Handstands are a fun but challenging movement we practice in the CrossFit world. In this article, we will discuss the progression to getting your first handstand hold against the wall. In the following weeks, we will discuss in depth how to improve your handstand work.
Handstands are not only a fun movement but also an excellent way to build shoulder and core strength. They also improve balance, flexibility, and body control. When we practice handstands and put our bodies into positions they are not naturally in, we are better able to feel how our bodies move through space. This helps us in many areas, improving mental focus and allowing us greater perception when attempting other movements as well.
Plus, getting inverted is a difficult and scary skill for many people. Overcoming this challenge can improve confidence both in and out of the gym.
In this article, we will be focusing on exercises, stretches, and drills to help you get your first ever handstand. Our next article will go more in depth on how to improve your handstands and attempt more high level skills.
Mobility
It is easy to look at the ease at which so many kick up into handstands and feel a little discouraged. But the vast majority of people have faced their own fears and had to take their own small steps to get to where they are.
One of these smalls steps is mobility, mainly in the shoulders and wrists. While it is very possible to do a handstand without good mobility, it is more likely to lead to injury, not to mention be significantly harder than it needs to be.
Gaining overhead mobility in the shoulders will be key. To stretch your shoulders, try placing your hands on a box while kneeling, then pressing your head down and through to the ground. You can also use a band tethered to a pull-up bar, wrap your hand through. With your arm straight, walk out so you are performing an overhead stretch.
To stretch your wrists, place your hands on the ground with fingers facing away from you while knelt down. Slowly, move yourself around your wrists till you feel a stretch. Do not over-do this, simply move until you felt a little stretch.
Shoulder and wrists are heavily relied on during handstands, so make sure you stretch them out before getting to work.
Getting comfortable kicking up
One of the hardest things about a handstand is getting upside down and being comfortable doing so. We can take small steps to build up to this comfort.
Start by placing your hands on a box against a wall (as demonstrated in this CrossFit video) and try to kick your feet up a little bit. Build down to smaller and smaller boxes until your hands are on the floor against a wall and you are practicing donkey kicks to slowly invert yourself.
Be sure to lock out your arms here! Hold them straight and locked with no elbow bend. This will allow you to safely catch yourself when you eventually kick up.
From the donkey kicks, you will progressively try to kick your feet higher and higher, until you can get one to make contact with the wall. Again, make sure your arms are locked.
Practicing just five minutes of kickups a day will drastically cut down on the time it takes to get a handstand.
Once you do start to build that confidence in yourself, commit to the kick up. Be aggressive, and look through your arms to the opposite wall. Lock your core and keep your arms strong, don’t allow any collapse in the elbows, and you will catch yourself in a handstand.
Building strength
Handstands are not a common position, therefore are muscles and tendons are not exactly used to it.
Understand that it will be a slow progression to longer and longer handstand holds. Your wrists will take a lot, so be sure to keep stretching them and slowly build up the amount of time you spend practicing. If you start to feel real pain in the wrists, take a step back, and focus on building up your shoulder and core strength, and that will transfer to your handstand skills.
Incorporating core work and shoulder strengthening exercises will only further improve your confidence in handstand holds. Try a seated Z-press, planks, hollow, and superman holds to build your shoulders and core. When you add these in with intention, you will find that they can transfer over to any of your handstand progressions.
Box work
Being fully inverted on or off the wall puts a lot of pressure on the wrists, and it is hard to hold and do consistently. This is where box drills can come into play.
Place your feet on a box with your hands off the edge. Pike your hips and walk your hands back to the box until your upper body is in a vertical position.
Form here you can hold, or you can try walking your hands all the way around the box. This will teach you body awareness while increasing both your core and shoulder strength.
Stay in your lane
As with anything, learning a handstand will be different for you than anyone else. We all have different things that work for us, so the best advice is to go out and practice what does actually work for you. Practice donkey kicks, feel how the weight can shift in your body and pay attention to how it feels.
If you commit even a small amount of time to learning a handstand, you can get the skill. Then, you can check out our next article on how to continually improve your handstand work!
Happy handstand practice!
