Handstands and handbalances - share your story.

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Titanuim
Titanuim Posts: 337 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Handstands are pretty cool and seem to cut across many exercise disciplines from yoga and gymnastics to Crossfit.

I am still a newbie on the handbalance scene but i love seeing what other people are up to, from the beginners to the people that defy gravity.

Here are my efforts. I would love to see other peoples :)

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Replies

  • jayemes
    jayemes Posts: 865 Member
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    Love the crow pose. One day many days from now I'll hopefully be able to do it too!

    Out of curiosity, why the apples (balls?) in the second photo?
  • Titanuim
    Titanuim Posts: 337 Member
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    Oh I am doing an alphabet challenge this month where you do a balance on something for each letter of the alphabet. A was for apples. B for Blocks. I did a bridge over a can for C. Handstand on a dumbbell for D. E was headstand on earth and today was handstand on flip flops. Didn't want to photo bomb the forum with "me, me, me" pics.

    Here is the challenge if you are interested https://themovementathlete.com/handbalancing-challenge

    I think i titled this thread incorrectly. Obviously should have been a question about how many calories does a handstand burn to make it remotely interesting to the MFP population rather than how can you challenge your body.
  • clicketykeys
    clicketykeys Posts: 6,568 Member
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    I'm planning to work on learning how to do a headstand, but I'm mostly interested in the inversion, so I don't know if I want to work up to a handstand, which IMO looks harder. Not sure, though - honestly? I've never done either!
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,548 Member
    edited August 2017
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    Tried a crow pose ones. Lost balance, fell flat on my face (on an exercise mat) and sprained my wrists in the process. Ouch!
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
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    @Gloriam_Sanguinis would love to hear your training progression!

    I have looked up several youtube video's and I always feel like they skip the basics and jump right into the handstand. What exercises would you recommend?
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
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  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    @ugofatcat besides just kicking up and holding against a wall, pike presses are the first start. Initially with feet on the ground, then moving to feet on a box. This will help develop your core as well. Crow pose helps too. Even just locking out dumbells or kettlebells overhead and holding. When doing this be sure to keep a very tight and engaged core, ribs down, not over arching. Hope those help
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    Nitpicking, but that's frog not crow... Crow is arms straight knees floating.

    Frog is the recommended first pose in the planch progressions.

    For Handstands, it's recommended to do both wall facing and outward facing while working up to unsupported.... Obviously, it's easier to get into and out of the outward facing as it's just a kick up and a roll out.

    Keeping a tight core and getting comfortable inverted is probably the most important part of handstands/headstands.

    I always run into issues of real estate and scheduling when I start working towards unsupported.


    rybo wrote: »
    @ugofatcat besides just kicking up and holding against a wall, pike presses are the first start. Initially with feet on the ground, then moving to feet on a box. This will help develop your core as well. Crow pose helps too. Even just locking out dumbells or kettlebells overhead and holding. When doing this be sure to keep a very tight and engaged core, ribs down, not over arching. Hope those help

    NOT over arching is important. The opposite of overarching isn't zero arch though.. There's a happy spot in the middle with just the right arch for balance.
  • HeliumIsNoble
    HeliumIsNoble Posts: 1,213 Member
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    Bookmarking, because handstands are one of my non-scale goals. I have some youtube tutorials on my Watch Later, but I'd love to add more, if anyone has some recs.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
    edited August 2017
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    If you can get your hands on a copy of Overcoming gravity By Steven Low, it's great. It's a little spendy, but covers pretty much everything you can imagine for progressions.

    Building the gymnastics body is good too, but it's fairly spendy.
  • Mezzie1024
    Mezzie1024 Posts: 380 Member
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    Getting into a handstand is one of my goals. I'm starting out super weak, so it may take a long while.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    Speaking of goals. That's really the biggest reason I'm trying to drop a few pounds is 220-225 was the last weight I felt comfortable/safe doing 1 arm cartwheel/layout
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    stanmann571 wrote: »
    Nitpicking, but that's frog not crow... Crow is arms straight knees floating.

    Frog is the recommended first pose in the planch progressions.
    Depends on what realm you are in. Yoga uses crow & crane. Frog is completely different and not an arm balance.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    rybo wrote: »
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    Nitpicking, but that's frog not crow... Crow is arms straight knees floating.

    Frog is the recommended first pose in the planch progressions.
    Depends on what realm you are in. Yoga uses crow & crane. Frog is completely different and not an arm balance.

    Google and my instructors and all the literature I have disagree with you
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    stanmann571 wrote: »
    rybo wrote: »
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    Nitpicking, but that's frog not crow... Crow is arms straight knees floating.

    Frog is the recommended first pose in the planch progressions.
    Depends on what realm you are in. Yoga uses crow & crane. Frog is completely different and not an arm balance.

    Google and my instructors and all the literature I have disagree with you

    https://www.google.com/search?site=webhp&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=q6GIWbH0LInNjwSO3pH4BQ&q=crane+pose+yoga&oq=crane+pose+yoga&gs_l=mobile-gws-img.12..0j0i8i30k1l2j0i24k1l2.16701.21122.0.21981.13.12.1.0.0.0.299.2623.0j6j6.12.0....0...1.1j4.64.mobile-gws-img..4.9.2063...0i7i30k1j0i13k1j0i8i13i30k1j0i8i7i30k1.A2uev6y0wFc

    https://www.google.com/search?site=webhp&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=xKGIWeWfKuHSjwTiwKxw&q=crow+pose+yoga&oq=cr+pose+yoga&gs_l=mobile-gws-img.1.0.0i7i30k1l5.55736.56176.0.57719.3.3.0.0.0.0.248.680.2-3.3.0....0...1.1j4.64.mobile-gws-img..1.2.429...0i13k1j0i8i7i30k1.jXbRuRxvqlc

    https://www.google.com/search?site=webhp&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=WLyIWarWB-nTjwSrrYXQCQ&q=frog+pose+yoga&oq=frog+pose+yoga&gs_l=mobile-gws-img.12..0l2j0i30k1l3.29779.32192.0.35767.8.8.0.0.0.0.348.1910.0j4j2j2.8.0....0...1.1j4.64.mobile-gws-img..4.4.1044...0i7i30k1.nseVPCqyzXY
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
    edited August 2017
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    Gymnastics frog. Not yoga.


    Since we're discussing handstands and gymnastics progressions
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    Note arms straight on crow and crane and bent in the frog stand.
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
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    How do you recommend preventing over arching? Keeping the core tight?

    The fear of falling is my problem. I try to "throw" myself against the wall but always worry about hurting my heels so I don't commit. I end up just walking myself up the wall and holding. Just got to keep at it and be patient.

    Thanks for the tips!
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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