Happy Independence Day to all of my American friends. Up here in Canada, we celebrate things on Monday. Now, I am in Moncton, New Brunswick. I am on my way to a Fitness Mastermind meeting with Vince Del Monte, Adam Steer, Chris Lopez, Eric Wong, Dave Ruel, Dan Go, Brad Pilon, and Yuri Elkaim. It will be a great time. Today, I got a great post from Logan Christopher, who does some amazing feats of strength. He will show you how to start doing a handstand against the wall.
Enjoy.
Rick Kaselj, MS
What is Handstand?
The Handstand against the wall is a great exercise that few people can do.
This is especially if you have injuries or major muscle imbalances in any part of your body. The Handstand will likely point them out. Just check out this old picture of me doing a handstand against the wall.
Notice how far I’m leaning to one side?
That’s because of an injury to my right wrist, which made it hard to place my body weight on it, favoring the other side. Since then, I’ve rehabbed my wrist, using techniques much like what Rick teaches, and can do straighter handstands.
And in the article, I want to detail the steps you need to do a proper handstand against the wall.
Moreover, if you’ve never done this exercise, it can seem not very safe at first. But once you get going with it and get a little practice, it’s quite easy. You see, the Handstand itself doesn’t require much strength. You’re relying more on good alignment to do the holding in supporting the position. It’s just a matter of getting into that position which can be the tough part.
1. The Headstand (Start Here)
Here’s a great lead-up stunt to the Handstand. The headstand is easier to hold as you have a larger base of support, are closer to the ground, and your arms aren’t supporting your entire body weight [²].
Additionally, place your hands and head on the ground about 6-10 inches from a wall. (I recommend doing this on some padded surface for comfort.) The hands will be in front of the head to form a triangle or tripod shape. This makes this exercise as easy as possible with your biggest base.
Start with one leg straight and behind you and the other up close, as if in a modified sprinter’s stance, with your arms and head already in position. You’ll kick with the back leg upwards, then kick with the front leg as they meet overhead against the wall.
Moreover, if you kick too hard, you’ll hit the wall hard, but hopefully, avoid putting any holes in it. You won’t get into the final position if you don’t kick hard enough. Practice until this is second nature and easy to do. This will be even more important when we move onto the Handstand.
When you’re up in the headstand, you’ll use your hands and head to keep balance along the wall. Additionally. most people find they can easily do away with the wall and balance in this position, but free-balancing is a topic for another time. We’re just using this as a stepping stone to the Handstand against the wall.
2. The Handstand
Getting into the Handstand is much the same as was described for the headstand. Start with your hands 12-16 inches from the wall. The index or middle finger should be pointing forward.
It is also worth mentioning that stretching out your wrists in extension beforehand can be helpful. Understand that in the Handstand, you’re supporting your entire body weight on the hands, and if your wrists are inflexible, they can become sore from working on this exercise, but that will go away in time. If your wrists can’t take it, you can do a handstand on top of pushup handles where the wrists are kept straight.
Moreover, the hands should be shoulder-width apart or just slightly outside of it. Keep the elbows locked at all times. This keeps the stress on your bones rather than on your muscles, as the bones are much stronger. I said earlier that the Handstand itself doesn’t take much strength. Handstand pushups [¹] do, but that’s another topic for another time.
With your hands and arms set, you’ll start in the sprinter’s stance again. Additionally, one leg is straight and to the rear. The other is bent at the knee and closer to your body. Kick up and forwards with your rear leg. The front leg follows by kicking, and they meet overhead. The first time you try this, you’ll likely not kick hard enough, but then all you have to do is take that as feedback and increase your kicking more next time.
Remember to keep your arms locked, so you don’t end up crashing on your head. We want to avoid that. If you need help, have a spotter grab your legs after you kick and position you in a handstand.
Practice this kicking up and getting into the Handstand. It’s a matter of using not too much force with the kick, or too little, but just the right amount. Think Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
3. Finer Points on Holding Handstands
Now that you’re on the Handstand, what should you do? Let’s work on the position.
Keep your legs together and straight, with the toes pointed. This is more than aesthetically pleasing but helps keep your body as one tight unit. This is exactly what you want if you were to balance in the open. And it also helps even against the wall.
Shrug up with the shoulders that try to reach them to your ears. This gives you the best structure for holding the Handstand. It is one exercise where you don’t want to suck your arms into the lat, as you do in pull-ups.
The head can be looking down at the ground or brought up so that you’re looking out towards the way you’re body is facing.
Moreover, the body can be curved or straight. Neither position is wrong, contrary to what some people will say. The straight body position requires more strength and flexibility (in the shoulders), so it is something to work towards. The curved part is more natural and will not hurt you, assuming it is not exaggerated to a great degree.
Recap
To recap: keep your arms locked out, shoulders shrugged, body tight, legs together, and toes pointed. Congratulations, you have a good-looking handstand!
Moreover, you can work on holding this position for longer and longer times. When you reach one minute, you’re doing fairly well. Of course, from there, there is much more you can do, such as longer holds, handstand pushups, hand balancing out in the open, and so much more.
This is a simple exercise yet great for all-around athleticism. Start practicing and if you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.
If you would like to progress to handstand pushups, you can check out The Ultimate Guide to Handstand Pushups I put together.
Logan Christopher runs http://legendarystrength.com/, where he teaches bodyweight exercises, including hand balancing, kettlebells, feats of strength, health, mental training, and more. Additionally, he’s known as a physical culture renaissance man and has done crazy feats like juggling a flaming kettlebell and pulling a firetruck by his hair. Make sure to sign up on his site for five free special reports.
Want to learn how to do a handstand against the wall? Our step-by-step guide will help you master this impressive exercise. Check out our Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Solved guide for more fitness and health tips!
