Getting strong enough to spend minutes in a handstand requires spending a lot of time on your hands! But not all of that will happen upside down right away. We can regress straight arm strength training and make it more fun by mixing up positions and adding in other sources of challenge.
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Plank to Down Dog
What is it?
The friendliest, easiest movement to start moving your shoulders from a plank into a more handstand-type postion.
Technique
Shift from a high plank position into a pike or downward dog position. Think about pressing into the floor and keeping your neck long.
Common Mistakes
There’s no need to extend your back excessively here – that’s not a position we will need in a handstand. Keep your ribs pulled down toward your pelvis like you’re doing a very small crunch and let the shoulders do the work.
Box Plank Around The World
What is it?
An easy way to accumulate lots of time with your weight through your hands and shoulders.
What You’ll Need
A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.
Technique
Set yourself up in a strong plank (no saggy spines!) on a box. Keep your feet in one place, and walk your hands around the box for as many reps as is prescribed.
Box Plank to Pike
What is it?
An early way to expose you to moving from a horizontal position to a stacked, hips over hands position, while still working on straight arm strength. Try to go as close to the box as you can – you want to walk your hands so close to the box you almost feel like you’re going to fall over the top.
What You’ll Need
A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.
Technique
With your feet on a box, walk from a high plank to a pike position (hips stacked over hands). Don’t worry if you have to bend your knees, hips over hands is more important than straight legs.
Common Mistakes
Not walking all the way in. Film yourself from the side if you need to check that you are walking close enough. You should be able to draw a vertical line from your hip to the floor and that line should draw through the middle of your hands (not the heel of your hands).
Lateral Plank Walk Over Plate to Box Wall Walk in Pike
What is it?
In a high plank, walking the hands back and forth over a bumper plate then walking into a pike position.
What You’ll Need
A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box and a 10-20kg bumper plate.
Technique
Make sure to keep a tight body line and walk all the way into your pike position so your hips are over your hands.
Pike Around The World
What is it?
In a pike position, walking your hands around a box to accumulate time upside down on your hands. It’s not a flexibility contest, so don’t worry if you need a higher box or if you need to bend your knees.
What You’ll Need
A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.
Technique
Walk from a plank with your feet on a box to a pike. Then walk your hands around the box in a circle, keeping your hips stacked over your hands.
Handstand Up Downs
What is it?
A shoulder strength drill that forces you to push into the ground so you can step up onto a plate.
What You’ll Need
A wall and a 10-20kg bumper plate.
Technique
Place a bumper plate near a wall and kick up to handstand with your hands on either side of the plate. Step one hand up onto the plate, then the other. This will be a narrow shoulder position for some, do your best. Then step back down. That’s one rep! Keep going, it will get burny pretty quickly.
Common Mistakes
Letting the back sag instead of staying tall and upright in the handstand.
Handstand Up Downs C2W
What is it?
The same as the above, just facing the wall.
Technique
Place a bumper plate near a wall and wall walk or cartwheel into a wall-facing handstand with your hands on either side of the plate. Step your hands up and down onto the plate.
Common Mistakes
Putting too much weight into the wall – stay in your hands!
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Fear is a normal part of learning to handstand (or any gymnastics) and we don’t have to just ignore it! Using drills to stretch your comfort zone helps you learn to become comfortable with new movements and stay safe doing so.
Learning to bail from a handstand is particularly important, and it all starts with remembering a movement you probably did at school: the cartwheel! The cartwheel helps us understand how to fall from a handstand because you shift onto one hand and rotate around that planted hand. This is the same movement we do when we overbalance from a handstand.
We can learn cartwheels to intentionally mimic overbalanced positions and learn to manage them, while still progressing them slowly enough that you feel safe.
Exercise Quick Navigation
Cartwheel
Technique
The important part of a cartwheel is the sequencing – one limb at a time lands on the floor. We don’t want both feet landing on the floor at once. It’s okay if your cartwheel is small at first, but as you gain confidence try to make it bigger and bigger until your feet pass directly over your head and you are perfectly vertical upside down.
Common Mistakes
Beginners will be tempted to go around the side of a cartwheel instead of over the top. The more you can get yourself to go fully upside down, the more helpful it will be when you bail from a handstand.
