Handstand Strength Training (HST)

The most important part of training you do, related to handstands, is strength and stabilization training for your shoulders. This because when your are in a handstand there is a lot of pressure on your shoulder joints. And a damage can easily come to life as a cause of this. A part from that you need a strong upper back, and a strong core to develop better handstands.

If your more experienced and do lots of press techniques in your handstand, then strengthening of arms and chest is important. Both for decreasing the chance of damages and to raise the explosive parts of your techniques.

Below you will some of the most important exercises to strength training for your handstands. All from the beginners step to the more advanced. I’ve chosen exercises here that focuses on the muscles that in a way or another has most positive effect on your handstand. Note that these schemes aren’t completed workouts, and their certainly not correct for each and every individual out there. However what they are is an hint on how to build a program and which exercises that should be incorporated as you advance.

Basic Strength HST.

Deadlift (strengthening lower back and upper back)
Rowing (works important muscles on your upper back)
Pushups (with weight?) (maintain or increase strength on chest and arms)
Arnold Press or Kettlebell Press (Shoulder exercises working rotator cuff and strength)
High Pulley Lateral Extensions (isolating rotator cuff)
Abdomen

This workout works most of your upperbody, strengthens the important parts, and doesn’t consist of to many exercises, neither are they hard to learn. Deadlift is the exception here, this exercises can be quite difficult to learn; however it is one of the most important strength exercises you can do, most for your daily life. The Reason for adding pushup instead of the bench press is the focus on the technique for the Deadlift. Two shoulder exercises, one who works with your Rotator cuffs, the last for developing strength.

Exercises explanation

Beginner HST

Deadlift
Rowing
Benchpress
Kettlebell Press
High Pulley Lateral Extensions
Low Pulley Lateral Raises Front
Low Pulley Lateral Raises Back
Core

Beginner workout takes the person more in depth on the shoulder specific training. Also added Benchpress since the user of this workout should get to know most of the base exercises. Gyriapress and the High Pulley will help your shoulder stabilization. Rest of them strengthens your shoulder even further.

Exercises explanation

Intermediate HST:

(Deadlift)
Chins
Seated Row
Wide Rows Pulley
Benchpress
Chest Dumbbell Press
seated Military Press
Kettlebell Press
Dumbbell Press Shoulder
Arnold Press
Rotator Cuff Pull
High Pulley Lateral Extensions
Core

More exercises for your upper back, and even more for your shoulders. Getting more pressure on shoulders.

Exercises explanation

Experienced HST

(Deadlift)
Chin up
Vertical Pushup
Seated Row/Wide Rows Pulley
Reverse Fly (low and high?
Benchpress
seated Military Press
Kettlebell Press
Arnold Press
Low Pulley Lateral Raises Front
Low Pulley Lateral Raises Back
High Pulley Lateral Extensions
Core

A lot of experienced exercises, related to handstands. You may need to set up a own day for shoulder training, and another day for chest and back. Abdominal and lower back for control can be put at any day.

Exercises explanation

Well…

What mentioned above is just suggestions and base programs. I can’t stress enough that variation and individual adaption is such an important thing – don’t thrust blindly on these programs but use them as a guideline to exercises that can help you further in your handstand. There are tons of exercises out there, and many of them can be done on pulleys, with free weights, with barbells, machines, body weight and so on. Also you’ve might noticed that I don’t mention any specific abdomen or core exercises, I will dedicate a own section to core exercises as soon as the time does aloud, until then you’ll have to figure them on your own.