2x2 each side alternating | Bring the leg on up slowly to align it with your hips and shoulders on top of the center of your hands.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.In case of a temporary lack of hamstring flexibility bend your knee slightly to ease the tension. | |
| Half 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. When you are about to wall over push back up.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. | |
| 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 | 2x2 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. | |
| Slide Away | 2x2 | 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 Half Slide Away | 2x3 | 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. When you are about to wall over push back up.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.Do not place your hands too far away from the wall. The main focus of this drill is not conditioning but technical refinement. | |
| L Walk Ups | 4x each side | Start with 1 foot on the wall at the height of your L Handstand.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. |
| Demo | Exercise | Reps/Sets | How to/Cues |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking Dead | 2x20 | Place your hands shoulder width apart on the floor with your fingers facing towards the front! Lock your elbows and rotate their pits towards the front. Elevate your scapula!Lean your shoulders towards the front to transfer weight from your feet into your hands. Raise on your tippy toes and resist with your shoulders to prevent them from collapsing. Push your index fingers into the floor.Engage your lower back to pull on your hips. Do not allow your lower back to round or your shoulders to collapse towards the front.In case of a temporary lack of hamstring flexibility bend your knees slightly to ease the tension. | |
| L Handstand Shrugs | 2x8-12 | 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!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. | |
| Elastic Front Corrections | 2x10 | Make sure the elastic is in front of your body and does not get stuck on or behind your shoulder blades.Hold the elastic with your entire hand. We want the back of the hand to face the same direction as your back when the hands are on top. The elastic is basically an extension of the fingers.Isolate the movement into your arms and look at your hands.Elevate your scapula, hold your hands shoulder wide apart and keep your elbows locked! | |
| Downward Dog HSPU - Elevated Feet | 3x4-8 | Elevate your feet for increased pressure on your hands.Bring your shoulders on top of your hands and lean into your hands to place significant pressure into them before your start your movement. Keep your shoulders on top of your hands between reps.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.Allow your elbows to flare out naturally but aim to keep them approximately at a 45 degree angle. | |
| V-Up Combi | 8x total | Lock your knees fully and keep them straight the entire time. Your quads should be on fire.Aim with your face towards your foot. Keep your back as straight as possible, shoulders down and arms engaged.Keep the immobile leg on the floor for control and balance. As you bring both legs up open them sligthly to reach in between.1 repetition equals 1 V-Up with each leg and 2 with both! | |
| Kneeling Shoulder Shrugs with Elastic Chest to Wall | 2x12 | Connect your quads, hips, chest and wrists with the wall.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! |
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.