Handstand Challenge

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  • mthwbrwn
    mthwbrwn Posts: 104 Member
    edited December 2019
    Wow. Take three years away from doing handstands and its crazy how much you lose (and forget). I went a little too hard on some supplemental floor exercises, L-sit and tuck planche, and my triceps decided to cramp on me.
    ---
    As I was kicking up into a handstand, I remembered that one of the breakthrough moments I had in my previous training was when I practiced straddle presses. Straddle presses essentially are a wall handstand, where you start with your back and hips touching the wall and your hands are about 9 inches away from the wall.
    The goal is to slowly lower your feet until the feet touch the floor. Once the feet can be lowered under control, the next goal is to press (raise) your feet back up. This is an excellent bodyweight exercise for your posterior chain. They also develop a balance when kicking up that wasn't developing for me simply be catapulting my feet into the air and hoping my feet end up balanced at the top. If anyone is trying to find that balance, maybe incorporating straddle presses may work for you as well.


  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
    mthwbrwn wrote: »
    Wow. Take three years away from doing handstands and its crazy how much you lose (and forget). I went a little too hard on some supplemental floor exercises, L-sit and tuck planche, and my triceps decided to cramp on me.
    ---
    As I was kicking up into a handstand, I remembered that one of the breakthrough moments I had in my previous training was when I practiced straddle presses. Straddle presses essentially are a wall handstand, where you start with your back and hips touching the wall and your hands are about 9 inches away from the wall.
    The goal is to slowly lower your feet until the feet touch the floor. Once the feet can be lowered under control, the next goal is to press (raise) your feet back up. This is an excellent bodyweight exercise for your posterior chain. They also develop a balance when kicking up that wasn't developing for me simply be catapulting my feet into the air and hoping my feet end up balanced at the top. If anyone is trying to find that balance, maybe incorporating straddle presses may work for you as well.


    Great tip. Adding this asap!
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    TiisTitanium wrote: »
    I have kept up my daily handstand practice being on Day 343.

    22mndso2rn8i.jpg

    Progress has been slow. I would love to say that I am now an amazing handbalancer but I still have a long way to go before I consider myself to be good. Though I am surrounded by good handbalancers in my classes so my perspective is skewed. Nevertheless i still will keep up the daily practice until i AM a good handbalancer though my focus for 2020 is going to be getting my pancake flat and achieving a muscle up with good form :smile: .



    looks great
  • TiisTitanium
    TiisTitanium Posts: 235 Member
    kvoop8zlvc0f.jpeg

    My handstand progress over the year. I think my line has improved and legs are bigger but not much else has changed despite a year of hardcore training.

    Next year my focus is going to be on Lyra but I will definitely keep up the daily practice as I might even be good at it by the end of 2020
  • Tallawah_
    Tallawah_ Posts: 2,469 Member
    Yaaaay!!! Day 365!!!

    https://youtu.be/puuTF350SEA

    I may be deluding myself but I'm sure I'm straighter! 😁
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
    @Tallawah_ you are!!! And you've got phenomenal control on your kick-up. Great hold!
  • TiisTitanium
    TiisTitanium Posts: 235 Member
    Great work @Tallawah_ the handstand spotter in me wants to say "squeeze your legs together" but who cares when you are holding good balance with a nice line :smiley:

    I finished my 365 days of handstands today as well. Hooray. Glad to see things through to the end. My last handstand photo was far less impressive

    l7sbmwo1e1bz.png

    It is a good challenge to do in any event
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
    I have not been practicing every day lately, but I HAVE really been working on my back and shoulder mobility. When I practiced my handstands yesterday, things felt much more solid and I was coming down from lack of endurance rather than balance.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    I've been focusing on my alignment in motion so that's been helping but i haven't been very consistent in my practice
  • TiisTitanium
    TiisTitanium Posts: 235 Member
    I took a month off social media (MFP excluded) and month off daily handstand practice. I have keep going to classes at least twice a week. My kick up’s are slowing improving.

    My plan is to recommence daily handstand practice at the start of February as while handstands aren’t my specific goal for 2020 I figure the practice is good for me on many different levels.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    TiisTitanium wrote: »
    I took a month off social media (MFP excluded) and month off daily handstand practice. I have keep going to classes at least twice a week. My kick up’s are slowing improving.

    My plan is to recommence daily handstand practice at the start of February as while handstands aren’t my specific goal for 2020 I figure the practice is good for me on many different levels.

    @TiisTitanium What's your focus/goal in 2020? x
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    I did my first headstand in 12 months. Not bad.

    https://youtu.be/Zqyi8h8kBdk
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
    Great job @Orphia! Love all the shapes. And may I just say you look FANTASTIC. That back!

    I'm still plugging away. Some days I have it, most days I don't. Really working on shoulder mobility. I'm actually making myself go through the GMB progressions for their Handstand One protocol. I have so little strength when forced to hold proper position facing the wall. I can hold a freestanding handstand with bad form for close to a minute, but can barely stay in proper position for 30sec.
  • TiisTitanium
    TiisTitanium Posts: 235 Member
    @Orphia - I have a couple of fitness goals. The two main ones are flat pancake stretch and the other is press handstand. I was hoping to master muscle up but I have a mildly dodgy shoulder and range of motion required for muscle up is no bueno so that is out for 2020.

    I would also like to get good at ballet and Lyra but that I going to take more time as I only do those once a week each at the moment

    My handstand is getting pretty good at the moment with consistent 30 second holds - just my kick up is less reliable
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
    Just dropping by to say I’m still hanging there. Not a lot of improvement, but still plugging away.

    https://youtu.be/fOwGq_XWuWY
  • Tallawah_
    Tallawah_ Posts: 2,469 Member
    edited April 2020
    My daughter challenged me and I couldn't resist it! :lol:
    https://youtu.be/eJB0KvEUB5Y

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