Cartwheel off box
What is it?
When you’re competent with a cartwheel, or if you need to try a different version, you can start the cartwheel with your feet on a box. This will help force your weight further over the top, so make sure you’re not just hopping off to the side of the box.
What You’ll Need
A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.
Technique
Walk your hands in so your hips are over your hands in a pike, then shift your weight over your hands so far that you have to lift one hand with the other still planted, then twist to catch yourself with one foot at a time.
Common Mistakes
Landing both feet at once, or falling sideways next to the box instead of rotating over one planted hand.
Cartwheel off wall
What is it?
Much like the box, the wall leaves you with almost no escape from the shift required to go over the top. Get adventurous and force yourself to shift close to the wall so you can really feel what it’s like to overbalance over the top of your hands.
What You’ll Need
A wall!
Technique
Wall walk your way to a wall-facing handstand, then shift your weight forward in your hands until you start to fall over the top. Shift one hand out of the way, rotate in that direction, and catch one foot on the floor at once.
Common Mistakes
Not shifting far enough over the top of the hands.
Overbalance from wall
What is it?
This is much like the cartwheel from wall, but you’re going to generate some momentum pushing off the wall so that you have to catch in your cartwheel quickly.
What You’ll Need
A wall.
Technique
Wall walk your way to a wall-facing handstand, then use your foot to push off the wall into an overbalance. Shift one hand out of the way, rotate in that direction, and catch one foot on the floor at once.
Single arm cartwheel
What is it?
A more advanced cartwheel that can help you understand how to rotate over one hand a bit faster than the two-handed cartwheel.
Technique
Enter the cartwheel as usual, but do not place the second hand on the ground. Twist over the top, landing your feet in the same order as usual.
Common Mistakes
The one handed cartwheel is very hard unless you can do a good cartwheel with a full rotation over the top. Make sure your cartwheel is good before you try this!
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The “stack” is a handstand concept that involves your head, shoulders, ribs, hips, knees and toes all being in a straight line from top to bottom.
Lots of us chase improvements in the stack as a desirable handstand shape. It allows us to explore other handstand movements and is therefore often considered the gold standard for basic handstand shapes.
Getting good at the stack requires an understanding of how the head, ribcage, and pelvis influence each others’ positions, as well as strength and mobility to create space through the shoulders.
The following drills aim to help you understand your stacked position by promoting alignment of the head, pelvis, and ribcage. It will also help teach you to push into the floor and find the right amount of tension.
Exercise Quick Navigation
COGS
What is it?
A simple explainer drill on the floor to help you understand how the head, pelvis and ribcage influence each others’ shapes and positions.
Technique
Lying flat on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat, aggressively tip your pelvis forward in a way that arches your back. Feel how your ribcage pops up and open, and how your chin tucks to accommodate the movement against the skull. Pull the pelvis in the opposite direction and exhale fully like you’re blowing up a balloon. Notice how the ribs are now flush with the abs, and the head has tilted back up to neutral or slightly extended.
This exact movement also happens in a handstand. It’s why it’s important not to overreach the head, or extend the spine if you’re aiming for a stacked handstand. We can gently pull the ribs down and keep the head just slightly tilted up without affecting the whole system, but jutting the head out or flaring the ribs substantially will impact the rest of the body line.
Common Mistakes
Forcing the issue – this movement should be able to work with fairly gentle nudges in either direction.
Box pike shrug
Why?
This movement helps understand and encourage an “active shoulder,” or the intentional push into the floor that elevates the shoulder blades in a handstand to create more space and a more open shoulder angle.
How
Climb your way into a pike on a box, either with straight or slightly bent legs. Press hard into the floor to elevate the shoulder blades as hard as you can (imagine you’re shooting your bum up to the sky higher than it is now). Then, sink down into the shoulder blades so your whole body moves toward the floor. Repeat.
Keep this active shoulder position in your handstand holds and walks!
90 Degree “Yoga” Handstand Hold
What is it?
A drill that helps you figure out how it feels to be in the stacked position in a handstand.
