Why handstand?
Once im upside down, once im in my element, it gives me a sense of bliss.
Handstand is an art of the mind, not only the mind its also physical art.
Once you are in a handstand you only focus on one thing - holding it, you can't hear the noise around you.
That's a very powerful state of mind which teaches you how to use you mind like that in every aspect of your life.
In short: Handstands teach us about life!
My first ever attempt of handstand hold against the wall
My first ever hold off the wall 18.08.2018
After a week of doing holds on the wall, just to learn the proper alignment and how it feels to be upside down I decided to try to balance.
After many fails this was my first ever balancing for 2-3 seconds. It felt like I was holding it forever.
After many fails this was my first ever balancing for 2-3 seconds. It felt like I was holding it forever.
The feeling was amaizing even it was for few seconds.
My first attemps to do a kick up and hold it
After a week of practicing against the wall I decided to start trying to do a kickup and hold it without touching the wall.
In this video I was unable to hold any attempt, only bouncing on and off the wall.
As I said in my story the handstand is one of the hardest skills to achieve in n terms of technique and balance. It takes a lot of patience and dedication, a lot of fails and frustrations.
But when you succeed you forget everything and enjoy the progress, the feeling is amaizing.
Here it is, my first 4 seconds hold, it felt like I was holding it forever. And yes the sheer joy..
In this video I was unable to hold any attempt, only bouncing on and off the wall.
As I said in my story the handstand is one of the hardest skills to achieve in n terms of technique and balance. It takes a lot of patience and dedication, a lot of fails and frustrations.
But when you succeed you forget everything and enjoy the progress, the feeling is amaizing.
Here it is, my first 4 seconds hold, it felt like I was holding it forever. And yes the sheer joy..
Handstand kickup practice (wall supported)
My handstand journey has continued, my desire for it has grown. But things did not went as I expected. There were so many fails to even do it again, to hold at least 4-5 seconds kickup like I my first one.
So here is one of my many attemps to hold it. I can't an count how many attempts there were, endless.
So here is one of my many attemps to hold it. I can't an count how many attempts there were, endless.
So here it is, after so many attempts I was finally back on track, holding it more than 5 seconds here.
And yes, the celebration like I did something huge.
Balance practice (back to wall)
After practicing kickups (wall supported) I decided to back off of kickups because I was stuck, I was not progressing in terms of balance. I started doing back to wall practise, trying to slowly move away and practice balance like that.
This is one of the many attempts.
As you can see, it was better way to focus on balance. But because it was back against the wall my form suffered, it was hard to hold it straight.
This one below was my best so far. 8 seconds hold, but I was not satisfied, I knew I could do better.
This is one of the many attempts.
As you can see, it was better way to focus on balance. But because it was back against the wall my form suffered, it was hard to hold it straight.
This one below was my best so far. 8 seconds hold, but I was not satisfied, I knew I could do better.
Balance practice (face to wall)
Few weeks after practising balance with back to wall, as expected my progress was very slow. Not much improvement and I decided to switch things up. Started to practice balance with face to wall.
Face to wall was more uncomfortable and I wasn't used to fall forward if I lose balance. But I after many attempts I learned how to bail properly if I lose balance.
This was my longest hold at that point, I started to get more aware od my body while upside down.
Face to wall was more uncomfortable and I wasn't used to fall forward if I lose balance. But I after many attempts I learned how to bail properly if I lose balance.
This was my longest hold at that point, I started to get more aware od my body while upside down.
I was pretty satisfied that time because it felt different. I felt like I can hold it more.
I started to learn how to properly engage my whole body in order to hold a straight line and be more stable. Engaging my core and glutes in order to prevent banana shape was my main point on this next video.
And boom! My longest hold, more than 10 seconds, first time in my life. I was pretty happy. But as you can see my line was not pretty straight, but in my mind it felt like it was perfectly straight.
Handstand kickups (freestanding)
After achieving my first 10+seconds handstand hold of the wall I decided to start doing kickups freestanding. I was confident of falling from handstand I learned how to bail properly.
My aim was to hit 10 seconds freestanding kickup. Here are some of my attempts, as expected, many fails.
Sometimes falling over.
My aim was to hit 10 seconds freestanding kickup. Here are some of my attempts, as expected, many fails.
Sometimes falling over.
Sometimes falling backwards.
It was very different, I could easily hold 10+seconds off the wall, but kicking up in to it freestanding was very confusing.
Finally after a lot of fails, I managed to hold around 5-6 seconds. I started to feel tha kick, and land into that sweet spot.
