How to Handstand Push-Up | Beginners to Pro
Summary
TLDRThe script offers a detailed guide to mastering the handstand push-up, emphasizing proper form and balance. It outlines progressions from pike push-ups to wall-assisted handstand push-ups, highlighting the importance of muscle engagement and breathing. Addressing common issues like balance loss and wrist pain, it suggests solutions like shoulder taps and using parallettes. It concludes with tips for further advancement, such as adding weight or deficit training, and encourages dedication to achieve this challenging but possible skill.
Takeaways
- 🤸♂️ The handstand push-up is achievable for real humans with proper form and practice.
- 📚 Chapter one focuses on the proper form, emphasizing balance points and the transition from straight to bent arms.
- 💪 The exercise engages mostly the shoulders and requires lower body muscle engagement for balance.
- 🧘♀️ The traditional form involves protracting scapula, squeezing glutes, and shifting shoulders forward for a more natural pressing pattern.
- 🌱 Chapter two introduces progressions like the pike push-up to build overhead pressing strength.
- 🏋️♀️ As strength increases, training can progress from pike push-ups to elevated feet and floating Pike push-ups.
- 🧍♂️ W handstand push-ups allow practice of the full handstand push-up motion without the fear of falling.
- 👀 Chapter three highlights the importance of where you look to maintain balance and engagement.
- 🚫 Common issues include falling out of the bottom of the rep, losing muscle engagement, leaning to one side, hand grip failure, and wrist pain.
- 💡 Solutions to common issues involve exercises like shoulder stands, squeezing lower body muscles, and using parallettes to reduce wrist strain.
- 🌬️ Breathing correctly by inhaling on the decline and exhaling as you push up is crucial for the exercise.
- 🕒 The time to master handstand push-ups varies from one year to one and a half years for beginners, to 3 to 6 months for those with some experience.
- 📈 To progress further, add weight, revisit basics, take training outside, practice deficit training, and pair handstand push-ups with other calisthenics skills.
Q & A
What is the handstand push-up and why is it considered difficult?
-The handstand push-up is an exercise that requires balance and strength, resembling the military press but performed in an inverted position. It's considered difficult because it engages many upper body muscles and requires additional lower body muscle engagement for balance, which is not typical in most exercises.
What are the three balance points to remember when performing a handstand push-up?
-The three balance points for a handstand push-up are the fingers, the inside of the knuckles, and the palms.
How does the weight and pressure change when transitioning from a straight arm to a bent arm position in a handstand push-up?
-When transitioning from a straight arm to a bent arm position in a handstand push-up, the weight and pressure change to the outside of the palms and the two fingers, as opposed to being distributed across the fingers, inside of the knuckles, and the palms.
Why is it recommended to have the elbows tucked in during a handstand push-up?
-Having the elbows tucked in during a handstand push-up is recommended as it distributes the weight more evenly, aligns with a more natural pressing pattern, and prepares the body for other advanced calisthenic skills.
What is the pike push-up and how does it relate to the handstand push-up?
-The pike push-up is an exercise that serves as a progression towards mastering the handstand push-up. It shares similar body cues and helps build the necessary overhead pressing strength required for the handstand push-up.
How can elevating the feet during pike push-ups help in progressing towards a handstand push-up?
-Elevating the feet during pike push-ups increases the pressure on the hands and challenges the balance, gradually preparing the body for the full handstand push-up by simulating the inverted position.
What is a floating pike push-up and how does it benefit shoulder stability?
-A floating pike push-up is an exercise where, at the bottom of the rep, the feet are lifted slightly into the air. This helps improve shoulder stability and strength by challenging the muscles to maintain balance and control without the support of the ground.
What is the significance of looking at specific points during a handstand push-up?
-Looking at specific points during a handstand push-up, such as the first or second bumps on the fingers or a point a palm's length forward, helps maintain engagement and balance by keeping the eyes focused and preventing the loss of alignment.
What are common issues faced while learning handstand push-ups and how can they be addressed?
-Common issues include falling out of the bottom of the rep, losing muscle engagement leading to a 'banana back' appearance, leaning too far to one side, hand grip failure, and wrist pain. These can be addressed by solidifying the bottom of the rep with shoulder stand exercises, remembering to squeeze the glutes and legs, doing shoulder taps or weight shifts, and using equipment like parallettes to reduce wrist strain.
How long does it typically take to learn a handstand push-up from scratch?
-For someone with no prior handstand experience, it can take around 1 to 1.5 years to learn a handstand push-up. For those with some handstand training, it may take anywhere from 3 to 6 months.
What are some suggestions for taking the handstand push-up to the next level?
-Suggestions include adding weight to the body, revisiting and polishing basic exercises, training outside or using a balance ball, practicing deficit training with elevation, and pairing the handstand push-up with other calisthenic skills.
