Bands are a great teaching tool because they really force the issue with stability. Unlike a wall or a box where you can leave your weight in it and somewhat cheat your way through a float, flutter or shift drill, the band will make your life really unpleasant if you lean into it and move around. This is great – it means you have to work to be present in your hands and only use the band if you start to lose balance.
For all of these exercises, you’ll need to place 1-2 heavy resistance bands in a squat rack in the j-hooks, high enough in the rack to catch your feet when you kick or climb up.
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Handstand Flutter from Rack
What is it?
The hardest of the flutter drills, because the band will prevent you from resting into it.
Technique
Kick up to the band in the rack the same way you would to the wall. The band will flex as you arrive in it. If you’re too close, it will spit you back out the way you came, so make sure you are 1-2 hand distances away from the rack. Split your legs apart and shift your body weight over your hands until the band stops wobbling. Slowly switch the legs, keeping almost all your weight in your hands (you will have to balance!) and being as light in the legs as possible.
Common Mistakes
Leaving weight in the band and wobbling, or collapsing and relaxing into the shoulders and spine.
Handstand Flutter from Rack – Facing the Rack
Technique
Exactly as the one before, but facing toward the band. Climb into it by placing one foot on the upright of the squat rack then hooking the other foot into the rack.
Band in High Rack to Handstand Hold
What is it?
This is a bounce drill, so you’ll have to control the momentum as the band throws you forward.
Technique
Find your way into a handstand facing toward the band. Allow a small bounce into and out of the rack to take you into a handstand hold. Grip the ground to prevent overbalancing and try to hold the handstand briefly.
Handstand Bounce to Walk
What is it?
A more aggressive drill where you use the bounce of the band to create a challenge to control.
Technique
Kick slightly off the band, then allow the bounce to force you into an overbalance as you rebound. Step into your handstand walk from there.
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Are you “kind of” handstand walking but struggling to get the mechanics right? See if these drills help you click with the movement.
What we’re trying to promote with these is a strong push into the floor to open up the shoulder angle, get strong at taking one step on your hands at a time on your hands, and maintain enough of a strong line through the torso to propel your body forward.
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Wall Walk
What You’ll Need
A wall.
Technique
Starting with your feet on the wall and your chest on the floor, push up into a high plank then shift your hips back to a pike. Step both feet up on the wall, then start walking your hands in toward the wall until your chest lightly taps the wall in a wall-facing handstand.
Make sure you pull your bottom ribs toward your belt line and stay in a long tight line so you’re not wobbling side to side much as you walk toward the wall.
Common Mistakes
Being loose in the core – this only costs you energy in the shoulders! Make your life easier by keeping a hollow body as best as you can.
Wax on Wax Off
What is it?
Practicing an efficient hand movement for your handstand walks.
What You’ll Need
A wall.
Technique
In a handstand on the wall (facing away from the wall), push even harder into the floor to make space to sweep the other hand around in a small circle (like you’re waxing a car, but elbows straight). This mimics how we want to step in a handstand walk.
Common Mistakes
Bending the elbows too much – in an efficient handstand walk, the elbows bend only slightly.
Lateral handstand walk
What is it?
Practicing the shift from one hand to the other and moving your body with it.
What You’ll Need
A wall.
Technique
In either a chest to wall or normal kick up to handstand position, take steps sideways by moving one hand then the other. Your weight will shift into the grounded hand. You can spice it up by walking over a plate as well if you want more challenge!
Kick Up Step to Wall
What is it?
Practice taking steps in open space then returning safely to the wall.
Technique
Kick up to a freestanding handstand then take a few steps toward the wall. The more confident you are, the further away you can start.
Handstand Step from Wall
What is it?
Taking your first steps in a handstand walk, without having to worry about the accuracy of your kick up.
What You’ll Need
A wall and space away from the wall to walk into.
Technique
Wall walk your way into a chest to wall handstand, shift your weight over the top of the fingertips and start stepping your hands to walk away from the wall.
Common Mistakes
Kicking off the wall instead of shifting into the overbalance, or shifting way too fast and not being able to control the overbalance to turn it into an efficient walk.
Handstand Walk Parallel to Wall
What is it?