Still struggling to kickup into handstand? Go back to the wall
And yes, again I underestimated myself. I though I was ready to kickup into freestanding handstand. I was wrong. Guess what, I went back to the wall.
And I broke my previous record, this time I nailed 18 seconds hold! I was super happy.
And I broke my previous record, this time I nailed 18 seconds hold! I was super happy.
Few days later, I started holding consistently 15+ seconds off the wall and most importantly I have mastered my line and I was very steady, the wobble was reduced a lot. I was very satisfying and my endurance has increased a lot.
Check out my best line at that point.
Personal record 27 seconds handstand hold off the wall
In this period I started again to force things. I really wanted that 30 seconds and I thought that I was so close. But fail after fail, attempt after attempt I didn't realised that I started to overtrain.
My right shoulder started to hurt. And yes you need to feel pain to wake up and realise that you are overdoing something.
So I took around 12 days off. No handstands, no workouts, only light stretching and yoga. So after that I went back to the wall and I broke my previous record, from 18 seconds to 27 seconds.
It was huge progress, I was very satisfied and I wasn't even tired from that hold I knew I could hold it longer, but the balance failed me again.
My right shoulder started to hurt. And yes you need to feel pain to wake up and realise that you are overdoing something.
So I took around 12 days off. No handstands, no workouts, only light stretching and yoga. So after that I went back to the wall and I broke my previous record, from 18 seconds to 27 seconds.
It was huge progress, I was very satisfied and I wasn't even tired from that hold I knew I could hold it longer, but the balance failed me again.
15 seconds handstand kickup - PR
I did a smart move going back to the wall after a frustrating period of handstand kickups. And now after a solid work I did on the wall and made a significant progress I felt its time to try kickups again.
Of course the fails were there especially at the beginning, for few days it felt like I had no progress. But I was wrong. My goal was at least 10 seconds kickup, but not 10.. I nailed 15 seconds!
The happiness level was not measurable.
Check it out.
Of course the fails were there especially at the beginning, for few days it felt like I had no progress. But I was wrong. My goal was at least 10 seconds kickup, but not 10.. I nailed 15 seconds!
The happiness level was not measurable.
Check it out.
Period of fails and frustrations
I made this post especially to show how much I was struggling at this period. After I managed to do 15 seconds kickup my goal was of course.. 30 seconds.
For about 3 months I was only doing kickups in the range of 10 to 15 seconds. Like my brain was programmed to not hold it longer than that.
Here are some of my failed attempts. You can clearly notice how nervous I was in this video.
For about 3 months I was only doing kickups in the range of 10 to 15 seconds. Like my brain was programmed to not hold it longer than that.
Here are some of my failed attempts. You can clearly notice how nervous I was in this video.
And finally on my next video I was able to break that platoe for at least 3 seconds more. I did 18 seconds kickup, but I wasn't satisfied with my form at all. Too wobbly and banana line.
38 seconds handstand kickup - PR
It took me around 3 months, from 15 seconds kickup to reach my goal which was 30 seconds. But not 30 I nailed 38 seconds! It was one of the happiest moments of my life.
Too bad it was not filmed from side to show how my line was. But it was straight no doubt. At this point I was very stable and aware of my entire body while upside down.
Too bad it was not filmed from side to show how my line was. But it was straight no doubt. At this point I was very stable and aware of my entire body while upside down.
Period of success - consistent 30+ seconds holds
At this point its safe to say I have become consistent in my 30+ seconds handstand kickups. I could almost hit 30 seconds at my first attempt of the day even without any warmup.
My level of body awareness and control was pretty high. I could almost knew where exactly are my feet when im upside down.
My level of body awareness and control was pretty high. I could almost knew where exactly are my feet when im upside down.
I have learned very well how to make very small corrections with my fingers, shoulders, hips and legs. How to counter balance to stop from falling over or falling back.
40 seconds handstand hold - PR
After a while and some solid combination work of kickups and wall work, I stepped up my hold game.
I wasn't chasing max hold in this period, only working on awareness and perfecting the corrections, making them very small.
So I decided it's time to test my max hold. I was not much impressed, but it was my PR anyway, 40 seconds first time in my life.
My first muscle up attempt
As I said in my story, the first time I saw that move I was very impressed and at that moment I knew exactly what I wanted. I had some starting pulling strength already because I was few months already into training.
I knew I wasn't ready for it yet, but I gave it a go just to see at what level I'm at. To be honest I was surprised, I was closer than I expected.
I knew I wasn't ready for it yet, but I gave it a go just to see at what level I'm at. To be honest I was surprised, I was closer than I expected.
