Video Tutorial: 5 Exercises for a Stronger Handstand

There’s no doubt that building a solid, strong handstand takes a lot of work.

Not only do you need a lot of patience and practice upside down, you also need to make sure your upper body and core muscles are strong and stable to be able to hold you inverted for extended periods of time, and today’s video focuses on just that.

Some of these are slightly advanced exercises, so you should already be able to hold a handstand against a wall for at least 30 seconds before trying them.

If you’re not there just yet or you haven’t started working on handstands yet, make sure to check out our Beginner Handstands course to get started with your handstands today!

Watch the short video above for a demo of each of the exercises, then find a wall and get working!

Handstand Shoulder Shrugs

How to do it: Get into a handstand against a wall. You can try these freestanding if you want, but a wall lets you focus on the exercise easier. Push up through your shoulders as high as you can so you feel like you’re pushing away from the ground. Keep your core tight as you do so. Relax your shoulders so that you naturally lower towards the ground. Push back up, once again pushing as hard as you can away from the ground.

Tip: If doing shoulder shrugs in a handstand is intimidating to you right now, try it first with your feet on an elevated surface so that your shoulders are directly above your hips and your body is in a 90 degree angle.

Handstand Shoulder Touches

How to do it: Stand facing away from a wall. Place your hands on the ground, then walk up the wall until you’re in a handstand position against the wall. Push up through your shoulders, tighten your abs and glute muscles, and point your toes.

Leaning slightly to one side, lift up one hand and touch your shoulder on the same side before lowering it back down. Repeat on the opposite side.

Handstand Wall Walks

How to do it: Walk up the wall with your chest facing the wall. Push up through your shoulders, make sure your core is tight, then lift one hand and lower it down again to one side as you move your body towards it. Continue walking sideways against the wall, then switch to go the other direction.

Return to your starting position by walking back down the wall and rest for a second if you need it before walking back up.

One Arm Wall Holds

How to do it: Walk or kick up against a wall in a handstand. Lean to one side as you push through that same shoulder and try and raise your other hand off of the ground.

Hold, then switch sides.

Seven Wall Walks

Walk your feet up the wall so that your body is in a pike “seven” position. Walk your hands forward so that you’re in an elevated plank with your feet still against the wall, hold, then walk back to the seven position.

Remember, these are slightly more advanced exercises so if you’re just starting out they’re not the best ones to work on. However, if you do want to scale them down a little, you can always try most of them in a 90° angle with your feet on some sort of elevated surface.

Try to do these exercises 2-4 times a week and you should really feel that handstand get stronger!

The post Video Tutorial: 5 Exercises for a Stronger Handstand appeared first on 12 Minute Athlete.

from 12 Minute Athlete http://ift.tt/2yv5olo
via IFTTT