Outlines
🤸♂️ Mastering the Handstand Push-Up
The paragraph introduces the handstand push-up as an impressive display of balance and strength, challenging the notion that it's impossible for regular humans. It emphasizes the importance of proper form, comparing the handstand push-up to the military press but noting the additional need for lower body engagement to maintain balance. The script outlines the correct form, starting with hands shoulder-width apart and turning out slightly, then transitioning to a bent-arm position with weight on the outside of the palms. It advises against flaring out elbows for beginners and suggests a more natural pressing pattern with tucked elbows. The paragraph also introduces progression exercises like the pike push-up and floating Pike push-up to build strength and balance, and it advises on maintaining body alignment and using the wall for support during the learning process.
🧘♂️ Progressions and Common Issues
This section discusses natural progressions for mastering the handstand push-up, such as practicing against a wall and transitioning to a back-to-wall handstand push-up. It also addresses common issues like losing balance, muscle engagement, and leaning to one side, suggesting exercises like shoulder taps to correct imbalances. The paragraph highlights the importance of proper hand grip and avoiding wrist pain by using tools like parallettes. It also touches on the role of gaze in maintaining balance during the exercise.
💪 Training Tips and Next Steps
The final paragraph provides practical advice on how to approach training for the handstand push-up, including the importance of proper breathing and the estimated time frame for achieving the skill, ranging from one to one and a half years for beginners to three to six months for those with prior handstand experience. It offers suggestions for advancing the exercise, such as adding weight, revisiting basic exercises, training in different environments, and using deficit training to challenge oneself. The paragraph concludes with encouragement to stay dedicated and pursue the skill, while also promoting the trainer's app for further guidance.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Handstand Push-up
💡Balance Points
💡Elbow Position
💡Scapula Protraction
💡Pike Push-up
💡Shoulder Stand
💡Eccentrics
💡Muscle Engagement
💡Parallettes
💡Deficit Training
💡Progressions
Highlights
The handstand push-up is possible for real humans with proper form and practice.
The handstand push-up engages upper body muscles and requires lower body muscle engagement for balance.
Proper form involves hands placed on the ground at shoulder length, fingers, knuckles, and palms as balance points.
Elbows should be tucked in for a more natural pressing pattern and better translation to other exercises.
The pike push-up is a great precursor to the handstand push-up, building overhead pressing strength.
Start pike push-ups with a wide pike to reduce load on hands, then tighten as strength increases.
Floating Pike push-ups help improve shoulder stability and strength.
W handstand push-ups allow practice of the full handstand push-up motion without fear of falling.
For back to wall handstand push-ups, start with two legs and progress to one for increased difficulty.
Eccentrics can be used to gain strength by declining for at least 4 to 6 seconds per rep.
Focusing on specific points helps maintain balance and control during the handstand push-up.
Common issues include falling out of the bottom of the rep, losing muscle engagement, and leaning too far to one side.
Shoulder taps or weight shifts on a wall can fix imbalances causing leaning issues.
Wrist pain can be alleviated by using parallettes, which keep the wrist in a fixed position.
Breathing naturally is important; inhale on the decline and exhale as you push up.
It can take 1 to 1.5 years to master the handstand push-up from scratch.
Adding weight, revisiting basics, taking training outside, and deficit training can enhance handstand push-up skills.
Pairing the handstand push-up with other calisthenics skills can create new body flows and challenges.
Stay dedicated and persistent to master the handstand push-up.
Transcripts
the handstand push-up is an amazing
display of balance and strength applied
like a lot of us I thought this move was
impossible I remember seeing it from
fictional characters made of true iron
delusional resilience and confidence but
is this exercise possible for real human
beings who don't have any sand cells I'm
here to tell you it's very possible and
just like with anything as long as we
know the proper form we can do it in no
time now let's look at chapter one the
proper form the handstand push-up
resembles the military press or any kind
of overhead pressing motion this
specific exercise movement pattern works
a lot of the upper body muscles but to
simplify it let's say it relies mostly
on the shoulders the difference is that
when you're holding a handstand you have
to engage more muscles in your lower
body to maintain Stillness and balance
in your handstand and we can see this as
we look at the proper form start with
your hands out in front of you and turn
them slightly outwards if necessary
Place both hands on the ground shoulder
length remember your three balance
points the fingers the inside of your
knuckles and the Palms but when we
transition to the bent arm position the
weight and pressure changes to the
outside of your palms and those two
fingers most people think a handstand
push-up is a practical up and down
motion like you see in a fictional
series to do this you need to have your
elbows flared out like you see here
which is not a practical position for
beginners using the traditional form
you'll notice as we decline we protract
our scapula squeeze our glutes and shift
our shoulders forward we enter into a
shoulder stand this distributes the
weight more evenly and is a more natural
pressing pattern having your elbows
tucked in will also translate to other
cisic skills that we can learn in the
future so people generally stick with a
tucked elbow position and and as we
press back into our handstand it helps
me to think about lifting my toes moving
forward to chapter 2 the natural
progressions introducing the pike
push-up which is the perfect overhead
pressing pattern to master the handstand
push-up what you'll notice immediately
is that it has the same body cues for
practicing the handstand push-up even if
you don't want to master the handstand
push-up this is still a great way to
build a ton of overhead pressing