50 seconds handstand hold - PR
After I reached 40 seconds, I was very satisfied how my handstand was progressing and I worked on it less frequently, I was focused on building pushing strength.
I only did random handstand attempts on my rest days, nothing special. This period lasted around 2 months. After this, I decided to try my max hold again.
This time I was surprised how my endurance has increased without putting much effort in direct handstand training.
And I beat my previous record, now I did 50 seconds! Very happy moment.
Training for my first muscle up - band assisted muscle ups
As many may argue about band assisted muscle ups, I think I got the most of the progress doing them. Especially after I did my first muscle up.
They helped me clean up my form and understand how to move between reps and do them in a row. These are some of my attempts.
They helped me clean up my form and understand how to move between reps and do them in a row. These are some of my attempts.
I have to admit it was fun doing them, I started to get a feel or the right technique and mechanics.
Training for my first muscle up - explosive pull ups
They hit the fast twitch (type 2) muscle fibers that are responsible for quick and explosive move which is required for the muscle up.
Here are some of my explosive pull ups.
Here are some of my explosive pull ups.
It was pretty challenging, the goal was to pull as high as you can and as close to the bar as possible.
My first muscle up
One of the happiest days of my life. It took me about 2 months after my first attempt. Actually this was my second successful attempt, too bad the first one wasn't recorded, there was so much celebration.
It looked ugly, a lot of swing with my legs, I was all over the place.
It looked ugly, a lot of swing with my legs, I was all over the place.
Muscle up training - negatives
As I said in my other post, this move requires a lot of explosiveness, but it also requires strength, especially when you lose that explosive power while doing them in a row, the strength will help you to do few more reps at the end of the set.
Also the strength is required if you want to do slow muscle ups without using momentum. This was my first attempt of the negative. It was pretty tough.
Also the strength is required if you want to do slow muscle ups without using momentum. This was my first attempt of the negative. It was pretty tough.
My first 3 muscle ups in a row - band assisted
The best method to start doing reps in a row in my opinion was band assisted muscle ups. I finally gained some explosiveness and started to learn the proper path of going down and back up.
In this video I did 3 reps, the feeling was amazing.
In this video I did 3 reps, the feeling was amazing.
Pulling higher than ever
My explosiveness has increased a lot in this period, with the light band I was able to pull at my hips, the highest possible.
Here is a video, I was flying.
Here is a video, I was flying.
Also without the band, I could almost pull to my hip. I could not touch the bar yet, but I was pretty satisfied with my progress.
10 muscle ups in a row - band assisted
After few weeks of explosive pull ups and band assisted muscle ups I have built significant amount of explosiveness and endurance.
Muscle ups done in a row especially more than 5-6 reps becomes pretty cardio intense exercise, it burns hell of a lot calories.
Check out my first ever 10 reps with light resistance band.
Muscle ups done in a row especially more than 5-6 reps becomes pretty cardio intense exercise, it burns hell of a lot calories.
Check out my first ever 10 reps with light resistance band.
My first 4 muscle ups in a row - without band support
I was pretty surprised at this moment, because this was my first attempt to do muscle ups in a row without the band and I managed to bust out 4!
I was very happy with the result, of course the form was off, I was swinging and kicking with my legs a lot.
I was very happy with the result, of course the form was off, I was swinging and kicking with my legs a lot.
Road to clean muscle up - my ugly form
In this post I will be showing you few videos of how my form looked like before I managed to do my first clean strict muscle up.
I could do 5-6 reps without any band assistance but they didn't looked very good. Clearly I still lacked explosiveness.
I could do 5-6 reps without any band assistance but they didn't looked very good. Clearly I still lacked explosiveness.
I was so desperate getting that clean muscle up.
Period of consistency - 5+ muscle ups everytime
I have reached a level where I could do more than 5 reps without the band everytime I attempt them, even without warming up.
I felt confident more than ever and my form has gotten smoother and with less kick.
I felt confident more than ever and my form has gotten smoother and with less kick.
On this next video I did 6 reps. Pretty satisfied with the results.
Clean muscle up - my first attempts
I have to admit, doing a clean muscle up is way harder and different than a kipping and swinging muscle up.
I had a lots of attempts and fails, here are some of them.
I had a lots of attempts and fails, here are some of them.
And that feeling of course, you think that you are so close to get it, but actually so far.
My first clean muscle up
Yes! The moment has come, after a lot of fails, bruises on my hands and frustrations I finally managed to do a clean muscle up.
I can't explain that feeling, being able to achieve something you never thought possible for yourself.
Comment below from 1-10 about my form.
I can't explain that feeling, being able to achieve something you never thought possible for yourself.
