Handstand Push Up

Description

How to Do Handstand Push Up

1. 1
   Setup

   Position yourself in a handstand against a wall, facing inward. Place your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart, fingers spread for stability and pointing slightly out or forward.

2. 2
   Setup

   Ensure your body is in a straight line from heels to shoulders, core braced, and glutes squeezed to maintain rigidity. Look slightly forward between your hands.

3. 3

   Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows, lowering the crown of your head towards the floor in a controlled manner. Keep your elbows tracking slightly backward and not flaring out excessively.

4. 4

   Lower until your head lightly touches the floor or you reach your maximum safe depth while maintaining tension. Avoid collapsing at the bottom.

5. 5

   Exhale powerfully as you push through your palms and extend your elbows, driving your body back up to the starting handstand position. Fully extend your arms at the top.

Tips

• Control the eccentric (lowering) phase; this builds strength and helps prevent injury. Aim for a 2-3 second descent.
• Keep your core tight throughout the movement to prevent arching your back, which can put undue stress on your lumbar spine.
• Experiment with hand placement; slightly wider than shoulder-width can sometimes be easier for beginners, while closer targets triceps more.
• If full range of motion is too difficult, use an ab mat or yoga block under your head to reduce the depth required and gradually progress.

Common Mistakes

• ×Flaring elbows out excessively reduces triceps involvement and can stress the shoulder joint; keep elbows tracking slightly backward towards your body.
• ×Arching your lower back to compensate for lack of strength puts strain on the spine; fix this by actively engaging your core and glutes to maintain a straight body line.
• ×Rushing the movement, especially the eccentric phase, compromises control and muscle engagement; slow down the descent to build strength and improve stability.