Walking on your hands with the assistance of one foot dragging along the wall to prevent serious over- or under-balances.
What You’ll Need
A wall with 3-10m of space that you can walk along without running into any hazards.
Technique
Kick up to handstand then let the foot nearest the wall catch the wall.
Common Mistakes
Leaving the foot behind – you’ll need the foot on the wall to be slightly ahead of where your hands are for this to work well.
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Most early handstand drills start on the wall – because we need help with the balance component at first. One of the mistakes beginners make with this is letting the wall take a lot of their weight. These drills will help you feel what it’s like to shift your weight into your hands instead of the wall.
Do them with the intention of putting as little weight into the wall as you can, using the wall gently for balance only.
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Handstand Hold on Wall
Technique
Kick up to a handstand on the wall. Focus on the following:
Pushing into the floor to get as tall as you can, and open the shoulder as much as you can
Gently squeeze the glutes and pull the ribs down toward your belt line to avoid letting the lower back extend. Only your heels should be on the wall
Grip the ground by pushing your fingertips into the floor
Shift your body weight over your hands instead of letting it rest into the wall. Touch the wall as lightly as you possibly can.
Common Mistakes
Letting the low back sag and form the “banana back” position.
Letting the butt or legs touch the wall
Letting the hands be lazy into the floor instead of gripping the ground to pull weight off the wall
Relaxing into the shoulders and sinking down toward the floor
Squeezing the abs too hard – this will take away from your ability to push into a strong shoulder position, unless you have very impressive shoulder mobility
Handstand Hold on Wall – chest to wall (wall facing)
Technique
The wall facing handstand on wall is harder to get into but is easier to keep a strong body line in. Use this opportunity to focus on keeping the ribs and belt line as close together as they can be without losing range in the shoulder. You do not need to squeeze your abs hard.
Make sure you stay as light on the wall as possible – the wall should not be doing the work!
Common Mistakes
Relaxing into the shoulders and sinking down toward the floor
Squeezing the abs too hard
Letting the legs or stomach rest on the wall
Letting the wall take your body weight
Handstand Hold Parallel to Wall
What is it?
A way to bridge the gap between free standing holds and holds on the wall. You can use one foot gently on the wall to correct slight over- and under-balances.
Technique
Kick up to a freestanding handstand next to a wall, with one shoulder near the wall. Let one foot reach out and catch the wall with your foot. Allow that foot to correct small tips in the wrong direction with your balance – it won’t be enough for major deviations from the balance point but it will help if you wobble a little!
Wall Pull Aways (heel pulls)
What is it?
A movement where you pull yourself from a handstand on the wall and briefly leave the wall to hold off the wall. You can either do these for reps falling back to the wall, or do more aggressive pulls to build strength in the fingers that help to prevent overbalancing.
Technique
Kick up to handstand on the wall, placing your fingertips on the ground just over one hand-distance from the wall. Dig your fingertips into the ground hard enough to shift your bodyweight over your hands and allow the heels to gently pull off the wall at the same time. If you can, allow yourself to spend a second or two in that handstand as your heels peel off the wall before returning to the wall. Over time, build the duration up so that you can peel off the wall and hold for several seconds.
Chest to Wall Pull Aways (Toe Pulls)
What is it?
A movement where you drift your bodyweight over your hands from the wall until you are no longer touching the wall. You can use this to practice finding your balance on your hands in a handstand.
Technique
Wall walk, split or cartwheel your way into a wall-facing handstand, with the heel of your hand a little more than one hand-distance from the wall. Shift your shoulders and hips over your hands away from the wall, feeling your toes get light and the amount of pressure on the wall slowly reduce to zero. If you can, allow yourself to spend a second or two in that handstand before returning to the wall. Over time, build the duration up so that you can peel off the wall and hold for several seconds.
Handstand flutter
What is it?
A movement that allows you to experience brief moments in the handstand while switching the legs to allow for some support from the wall.
Technique
Kick up to a handstand on the wall, a little further away than usual but not far. Separate your legs until you feel the leading leg pull your body weight away from the wall into your hands. Slowly and gently switch which leg is on the wall, letting the legs cross over the middle so there is a brief moment where you are in a handstand.