Comment below from 1-10 about my form.
2 clean muscle ups in a row
It took me a while, but I started to get more explosive and managed to do 2 clean muscles ups in a row.
This is my current state with my muscle up journey. Soon I will add more content as I improve in the future.
This is my current state with my muscle up journey. Soon I will add more content as I improve in the future.
The beginning of my front lever journey
As I said in my story I had some starting strength before I did any front lever attempts because I was already 5 months into bodybuilding. I could already hold tuck front lever for about 20 seconds at this point.
Front lever progress - advanced tuck attempts
Going into harder progression like advanced tuck was still impossible for me, I was too weak. Especially my rear delts were the ones that failed first. As you can see in the video after my failed attempt I hold my shoulder, indicating the pain.
I was new in this skill and I still haven't figured out what kind of approach works best for me.
I was new in this skill and I still haven't figured out what kind of approach works best for me.
Front lever practice - active arch hang
As I got more knowledge about training for this skill I started to experiment things. Trying out different approaches and testing their benefits.
Active arch hang has good benefit in terms of scapula retraction, one of the most important links in this skill.
In this video you can clearly see how weak I am, im not able to keep my arms straight during this move, which is very important.
Active arch hang has good benefit in terms of scapula retraction, one of the most important links in this skill.
In this video you can clearly see how weak I am, im not able to keep my arms straight during this move, which is very important.
After few weeks of hard work I have made significant progress I clearly got stronger as you can see in the video below. I could pull higher, straighter arms and hold it longer.
Front lever practice - dynamics
I started to incorporate dynamics into my front lever trainings. As I got more educated about skill training that has more approaches I decided to start experimenting.
Many said that dynamics are very useful and contribute a lot. As I got stronger in my active arch hang I was ready to try front lever raises.
I haven't recorded my first attempts, so in this video I could already do around 5 reps tuck front lever raises.
Many said that dynamics are very useful and contribute a lot. As I got stronger in my active arch hang I was ready to try front lever raises.
I haven't recorded my first attempts, so in this video I could already do around 5 reps tuck front lever raises.
Front lever progress - advanced tuck
After 2 weeks of training dynamics I decided to test if I can finally hold advanced tuck. I was pretty satisfied with my results.
It wasn't clean and it was short duration hold, but I was happy that I could extend my knees past the bar.
It wasn't clean and it was short duration hold, but I was happy that I could extend my knees past the bar.
Front lever practice - negatives
One of the most useful exercises are the negatives. The muscle is a lot stronger doing the eccentric part than the concentric part of the move. So I incorporated them in my training. And I clearly noticed good progress.
These are some of my negatives, my first attempt was of course, fail, I was not strong enough to do advanced tuck negative.
These are some of my negatives, my first attempt was of course, fail, I was not strong enough to do advanced tuck negative.
After few weeks of hard work I finally managed to do advanced tuck negatives, I got stronger and I could do them very slow.
I also tried straddle negative, in which I underestimated myself. I was not strong enough.
Front lever progress - strong advanced tuck
It took me around 3 months of experimenting and hard work to get to this level. A solid advanced tuck. I could even extend my knees further ahead.
And the bar of this table is pretty thick.
Front lever hold - one leg - first attempts
As many may argue about one legged front lever, I decided to try them out. My body wasn't used to that position and I could not extend my leg fully and I had muscle cramps on my glute, quad and my foot. Especially on my right leg, my left was more loose.
Here is my attempt on my left leg. The feeling was strange, but clearly I was not strong enough to hold one leg.
Front lever practice - band assisted training
One of the training variations is also resistance band supported. There are different ways to incorporate bands into your front lever training. Its not good to rely on them completely, I suggest using them as workout finisher.
I will show you few ways of how I used them. One of them is front lever raises. With the band I could pull all the way up with full front lever.
I will show you few ways of how I used them. One of them is front lever raises. With the band I could pull all the way up with full front lever.
Another way is using them around your waist and do holds or raises or rows.
Front lever progress - first attempts of half lay pull
After few months of training and experimenting with myself, I gained a significant amount of strength. So I could easly do advanced tuck pulls for about 5-7 reps. And I decided to try the harder variation which was half lay pull. I was pretty satisfied with my result.
That was the highest I could pull at that point.
That was the highest I could pull at that point.
Few weeks after this attempt, I got stronger and my personal record was 5 reps.
And I even managed to do one full rep all the way up.
Front lever exercise variation - ice cream makers
I also tried this variation which many say its not very useful. But I gave it a go just to test it out, as I said I'm a guy who loves experimenting things even if there are some opinions that it is not worth it. So it had pretty decent stimulus on my lats and core. I could do them in full front lever.