Technique
Bow at the hip with a straight back until your torso is parallel to the floor. It’s okay if you have to bend your knees to allow that. Reach your hands to the wall and walk in until your hands and feet are firmly planted – hands on the wall, feet on the floor – with your hip bent at a 90 degree angle. If you looked from the side, it should be as if you’ve drawn a square with your torso, legs, floor, and wall.
Now, switch the hands and feet. Put your feet on the wall where the hands were, and walk your hands in to wherever your feet were previously. It might feel a lot more cramped or even scary than you expected – but your hips should be right over the shoulders and hands.
45 Degree Handstand Hold on Wall
What is it?
A position that forces you to fight gravity to find the desired shape.
Technique
Walk your feet partially up the wall into a wall-facing handstand, or halfway up a wall walk if that’s familiar to you. In this position, pull your mid and low back toward the ceiling while pushing into the floor like in your pike shrug. Your body should be long, and your ribs should be tucked away with no sag in the lower back.
You may have to shift your feet slightly further up the wall if this has created more length in your body. Hold this position, it may feel a little burny in your abs and shoulder muscles.
45 Degree Lateral Handstand Walk
What is it?
Exactly like the above, but with the added challenge of having to work against movement by walking side to side.
Technique
From your 45-degree handstand position, step your hands and feet to one side for a few steps. Then do the same reverse. Don’t let your lower back sag or let your hips wobble excessively as you step. Keep both hips facing the floor as much as you can.
45 Degree to Full Handstand Hold on Wall
What is it?
A drill to help solidify the technique and position of the 45-degree handstand and carry over all the important pieces into a vertical handstand on the wall.
Technique
From your 45-degree position, step the hands in toward the wall until you’re in a wall-facing handstand. Walk back down to your 45-degree position and check whether you’ve lost any of the pieces you needed to keep (ribs flat to abs, long body, and pressure into the floor). Walk back up and repeat for reps.
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Let’s move past boring old planks! While they have their place, we can also spice them up and add elements to challenge your abs and involve other muscles to help you get full-body strong. These gymnastics ab exercises will help you improve your strength as well as your coordination.
Exercise Quick Navigation
Hollow body hold with Lumbar Band
What You’ll Need
A small, light band, and something to attach it to (like a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell, or an upright on the rig or squat rack.
Technique
Stretch the band out and lie down with your back on top of the band. It should be placed directly below your belly button or slightly lower. You should have to push your lower back down into the band to prevent it from snapping away from you.
Reach for the sky with your hands, pulling your bottom ribs down toward your hips. Then lift the feet off the floor into a tucked position without losing the pressure down into the band.
Extend the arms up and the legs out as far as you can WITHOUT losing any pressure down on the band. this tucked position is important to achieving a good hollow body position. Hold this position for as long as you can – it should feel burny on your abs!
Common Mistakes
The most common mistake is losing pressure into the band and letting it slide away as the set goes on. Another mistake is trying to reach too far, too soon – it’s okay if you need to be tucked for a while until you are strong enough to do the full hollow body in the correct position.
Planche pulse
What is it?
The planche pulse is a gymnastics drill that strengthens your abs, shoulders and wrists while improving your ability to maintain tension in a rigid plank position. It forces you to manage the force of the band throwing you out of position so that you have to maintain your body line. And it’s fun!
What You’ll Need
You’ll need 1-2 thick resistance bands, and a squat rack where you can set the j-hooks at mid-thigh height.
Technique
Climb into the band so that both feet are together. Initiate the first pulse by kicking off the band slightly, or driving the hips down. Now, make your body rigid from the shoulders down as you bounce up and down in the band. Increase the amount of bounce by pushing down into the floor, getting your shoulders further over your hands, and by slightly whipping your legs down into the band. You will have to be super tight as you stretch the band downward otherwise the rebound will break your body line.
Common Mistakes
Not staying tight! Lots of people break at the hip in this drill, or try to use the hips for momentum – this is a movement that the shoulders initiate and the abs prevent movement. Think of being in a plank, and only your shoulders change where they are.
Plank on Box Alternating Legs
What is it?
Like the planche pulse above, this drill forces you to maintain your position with your abs while other things are moving around.
What You’ll Need
A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box that doesn’t totally collapse under force (wood is good, or a firm plyo box).
