I nailed the handstand in a week...and you can too

Face your enemy: the humble handstand.

Don’t be fooled by this semi-easy-looking movement. It is extremely core and shoulder intensive. I consider myself generally strong, capable of lifting heavy things and throwing stuff around (no sweat). But turning my body upside into a handstand, is a different story.

I checked in at my Crossfit box for some tips on how to perfect this movement. If you know anything about Crossfit you’ll know that the handstand push-up and handstand walk is dreaded by many, including myself!

via GIPHY

However, one thing I do appreciate about Crossfit is that any movement gets tackled from the basics up. Every part of your body plays a role in a handstand. Including the wrists, neck, shoulders, core, quads and feet.

My too-eager friends advised me to go straight for the kill. Their mantra: even if you fall, fall 100 times until you get it right. However, I wanted a more efficient way of conquering the handstand.

Is there a ‘right’ way to learn the handstand?

You’ll need:

cushion for your head
a wall (I recommend doing all of these variations against the wall, it gives you confidence!)
warmed-up wrists and shoulders to ensure stability

Method in my madness

Start with only focusing ‘standing’ on your head, your hands placed by your ears as support.

Lift your knees to where you can remember activating/sqeezing your core and quads will always help you maintain stability!

handstand — Start by resting my head on a pillow and ‘shooting’ my legs up

If you lose control don’t stress the wall is there just keep on trying to stay away from it. Do this for a few days. If you immediately feel comfortable, extend your legs to where you can. Do this a few times until you can comfortably do it without the assistance of the wall.

These movements will allow you to strengthen your shoulders, neck, core and ensure stability.

Now…we stand on your hands! If you’re strong you can kick up to a handstand. Remember, the wall will keep you from falling and you can always reposition your feet to keep the form. Alternatively, you can reset completely and do the handstand from a standing position.

Repeat these movements for a week, and you are on your way to even holding the position for a couple of seconds!

Good luck…it’s not as easy as it looks…I should know 🙃