Front lever hold - one leg personal record
This is my current level, so far with the knowledge I gained and the experiments I made I reached 12 seconds hold one legged front lever. I'm feeling stronger than ever. I'm also pretty satisfied that my both sides have been balanced and I can hold it the same with both legs.
In this video I will show you my previous progress where my sides were imbalanced. With my right leg I could hold it for about 8 seconds, with my left leg around 6.
In this video I will show you my previous progress where my sides were imbalanced. With my right leg I could hold it for about 8 seconds, with my left leg around 6.
You can clearly see that my left side was weaker and that it was maybe true that like many people say, one legged front lever is not a proper progression. But as you already know me, I'm a guy who likes to experiment and test things to see if they are really as others say.
One arm front lever variations - band assisted (currently testing)
"The true method of knowledge is experiment" - William Blake
As I said in my previous posts I like to experiment and try things out by myself despite what others say and have proofs that only certain methods work. Everyone is different and if something works for one person it doesn't mean it will work the same for another.
So in this post I will show you variation of assisted one arm front lever row and assisted one arm front lever pull.
It gives amazing intensity and good stimulus to the muscles and you can also control the intensity with your assisting hand to make the most out of every rep and its good for fixing strength imbalances.
The beginning of my planche journey
As I said in my story my pulling strength was better than pushing, especially with straight arms, I was very weak.
Genetically my upper body is smaller that my lower body and I have long legs and very small shoulders which makes the move a lot harder.
So I started with planche leans, there was no way I could do tuck planche even on paraletes which was easier than the ground. I was too weak.
These are my first ever attempts of planche leans on paraletes, I could not them on the floor properly yet.
Genetically my upper body is smaller that my lower body and I have long legs and very small shoulders which makes the move a lot harder.
So I started with planche leans, there was no way I could do tuck planche even on paraletes which was easier than the ground. I was too weak.
These are my first ever attempts of planche leans on paraletes, I could not them on the floor properly yet.
Planche lean progress
At this point I started to understand the proper mechanics and how to engage the right muscles in order to execute the move correctly.
I got small progress here, at least I could lean a little bit more forward and hold it longer. Also I could control my breathing better.
I got small progress here, at least I could lean a little bit more forward and hold it longer. Also I could control my breathing better.
Planche lean on the floor - first attempts
Since my wrists have improved after a month of doing short warmups before every training I felt confident enough to try planche lean on the floor.
It's way harder on the floor because there is not good grip and the muscles in the forearms are not engaged entirely which leaves more stress on the elbow tendons and the shoulders.
This is one of my first attempts, and I was pretty satisfied with my form.
It's way harder on the floor because there is not good grip and the muscles in the forearms are not engaged entirely which leaves more stress on the elbow tendons and the shoulders.
This is one of my first attempts, and I was pretty satisfied with my form.
After few weeks I got stronger and my lean and hold duration has increased significantly. My wrists got stronger I didn't felt any pain at all at this point.
My first tuck planche attempt - paraletes
After a month of training planche leans on the floor and on the paraletes I decided to try to hold tuck planche on paraletes. I finally cold lift my feet of the floor and hold it for few seconds. But I was not satisfied with my form and I felt slight pain in my left forearm.
Here is my attempt, a lot of hard work and such small progress. It was very frustrating.
Here is my attempt, a lot of hard work and such small progress. It was very frustrating.
Planche lean pushups - negatives - first attempts
As I got more knowledge I learned that dynamics are very important factor in skill training which I also used them in my front lever training. But in this case, my level of strength wasn't enough. So I started with negatives.
Negatives are also very important approach especially in terms of skill training. These are my first attempts of negative planche lean pushups.
Negatives are also very important approach especially in terms of skill training. These are my first attempts of negative planche lean pushups.
It was extremely hard for me, I could not control my breathing and I was feeling big pressure in my head. I could only lower down. Pushing back was impossible.
Planche practice - band assisted dynamics
In this period I was frustrated a lot, because planche was one of the hardest things I tried in my life. I was unaware that I started to force things and after that slight pain I felt on my forearm on my first tuck planche attempt, I continued to do it.
Read more about it in my injury report.
After I recovered from my injury and got more educated about this skill, I started with safe approach. In this post I will show you few videos of assisted tuck planche pushups and assisted planche lean pushups on the floor.
These exercises help you get a feel how the move should be performed correctly and also will improve your strength enough to overcome the platoe and continue with the progression without the band.
Read more about it in my injury report.
