Have you always wanted to learn how to do a handstand? There’s no better time to work on your goals than the new year. While it may seem intimidating, if you’re relatively fit and have the right mindset, doing a handstand is entirely possible. Handstands improve your strength, balance, and have mental health benefits too. They boost your confidence, reduce stress and anxiety, and strengthen your immune system by increasing blood flow throughout your body. If you want to know learn to do a handstand, here are 10 things you need to know.
How to Do a Handstand
1. The Secrets to Learning to Handstand | Livinleggings
If you want to learn the basics of doing a handstand, this tutorial is exactly what you need. She takes you through beginner exercises to get you off the ground. She also explains the 5 elements that are key to learn if you want to conquer a handstand, from body alignment, to hamstring flexibility, to conquering the fear of falling. It’s a must-watch for anyone who has the goal of doing a handstand.
2. Build Shoulder Strength
Strong shoulders are a non-negotiable if you want to conquer a handstand. Your shoulders need to be able to support your body weight, so it’s important to add shoulder strength exercises to your routine if you haven’t already. Practice exercises like the inchworm plank, plank shoulder taps, and yoga block squeezes where you press your hands into a yoga block at hip level and shoulder level.
3. Improve Shoulder Mobility
Along with strengthening your shoulders, you also need to focus on your shoulder mobility. Your shoulders need to be able to move comfortably through a full range of motion, and if your shoulders aren’t flexible, there’s a higher risk of injuring yourself in a handstand. This 10-minute video takes you through effective shoulder mobility exercises that will stretch and strengthen your shoulders and upper back. It will boost the health of your shoulders and help with pain and posture as well. All you need is a yoga strap or long towel.
10 Minute Shoulder Mobility Exercises | Jessica Valant
4. Work on Your Wrist Strength and Mobility
When it comes to handstands, don’t forget to add wrist stretches and strengthening exercises to your warmup routine. Your wrists support your entire body when you’re in a handstand position, and healthy wrists will help you maintain balance. Strengthening your wrists is key to avoiding wrist injury and keeping your wrists healthy as you practice handstands. Check out 10 effective wrist stretches and exercises from Alo Moves.
5. 7 Minute Core Routine for Handstands | Summerfunfitness
This workout strengthens your shoulder stabilizers and your core, which are both essential for doing a proper handstand. Your core strength plays a significant role in maintaining a handstand, as you may find it hard to keep your body in a straight line if you have a weak or tight core. She teaches you the proper technique and form for each move in this routine, which includes elbow planks, side planks, elbow plank push ups, and more.
6. Grip the Floor
One major mistake people make when it comes to handstands is placing their palms flat on the ground. You should be gripping the ground with your fingers, pulling the first knuckle of your finger towards your palm. This gripping motion helps you make any adjustments and create balance and alignment. If your toes start falling overhead, you can use your grip to bring them back in line.
7. How To Do a Handstand and Hold It for a Long Time | Alivia D’Andrea
If you’re a visual learner, this tutorial teaches you 5 simple steps to conquer a handstand. From progression exercises to wrist exercises, and what you need to do to improve your balance and form, you’ll learn so much through this video. She brings you through the prep and progression of learning to do a handstand, so you can come back to this tutorial as you advance.
8. Look Between Your Hands
If you’re unsure where to look in your handstand, your gaze should be between your hands. Many beginners tend to look in front of their hands, which takes more muscular strength and actually makes it more difficult to hold a handstand. Looking straight between your hands and down to the floor will make progressing in your handstand much easier.
9. Push Away From the Floor
When you’re in your handstand position, focus on pushing away from the floor. Think about pushing your head as far away from the floor as possible, creating more shoulder elevation. This will create more stability in your handstand. While this may feel challenging in the beginning, practice and consistency will improve your shoulder mobility and strength.
10. Conquer Your Fear of Handstands/Falling
You may be completely physically capable of doing a handstand, but if you’re scared of doing a handstand or falling out of it, it will be almost impossible to master. Our minds are powerful and fear is there to protect us, but if your brain thinks it’s unsafe for you to go into a handstand position, you’ll likely bail out before giving yourself a chance. When it comes to overcoming your fear of handstands, work incrementally to get stronger, more flexible, and make sure to do many progressions to build body awareness and confidence.
If you have a goal to master a handstand, use these tips and tutorials to get yourself there!
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