Handstands and handbalances - share your story.

Titanuim
Titanuim Posts: 331 Member
edited November 20 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
    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: 331 Member
    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: 6,589 Member
    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: 9,985 Member
    edited August 2017
    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
    @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
    @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: 5,727 Member
    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
    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: 5,727 Member
    edited August 2017
    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
    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: 5,727 Member
    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
    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: 5,727 Member
    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
    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: 5,727 Member
    edited August 2017
    Gymnastics frog. Not yoga.


    Since we're discussing handstands and gymnastics progressions
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
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    Note arms straight on crow and crane and bent in the frog stand.
  • ugofatcat
    ugofatcat Posts: 385 Member
    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
    https://instagram.com/p/BGDV-0EqWT8/embed/
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Gloriam_Sanguinis wrote: »
    Don't throw yourself up against the wall. Try placeing your hands into the right position and kick up :)

    Kick up so that you're just to vertical... it takes some practice, but you want just enough momentum that you settle into the wall...

    It will also give you good practices recovering out, since you'll not get all the way up about half the time...

    Coming down, its just a slight push off the wall... and then recover into your rollout.
  • Titanuim
    Titanuim Posts: 331 Member
    Loving seeing all the handstand action.

    I find them highly addictive. The more I practice, the better I get and the more I want to do.

    Another tip if you are learning is to practice by facing away from the wall, getting your hands into the right spot and then walking your legs up the wall until your body is parallel to the wall with just your toes touching. It is good for building up the strength and correct body position and building up confidence.

    I find working on my L-sit also really helps with getting good core strength to hold a tight vertical position.

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  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    I think that anyone who can do handstands, especially walking, is pretty awesome.

    It's something that I'd like to be able to do BUT it is NOT something that I aspire to do.

    A variety of reasons for this but mainly it's because I get headaches when blood rushes to my head when I just do elevated (2 ft or more) decline pushups.

    Would only get worst if I raised my kegs even more BUT kudos to those of you who can do them!
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member

    ugofatcat wrote: »
    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!

    I do yoga, not gymnastics, so I'm not sure if this will help you, but ...

    You want to pull your front ribs in. Think about pressing your upper ribs into your spine to avoid "banana back."

    I used my couch and not a wall, to learn inversions. (The seated part, not the back.) it's enough to give me support, but not so much like the wall that I'm not learning. And if if flip over, there's less distance before my feet hit something solid.

    Kino (yoga teacher) has a program on Cody App I love called "Journey to Handstand." Lots of shoulder and posture exercises to help prepare. You want to be intentional about how you get up there and not the throw yourself at the wall.
  • Titanuim
    Titanuim Posts: 331 Member
    Handstands make me happy

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    Body position less then ideal in this one but I was focusing hard on the one hand part

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    Hollowback is my favourite :smile:



  • Titanuim
    Titanuim Posts: 331 Member
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    Just amusing myself as I deleted my mfp account but seem to still exist on the forum like some scary ghost
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