After I recovered from my injury and got more educated about this skill, I started with safe approach. In this post I will show you few videos of assisted tuck planche pushups and assisted planche lean pushups on the floor.
These exercises help you get a feel how the move should be performed correctly and also will improve your strength enough to overcome the platoe and continue with the progression without the band.
Tuck planche - 7 seconds hold PR
After 2 months of training negatives and band assisted work I came back to test my hold on paraletes. I finally could hold it longer this time I got to 7 seconds.
But, something was wrong here, that pain on my forearm was getting back. There wasn't any pain doing them on the floor. So I started to investigate.
Tuck planche - first attempts on the floor
As I said in my previous post, the pain I was feeling in my forearm was from the paraletes. They were not good, very thin grip and asymmetrical.
So since I haven't got any others I started doing attempts on the floor. Last time I tried them it was impossible for me to lift my feet of the floor.
So I had small progress fortunately, 1/2 of a second.
So since I haven't got any others I started doing attempts on the floor. Last time I tried them it was impossible for me to lift my feet of the floor.
So I had small progress fortunately, 1/2 of a second.
Planche practice - back to dynamics
After experimenting all the approaches for this skill, I decided to stick with dynamics at this point. So I did band assisted tuck planche pushups and planche leans.
After a month of hard work I got stronger and I could finally do planche lean pushups in a straddle position. In this video I did 4 reps and the lean was pretty good.
After a month of hard work I got stronger and I could finally do planche lean pushups in a straddle position. In this video I did 4 reps and the lean was pretty good.
After few weeks, I made big progress. In this video below I did 5 reps with closed legs and also the lean was very good.
Tuck planche hold - new attempts
After I made solid progress with dynamics, I decided to get back at tuck planche and see if I made any progress.
I had very small progress, as I said planche is very hard exercise and you get very small progress with a lot of effort invested.
But I started to feel it more at that point, I could hold it longer than my last attempt, so I take it.
It was split second longer. But after a week of more dynamics and planche leans I got stronger and I beat my personal best, at that point I managed to hold it for about 4 seconds, which I was satisfied.
I had very small progress, as I said planche is very hard exercise and you get very small progress with a lot of effort invested.
But I started to feel it more at that point, I could hold it longer than my last attempt, so I take it.
It was split second longer. But after a week of more dynamics and planche leans I got stronger and I beat my personal best, at that point I managed to hold it for about 4 seconds, which I was satisfied.
Tuck planche personal record - 11 seconds hold
It took me about a month to make this progress. From 4 seconds to 11 seconds. My goal was to reach 10 seconds, so I was pretty happy with my progress.
In this video I will show you my 7 seconds hold, how I slowly got stronger and more in control with the move.
After this training I took 3 days rest, I came back and hit 11 seconds. The feeling was amaizing, finally some solid progress in one of the hardest moves.
In this video I will show you my 7 seconds hold, how I slowly got stronger and more in control with the move.
After this training I took 3 days rest, I came back and hit 11 seconds. The feeling was amaizing, finally some solid progress in one of the hardest moves.
My first handstand pushup negative
This is the beginning of my handstand pushup journey. At this point I had already solid handstand, I could do consistent holds around 15 seconds and I had built significant amount of strength with pike pushups and overhead presses.
So this was my first ever attempt of the negative part of this move. It was interesting experience and I was pretty satisfied how I performed it without falling over.
So this was my first ever attempt of the negative part of this move. It was interesting experience and I was pretty satisfied how I performed it without falling over.
Handstand pushup full rep attempt - wall supported
After a week of training negatives, I decided to try to do one full rep. I could not go all the way down, I was not strong enough, especially my triceps were the first that failed.
And also my form was bad, my lower back was bending.
Handstand pushup progress - back to negatives
After my failed attempt to do full rep on the wall I went back to negatives. This time I was focused on doing them slower, more controlled and I tried to hold at the bottom as long as I can.
There was definitely improvement, I was stronger for sure. In this video I could hold it even longer.
There was definitely improvement, I was stronger for sure. In this video I could hold it even longer.
Handstand pushup progress - my first full rep - wall supported
After a lot of hard work and about a week passed I tried to do full rep against the wall. I was pretty happy with my progress.
I went back, it was hard, but I did it.
So at this point I started to combine it. I first did one rep then finish off with 3 or 4 negatives. And after a month of hard work I got stronger and at this point I managed to do 3 strong reps followed by strong negative.
I went back, it was hard, but I did it.
So at this point I started to combine it. I first did one rep then finish off with 3 or 4 negatives. And after a month of hard work I got stronger and at this point I managed to do 3 strong reps followed by strong negative.
