SHOULDER FLEXIBILITY

One of the main initial issues when learning the handstand is stiff shoulders. A lack of flexibility and mobility in this area directly impacts your position, preventing you from getting into a straight line. To address this, I have brought three types of stretches that will help unlock and release tension in your shoulders. There is no single ideal time to perform these exercises, any time works well. If you choose to do them before training, your flexibility will improve, making the handstand easier. If you stretch after your routine, you will reduce accumulated fatigue. Either way, you will get great benefits.

HANDSTAND SIMULATION

This exercise is crucial for understanding proper posture before attempting the handstand. To do this, lie flat on your back on the floor and make sure you hit the following points:

1. Fully extended limbs: do not bend your arms, they should be fully locked out. The same goes for your legs, all the way down to pointed toes.

2. Scapular elevation. As you can see, my shoulders remain in contact with the floor.

3. Posterior pelvic tilt. After engaging your core and glutes, your torso settles so that your lower back and glutes become the points of contact with the floor, keeping your lower back aligned.

You can also do this face down, and in that position you will notice your stomach is no longer touching the floor.

This is extremely valuable for the handstand, naturally, but you will also gain general body awareness for other skills, as engaging your core and maintaining a posterior pelvic tilt are key fundamentals across many exercises.

ADVANCED PLANK POSITION

I explain this movement in detail in my core exercises section. Today I am bringing you a more advanced variation, which consists of placing both hands further forward without losing your form, just as you see in the image. The tension increases considerably, so you should limit the hold time compared to a standard plank, for example, going from 45 seconds down to 25 seconds.

It will be much easier for you if you have ever used an ab wheel, which is also covered in the core section, since the end range position closely resembles what we see in this plank.

ASSISTED HANDSTAND

Now we move on to the handstand position, but this time using wall support. It is better to face the wall, although you can also do it facing away. Practice toggling back and forth into the correct form by engaging and relaxing your core and glutes. This will help you internalize both scapular elevation and posterior pelvic tilt. In this position, it is common to pull your chest away from the wall, closing your shoulders and losing that crucial scapular elevation. Once you ensure your form is solid, hold the position firmly for a few seconds.

STEPPING AWAY FROM THE WALL HANDSTAND

From the position in the previous exercise, move your hands as far away from the wall as possible without letting your feet leave it. Your hands and feet must form a straight line, creating a diagonal angle. Hold this position for a few seconds, applying all the technical cues discussed earlier.

ASCENT AND DESCENT

Now that you have learned all the key exercises, let us combine them. You will start from a standard plank and walk your way up into an assisted handstand. Next, you will gradually walk back down until you return to the plank position, but this time you will take it a step further and execute the advanced variation with your arms extended.

I hope these exercises help you learn and improve your handstand, always maintaining proper form. As mentioned at the beginning, they are ideal for the start of your workout when planning to perform handstand skills. This way you warm up and get familiar with the posture. You can also combine them into a small standalone routine if you prefer. Best regards!

I hope these progressions help you out and that you nail the front lever soon. From now on, you can start adding them into your front lever routines.

Just a quick reminder: make sure you respect proper form in every single variation we went over.

If you’ve got any questions, drop them in the comments below. Cheers!

INTRODUCTION TO THE HANDSTAND

The handstand is a signature move in artistic gymnastics that has also been embraced in calisthenics. This exercise doesn’t require excessive strength; its main challenge lies in balance and maintaining proper body alignment throughout. Once you master it, you can progress to more advanced moves. The most popular progression is the handstand push-up (HSPU), but there are even more advanced variations like the 90-degree push-ups and the Tiger bend.

In this article, we’ll focus solely on how to do a handstand I’ll share some tips to make learning easier. Before you dive in, here are my other two articles that complete my handstand progression guide. They cover exercises and routines to improve both your balance and strength.

TIPS FOR A PERFECT HANDSTAND

Now that you know everything you need to apply for the handstand and are aware of what you’re working on, I’m going to give you some tips to help you learn it as soon as possible. Still, this is a movement that varies a lot from person to person—I’ve seen people training it for a year without mastering it, while others hold it for a few seconds in just weeks. So my biggest advice, as always, is patience.

Hand Position: Don’t place your hands completely flat on the ground. Instead, leave a small gap between your fingers and the floor. With your hands slightly concave, you get better push control through your fingertips, which helps with balance. It’s also important to spread your fingers apart to cover more surface area and gain greater stability.

Arms Shoulder-Width Apart: When doing a handstand, comfort is key. Many people recommend keeping your arms shoulder-width apart, but I encourage you to find what works best for you. Don’t go to extremes though—a very wide stance will strain your shoulders, and too narrow will likely put pressure on your wrists and elbows since balancing becomes harder and you might compensate by forcing joints.

Learn to Fall: It might sound trivial, but learning how to safely bail out of a handstand is crucial. Without this, you might get stuck upside down, panic, and end up falling hard or worse—hitting someone nearby. There’s a semi-rolling technique to practice, avoiding a fully vertical fall. Also, get used to falling consistently on the same foot so you can better control the landing.

Avoid Using Walls or a Spotter to Stop You: Although many recommend this, I find it more of a crutch than help. Once you’ve learned how to fall safely, there’s no problem with falling, getting up, and trying again. You’ll improve wrist strength and posture correction faster on your own. Of course, if you don’t feel safe, use assistance—it’s better than not trying at all.

That’s my handstand breakdown! I hope you crush it soon and hold a handstand for several seconds. Once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty much done—you just need to keep practicing and perfecting it. Good luck!