Common mistakes
Letting the feet slam into the wall – this should be a gentle switch of the feet
Letting both feet be on the wall – we are trying to reduce your reliance on the wall with this drill
Passive hands – you need to grip the ground to make this work
Letting the low back sag – reach tall like you want your toes to touch the sky
Handstand flutter (chest to wall/wall facing)
What is it?
The same as the above, but facing the wall.
Technique
Wall walk, split or cartwheel your way into a wall-facing handstand, slightly further away from the wall than usual. Shift your shoulders and hips over your hands away from the wall by separating your legs. Slowly and gently switch which leg is on the wall, letting the legs cross over the middle so there is a brief moment where you are in a handstand.
Common mistakes
Letting the feet slam into the wall – this should be a gentle switch of the feet
Letting both feet be on the wall – we are trying to reduce your reliance on the wall with this drill
Passive hands – you need to grip the ground to make this work
Letting the low back sag – reach tall like you want your toes to touch the sky
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If you’re starting to feel proficient with handstand holds and want to turn that skill into walking, here are some drills you can try to help you understand the lateral shift required to get from one hand to the other, and build strength on your hands so you can successfully learn to walk.
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Pike on Box Shift
What You’ll Need
A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.
Technique
In a nicely stacked pike with your feet on the box (hips over hands), shift sideways so your weight is in one hand. Then, shift the other way. At this stage, you don’t need to pick the hand up off the floor, but that will be where this drill heads next as you progress it.
Common Mistakes
Not getting the hips over the hands! Make sure your hips are directly over the middle of your hands – you can take a photo or video of yourself if it helps. It has to be the middle of the hands or the knuckles, not the heel of the hand.
Single Arm Pike on Box
What is it?
Exactly the same as the shift, but you’re holding the single arm position on one side for time. Hang on for as long as you can to build strength here!
What You’ll Need
A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box.
Single Arm HS Shifts
What is it?
In a handstand position, shifting your body weight from one hand to the other.
What You’ll Need
A wall.
Technique
Kick up to a handstand against the wall, as tall as you can with your eyes on the wall opposite you, and shift your body weight into one hand. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can lift the hand off the floor completely and tap the hip, or just lift it slightly off the floor.
Common Mistakes
Bending the elbows or relaxing into the handstand – make sure you are pushing HARD into the floor!
Single Arm HS Shifts (wall facing/chest to wall)
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Learning to walk on your hands requires a decent amount of shoulder strength, good handstand foundations, and the ability to shift your body weight from one side to another while maintaining the position of your core and body. These drills focus on learning to shift your body weight without losing shape.
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Single Arm Lifts in Plank
What is it?
The friendliest and easiest first exposure to bringing some of your body weight into one hand. This is a good place to start since it’s less heavy than a pike position and is usually more familiar than a pike.
Technique
From a high plank, shift your body slightly to the side so you can lift one hand off the floor.
Common Mistakes
Letting your lower bag sag, or upper back drop down between the shoulder blades. Push tall into the floor with locked elbows!
Plank up downs
What You’ll Need
A box and a bumper plate
Technique
Starting in a high plank with your feet on the box and your hands either side of a bumper plate, step one hand up onto the plate, then the other. Then, step the first hand back down off the plate, and the second. Repeat for as many reps as is prescribed. Push into the floor to make space and let your shoulder blades glide forward instead of being pinned back
Common Mistakes
Make sure you stay tight in abs so your body is a straight line from shoulders to toes – don’t let your lower back sag! Also avoid the upper back sagging down into the shoulder blades – they shouldn’t be sticking up or squeezed back. Keep your elbows nearly locked the whole time and use this push from the sholuder blades to move the hands.
Plank walk over plate
What is it?
This is an entry-level drill to help you understand how to push into the ground to make space for the other hand to sweep through like you would in a handstand walk.
What You’ll Need
A bumper plate and a low box.
Technique
Setting up with your feet on the box and hands on one side of the bumper plate, walk both hands over the bumper plate. Repeat in the other direction and accumulate time on your hands like this.
Common Mistakes
Sagging through the low back, bending the elbows, or sinking into the shoulder blades.