My first handstand pushup negative - freestanding
After a lot of hard work on the wall I decided to try to attempt handstand pushup negative but this time freestanding, without the support of the wall.
Well it was very different than the wall, despite that I had good strong negatives on the wall, freestanding required balance as well.
This is my first ever attempt.
Well it was very different than the wall, despite that I had good strong negatives on the wall, freestanding required balance as well.
This is my first ever attempt.
Handstand pushup progress - slower negatives
My balance has improved and I was able to do them even slower. But it was still impossible to think of pushing back up, I just had the feeling that I'm not strong enough yet.
Here are some of my best negatives at this point.
And in this second video I made it even slower and with bigger lean forward.
Here are some of my best negatives at this point.
And in this second video I made it even slower and with bigger lean forward.
Handstand pushup progress - half reps freestanding
Few weeks after working on the wall and doing freestanding negatives I finally was able to push back up but I could only do half reps.
Going all the way down and back up was not possible for me yet, I was not strong enough.
Here are some of my best attempts.
The feeling was amazing even I could not do them all the way down, it still was a lot fun.
Going all the way down and back up was not possible for me yet, I was not strong enough.
Here are some of my best attempts.
The feeling was amazing even I could not do them all the way down, it still was a lot fun.
Handstand progress - bent arm press
As I was working towards my first handstand pushup I simultaneously achieved bent arm press to handstand and frogstand to handstand.
I included these moves also in my approach, which they had also big benefit. And yes, the most important, they are fun.
This was one of my first successful attempts, as you can see I was using my legs to gain momentum.
On this next video you can clearly see improvement, less swing with my legs and slower press.
I included these moves also in my approach, which they had also big benefit. And yes, the most important, they are fun.
This was one of my first successful attempts, as you can see I was using my legs to gain momentum.
On this next video you can clearly see improvement, less swing with my legs and slower press.
Period of success - my first ever handstand pushup freestanding
After a lot of hard work, fails, frustrations, ups and downs I finally was able to do one full rep. It was one of my happiest days of my life.
My form needed improvement of course, but I was very satisfied anyway.
My form needed improvement of course, but I was very satisfied anyway.
Pick your level
Choose which progression you want to read
- Complete beginners
- Creating balance
- Handstand kickup (coming soon)
- Handstand pushup (coming soon)
Or scroll down to read them all
Complete beginners - guide
If you are not beginner and if you want to skip these steps, keep scrolling, but I recommend reading them anyway.
Handstand tips - complete beginners - healthy wrists
Before reading this I suggest you read my entire handstand journey how I achieved 30+seconds consistent holds.
If you are a complete beginner and never done overhead movements before, this is your starting point, building the foundations. The wrists are the first link from the body to the ground.
There is no need to be fancy here and add endless wrists exercises, like millions of them on the Internet.
If you are a complete beginner and never done overhead movements before, this is your starting point, building the foundations. The wrists are the first link from the body to the ground.
There is no need to be fancy here and add endless wrists exercises, like millions of them on the Internet.
My wrists were week and stiff also and I had pain on my right wrist, you can check more in my injury report. But I fixed them with simple exercises.
By doing these exercises shown in the video below, it will be enough to build proper strength, mobility and flexibility of your wrists and prevent injuries in the future.
Handstand tips - complete beginners - pike hold
Once you have started to take care of your wrists, your next step should be pike hold. This is the beginning step, building proper overhead strength, stronger shoulders and wrists and getting ready for the harder variations.
As I said in my previous post, there is no need for fancy endless drills which will improve your strength of course, but it will be more waste of time.
This exercise will be enough for building proper strength. In this video I will demonstrate pike hold. You can also move around with your shoulders once you feel safe and strong enough, especially leaning forward.
As I said in my previous post, there is no need for fancy endless drills which will improve your strength of course, but it will be more waste of time.
This exercise will be enough for building proper strength. In this video I will demonstrate pike hold. You can also move around with your shoulders once you feel safe and strong enough, especially leaning forward.
Handstand tips - complete beginners - elevated pike hold
Once you got stronger doing pike holds, its time to put more pressure on your shoulders and wrists by doing elevated pike holds.
This exercise is similar to pike hold. I will demonstrate it in the video below. Its very beneficial if you move with your shoulders around, especially leaning forward. And always push the ground hard and away from you.
For more information contact me on instagram @nosebleed_sw_159.
This exercise is similar to pike hold. I will demonstrate it in the video below. Its very beneficial if you move with your shoulders around, especially leaning forward. And always push the ground hard and away from you.