Technique
Maintaining a hollow body (slightly crunch your abs) in your plank position, lift one foot at a time. See how little you can shift from left to right while you do this.
Common Mistakes
Shifting too much from side to side so that the hips wobble. Your hips should stay square to the ground.
Letting the lower back sag – you should be slightly crunched down and tight when you do this movement.
Plank on Low Band with Alternating Arms
What is it?
Planking in a resistance band (which is wobbly and unstable), forcing you to create extra tension to resist movement as you shift from one hand to the other and back.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need 1-2 thick resistance bands, and a squat rack where you can set the j-hooks at mid-thigh height.
Technique
Maintaining a hollow body (slightly crunch your abs) in your plank position, lift one hand off the floor at a time. Your body will shift left to right, but try to keep your hips and chest pointed straight at the floor while you move.
Common Mistakes
Losing tension – make sure you stay in a hollow body all the way through this exercise.
Plank on Low Band with Alternating Legs
What is it?
Exactly like the above – but instead of your arms moving, it’s your legs this time!
Technique
Maintaining a hollow body (slightly crunch your abs) in your plank position, lift one hand off the floor at a time. Your body will shift left to right, but try to keep your hips and chest pointed straight at the floor while you move.
Common Mistakes
Losing tension – make sure you stay in a hollow body all the way through this exercise.
Single Leg Pike Lifts
What is it?
A core compression exercise – training your lower abs in a lot of spine and hip flexion.
Technique
With your legs flat on the floor in front of you, place your hands next to your knees. Keeping the hands flat down and legs straight, lift one leg off the floor. If that’s too hard, bring the hands further back closer to your hips.
Common Mistakes
Stay hunched over – don’t lean back as you lift!
Pike Lifts
What is it?
Exactly like the above – but this time you’re going to lift both legs! Keep them straight and try to stay curled over to get some lower ab and hip flexor muscle action in this movement.
Straddle drags
What is it?
A core compression exercise that helps you figure out how to push into the floor and close your hip angle. This brings your feet closer to your hands and engages the lower abs.
Technique
With your legs wide, place your hands out in front of you. Lean your shoulders and hips as far as you can over the hands. This should make your feet feel like they are lighter on the floor than before. Push into the ground to make them feel even lighter. Now, drag the feet closer to you until they are in line with your hands. Walk your hands out again, and repeat.
Garhammar raise with bar in rack
What is it?
I normally hate a Garhammar raise because all I feel is lats, but the barbell adds stability that I find much easier to manage than a typical Garhammar. The higher the incline, the harder this is.
Technique
Set a bar in a rack and a bench on an incline. Make sure your arms can be straight reaching up to the bar. From here, peel one vertebrae off the bench at a time until only your upper back and shoulders are left on the bench.
Hollow body hold
What is it?
A gymnastics classic for training abs with a small compression component.
Technique
Pressing your lower back into the floor and pulling your lower ribs and belt line toward each other in a small crunch, reach your hands and knees toward the sky. Then reach your hands as high over your head and your legs as close to straight as you can, without the lower back losing contact with the floor. If you can’t extend that far, extend as far as you can without losing that position on the ground.
Hollow body rocks
What is it?
A scaled up version of the hollow body hold. Attempt these once you’ve got a solid 30-60 second hollow body hold.
Technique
From your hollow body position, rock back and forth, making sure one vertebrae at a time rolls across the floor.
Hollow body lifts
What is it?
A scaled down version of the hollow body hold. Do these to find your way into the hollow body if the holds were too difficult.
Technique
From a lying down position, lift into the hollow body position, then return. Do as many lifts as you can, extending the duration at the top as you get more proficient at the hold position.
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Building muscle and getting stronger isn’t rocket science. You train hard, eat well, and rest sufficiently, and you’ll see changes. But there are ways to make it more efficient. In…
There is a simple equation to building muscle. Adequately intense weight training + eating enough for growth + getting sufficient sleep = muscle growth! But it’s normal to face roadblocks….
No, we promise it’s not click bait. We know the world of social media, particularly in the fitness industry, loves quick fixes — but that isn’t always possible. In this…
