Handstand Push-up Advice

Comrades, my quest to do a fully handstand push-up is finally at an end. I am extremely comfortable doing 1 handstand push-up, but the second handstand push-up still feels a little weak. (I can live with that, now I can do a single one I am so very happy!)

One thing I found that really aided me was being able to do enough hand-stand push-ups against the wall. I would say, about 10 in a row is about right for a skill like this. I found that a lot more strength is required for the handstand push-up (unassisted) than the handstand push-up (wall assisted). This may seem obvious but I was really surprised at the difference in strength that’s required. When doing the HSPU unassisted you need to be able to recruit a lot more stabilising muscles in order to hold the position, without this basic core strength this move is impossible, no matter how big or strong you think your shoulder muscles are.

So, if you are struggling to hold the handstand push-up as you lower yourself to the group, try incorporating some Core Work into your workouts.

Another important aspect is hand/body position. If you don’t have the correct hand positioning then this move it a complete bitch, if not impossible. What I found was that if my hands are too close together, I’m unable to generate the required strength on the positive section of the move. But, if my hands are wider than shoulder width apart I’m able to generate the strength to get me back up. I suppose this really depends of everyone’s body type but it's something to keep in mind.

Another extremely important piece of advice is that the legs should be straight and controlled. If they aren’t, you really are making things difficult for yourself. The perfect way to do this is to squeeze the ankles together and point the toes.

Until you have your legs under control, I really wouldn’t bother with attempting the Handstand Push-up and simply concentrate on achieving a nice Handstand first.

Hope this helps someone.

Train on for the revolution!