For more information contact me on instagram @nosebleed_sw_159.
Handstand tips - complete beginners - wall walks
Once you have mastered pike holds and elevated pike holds its time to put even more pressure on your wrists and shoulders.
But before you start doing wall walks I suggest you to do one step in between, a safer method just to make sure you are strong enough and get used to walking with your hands with this easier variation shown in the video below.
But before you start doing wall walks I suggest you to do one step in between, a safer method just to make sure you are strong enough and get used to walking with your hands with this easier variation shown in the video below.
Once you feel confident with this move and perform it with ease, you are ready to try to do wall walks.
Since you are starting wall walks I suggest also learning how to bail out of that position in case you lose balance and fall over. Getting over the fear of falling.
Learning to bail early in your handstand journey is very important, it will get you prepared for handstand kickups later on. There is more ways to bail out of it, I will demonstrate one method in the video below.
Once you got confident in bailing out, you are ready for the wall walks.
By doing wall walks safely and with confidence its safe to say you have build solid overhead strength, the foundation for being upside down. And you shoud not be considered as complete beginner anymore.
Handstand tips - wall practise
For best experience be sure to read my entire handstand journey, how I got to 30 seconds consistent holds. It will help you understand my tips better.
If you are scared or feel uncomfortable doing face to wall practise here is a video on how to learn to bail safely out of that position.
One of the most important things is to learn the proper position of each part of your body in order to have stable handstand, longer holds and solid line.
Palms, shoulders, hips and feet should be aligned on top of each other. In this video I will be showing you how to engage your muscles properly of your upper body.
In this next video I will be showing you the proper engagement of the entire body filmed sideways.
For more information contact me on instagram @nosebleed_sw_159.
If you are scared or feel uncomfortable doing face to wall practise here is a video on how to learn to bail safely out of that position.
One of the most important things is to learn the proper position of each part of your body in order to have stable handstand, longer holds and solid line.
Palms, shoulders, hips and feet should be aligned on top of each other. In this video I will be showing you how to engage your muscles properly of your upper body.
In this next video I will be showing you the proper engagement of the entire body filmed sideways.
My recommendation is that your goal should be 1min hold on the wall with the proper alignment, in order to advance to my next video tips.
For more information contact me on instagram @nosebleed_sw_159.
Handstand tips - the frogstand
The frogstand is useful tool to help you understand the balancing in more simple way and it builds significant amount of shoulder strength.
The key here is to experiment, pressing and releasing the floor with your fingers and building awareness how it affects your balance.
The key here is to experiment, pressing and releasing the floor with your fingers and building awareness how it affects your balance.
Handstand tips - learn to balance
After you watched my first two important tips (if not, watch them here) you should, at this point have built some confidence and endurance so you can focus to work on your balance.
In this video I will be showing you how to transfer that proper alignment shown in my previous tips into freestanding handstand.
The transfer is very important, if you do it correctly you will end up in that "sweet spot" which means it will be easier for you to learn how to balance.
Here are some mistakes done that you can pay attention to. Be sure to read the text in the videos carefully.
For more information contact me on instagram @nosebleed_sw_159.
In this video I will be showing you how to transfer that proper alignment shown in my previous tips into freestanding handstand.
The transfer is very important, if you do it correctly you will end up in that "sweet spot" which means it will be easier for you to learn how to balance.
Here are some mistakes done that you can pay attention to. Be sure to read the text in the videos carefully.
For more information contact me on instagram @nosebleed_sw_159.
Handstand tips - counter balance
In this post I will try to explain exactly what to do in order to stop yourself from falling over or falling backwards.
If your legs go over your center of mass in order prevent it you need to do at least three things:
1. push and flex with your shoulders over your head (shoulder flexion)
2. squeeze your glutes and abs
3. press with your fingers.
I hope this video below will clear things up.
If you are falling backwards there are at least three things you need to be doing to prevent it:
1. Move your hips forward above your head
2. Release pressure off fingers and rely on your palms
3. Lean with your shoulders forward
I hope you will find this video below helpful.
If your legs go over your center of mass in order prevent it you need to do at least three things:
1. push and flex with your shoulders over your head (shoulder flexion)
2. squeeze your glutes and abs
3. press with your fingers.
I hope this video below will clear things up.
If you are falling backwards there are at least three things you need to be doing to prevent it:
1. Move your hips forward above your head
2. Release pressure off fingers and rely on your palms
3. Lean with your shoulders forward
I hope you will find this video below helpful.
Note: I'm not a professional coach or certified trainer, I just share my own experience and how I reached my level of success. I hope you will find it helpful.
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