Single arm alternating pike shift
What is it?
This shifting movement is a nice bridge from shifting hands in a plank movement to doing it in a more handstand-like pike movement.
Technique
Make a pike position on the floor. Shift your body weight enough to clear one hand from the floor, and tap your hip. Then switch sides.
Common Mistakes
Theres’ no need to extend the back heaps here – you can just stay long with the spine.
Lateral pike walk over plate
What is it?
Very much like the plank walk over the plate, but shifting into a more handstand-like position.
What You’ll Need
A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ and a bumper plate.
Technique
Walking into a pike (knees can be bent) with your hands on one side of the bumper plate, walk your hands over the plate until you’re on the other side. Count this as one rep, then walk back the other way.
Common Mistakes
Not getting hips stacked over hands – make sure your hips are directly over the middle of the hands when you do this.
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Float to handstand drills are some of the most important for your progression in handstand holds, and therefore also handstand walks. Floats teach us to slowly and gently shift into the balance point in a handstand. They are a gentle movement and require you to engage the hands as you float off a box, wall, band or other object into your handstand hold or walk.
This is where most people go wrong – they are in a hurry to be in a handstand, so they rush the shift in position from the moment their weight is on another surface to the moment they are fully supporting their own weight in a handstand. Kicking, shoving, or otherwise using momentum to get off a secondary base of support fails to build the understanding of where the body weight needs to be centred in the hand for a successful handstand.
As you watch through the float drills below, think about how you could slow it down, be gentle, and let your brain focus on what your hands and body weight are doing, instead of thinking about being “off” or “on” the secondary base of support.
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Box float to handstand
What is it?
A float to handstand drill that leaves more weight on the box and requires a more substantial and obvious weight shift than when you float from a wall.
What You’ll Need
A 20″ x 24″ x 30″ box, and maybe some extra bumper plates if you need a higher box.
Technique
From a pike on the box (you can bend your legs if you need to), lift one leg up toward the sky and feel the weight shift into your hands from your feet. Keep shifting until the leg remaining on the box gets so light that it feels like less than a gram of your body weight is left in the box. Grip your fingers into the floor and allow the foot to lift off the box.
Common Mistakes
Pushing or kicking off the box. No float drills involve kicking.
Band in rack float to handstand
What You’ll Need
A couple of thick resistance bands, a squat rack or rig with uprights that you can set the resistance bands in at roughly the height of your neck or chin.
Technique
Climb your legs up the squat rack so that you can hook your feet into the band. Stretch your legs up so that you can now rest your shins into the band. If the band is on your thighs, raise the band up higher. Get into a tall handstand position and separate your legs. Bring the leading leg over your body until you feel the weight of the leg still in the band start to feel light. Continue shifting until there is hardly any weight remaining in the band and the band is no longer wobbling. See if you can lift the leg off the band. If you can’t lift it off, you need to keep shifting further forward into your hands.
Common Mistakes
Leaving way too much body weight in the band and trying to kick out of it.
Float to handstand from wall
What is it?
The smallest movement out of all the float to handstand drills. This makes it both the easiest because it doesn’t take much shift to get into the float, and also the hardest because you have to be more conscious of a less obvious shift in weight from the heels of the hands to the middle of the hands.
What You’ll Need
A wall.
Technique
From a wall-facing handstand, separate your legs and allow the leading leg to gently pull you off the wall. Move as slowly as you can. At some point, you will feel almost no weight left on the wall in the second leg, and your second foot will leave the wall when your weight has fully shifted into your hands. Do not rush the legs together at this point, just hold that position by gripping the ground.
Common Mistakes
Pushing or kicking off the wall, or rushing to close the legs.
Another mistake is not gripping the ground or pushing the fingers into the floor, so when the weight shifts there’s nowhere to go but to fall over the top.
Box straddle press
What is it?
A double-leg float (which is how we regress the press to handstand!)
What You’ll Need
A box.
Technique
From a pike on the box, shift your legs wide then aggressively (but slowly) shift your weight over your hands until your feet lift off the box. You will need to push harder into the floor with your legs than with the single leg variations of this.
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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.
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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.
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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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