strength you can start training with the
pike push-up today you don't have to
have such a high Pike that I have here
widen the pike to reduce the load onto
your hands and as you get stronger I
want you to tighten the pike back up
just remember you want to push up and
out through the shoulders and scapula
back into the resting position that
would be your handstand once you reach a
solid level on Pike push-ups I want you
to place your feet on any kind of small
elevation and raise it as you get
stronger the same rules apply except
there's more pressure on your hands next
I want you to focus on floating Pike
push-ups which is doing a regular Pike
push-up but at the bottom of the rep you
lift your feet slightly into the air
this is going to do wonders for your
shoulder stability and strength respect
these because they are no joke you could
even take the floating Pike push-up
further by extending your legs and
getting into a shoulder stand basically
at the top of the rep before returning
to the pike push-up position the next
natural progression is going to be W
handstand push-ups the beauty of these
is that you get to practice the basic
full handstand push-up without a worry
of falling take note how I'm squeezing
my glutes legs and core while pointing
my toes to keep my body in line when you
feel confident I want you to release one
leg from the wall and only use one leg
as assistance what you see here is we're
basically exposing our joints little by
little prepping ourselves to handle the
full weight of our body for the
handstand push-up next up I want you to
flip around and do a back toall
handstand push-up you can start with two
legs or go with one leg and you'll
notice this does dramatically change the
difficulty because we're not pushing
back into a wall now let's talk about
Ecentric acentrics are when we utilize
the decline of an exercise to gain
strength if you're going to use these
make sure you try to decline for at
least four to 6 seconds to count as one
rep progressing to chapter three where
should we look where you're looking
plays a huge role in the hand stand
push-up because you can quickly lose
engagement and balance when I'm in my
handstand I like to focus on the first
or second bumps on my fingers but when I
pushup I keep my eyes about a Palms
length forward helping me maintain
balance and control moving on to chapter
four what are the common issues if you
started your handstand push-up training
and you're finding that you're falling
out of the bottom or losing balance you
need to solidify the bottom of the rep
and you can do this by utilizing the
shoulder stand exercise main issue
number two is losing muscle engagement
while you're pushing up so you end up
having a banana back appearance it's
important that when you're pushing up
you remember your glutes and legs don't
forget to squeeze them it's key to
squeeze your lower body because that
keeps the rest of your body in line
issue number three and one of the most
annoying is leaning too far to one side
you're kicking up and you're still
falling to the same left or right side
very annoying but it means you have an
imbalance and we can fix this by doing
shoulder taps or any kind of weight
shifts on a wall the key is to have your
supporting hand in a comfortable
position before switching issue number
four is your hand grip on the ground
failing this is because of the mechanics
remember when you go to the bottom
portion of the rep it transfers your
weight to the outside of your hands
issue number five and probably the most
annoying is wrist pain I recommend you
invest in parallettes parallettes keep
your wrist in a fixed position only
moving forward and back limiting your
access to 360° in motion using
parallettes is a solid choice because it
helps your body focus on the movement
instead of relying on your wrist so if
they end up not being able to handle the
load or if they end up being too
fatigued you can still train the
exercise if you have any other common
issues you want me to focus on leave a
comment below moving on to chapter five
how to breathe breathing is important
for all exercise enhanced and push-ups
are no exception I know it may seem like
a good idea to hold your breath but
you're just stopping your muscles from
getting oxygen and you'll fail the
exercise choose a natural breathing
pattern as if you were doing regular
push-ups inhale on the decline and
exhale as you explode to the top moving
on to chapter six how long is this going
to take the handstand push-up is a
testament to any athletes dedication if
you're starting from absolute zero with
no handstand experience then you need to
watch this video and it should take you
around 1 year to 1 and 1/2 years however
if you've already done some handstand
training and you're pretty decent then
it should take you anywhere from 3 to 6
months now that we've learned the
handstand push-up Where Do We Go From
Here the first suggestion is to take
your handstand push-up even further by
adding weight to your body you could
start with as little as adding 2 to 5%
of your body weight and progressively
overload from there suggestion number
two is polishing up your Basics just
because you can do a handstand push-up
doesn't mean you never visit the basics
again polishing up your Basics can
actually help your handstand push-up
form and help you warm up suggestion
number three is to take your handstand
push-up training even further taking it
outside or using some kind of balance
ball to challenge you suggestion number
four is called deficit training this is
where you train past the normal range of
motion by using some kind of elevation
this can make your training extremely
difficult because you have to recruit
more of your muscle fibers to push
through the exercise but trust me your
body will thank you with impeccable
shoulders amazing control and freedom of
movement and next suggestion number five
is pairing the handstand push-up with
other skills that you've learned in
calisthenics having the handstand pushup
in Your Arsenal gives your body a ton of
flows that it can master and suggestion
number six is pushing past your limits
even further using the handstand push-up
to master the next progression the 90°
push-up just like the handstand push-up
it's not going to happen overnight if
there's one thing you should take from
this video it's that anything is
possible if you want this skill stay
dedicated and go get it make sure to go
to strict fit.com to check out my
training app in multiple programs
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