Handstand Strength Workout – Experienced

This workout is for the most experienced people with good knowledge of strength training and techniques. This is a full upper body program, it can be done in 2 and 3 splits. The program is based on base exercises.

A training program should be unique for each person using it, defined at fitted to the persons body. The strength program you are about to read is a guideline, feel free to make any changes as it fit’s your body.

Upper Back:

Deadlift (Lower back)
Chin Ups (w/weights)
Seated Rows Rowing
Wide Rows Pulley

Chest:

Bench Press Incline
Dumbbell Presses Incline
(variate between incline and normal)

Shoulder

Kettlebell Press
Military Press
Arnold Press
Low Pulley Raises Front
Low Pulley Raises Back
Rotator Cuff Exercises

Abdomen/Lower Back

High Pulley Crunches (or low)
Pilates exercises
Windshields/Vipers
Leg Raises (can be done with weights)
Lower Back Extensions
Plank Variations (side etc)

Exercise Explanation

Chin Ups – These are performed with palms away from face. Choose a grip a bit broader than shoulder wide, and raise your body until your face is above your grip. Then lower yourself down until your shoulders are flexed. Then repeat. Because there is great confusion between pullups and chin ups, I’ll describe how a Chin Up (named chins in program) should be performed.

Incline – Keep the bench your lying on on a 5 – 15% degree. Upper body at the higher point.

Kettlebells  – KBS weights are not to commonly found. But they are rapidly getting foothold at many gyms these days.

Pilates Exercises – Learn the basics about Pilates before attempting using Pilates as a training method for abdomen

Note:

The Deadlift is an exercises for lower back (even though it includes both leg and upper back), and it is the first exercise you do cause of the muscles recruited during the exercises, and the fact that it is one of the biggest and most power draining single-move exercises you can do with weights. The chest isn’t frequently trained here since the chest isn’t to important in a handstand, however we need to maintain the power we have (sometimes increase) and prevent injures. Variation is the keyword, however I would strongly advice that you always have a Base¹ exercises to each big muscle group (upper back as an example), core exercises and rehab exercises present in your total workout plan.

Explanation

By using base exercises with heavy loads you will develop a fully completed upper body strength. Accompanied with many shoulder exercises on with lower loads – to isolate and prevent injure – we got a complete program set up for our Handstand training. Notice the shoulder exercises, the first two of them – whom are the most difficult ones – involves rotations to strengthen our stabilization muscles while they develop maximal strength for the shoulder aswell. The two next develops strength in the shoulder muscle only. And the last works our rotators for better technique and to prevent injures. In other words you can say that the three lower ones are exactly as the two upper ones, just broken down and isolated. Giving us the result of working the whole shoulder part with it’s stabilizing muscles.

When we now that core stabilization is a very important part of Handstands, the logic states that this is a field we wish to develop control in. While Deadlift kicks your lower back into pieces and gives your abdominal muscles a hard day, I put up only one strength exercise for abdominal and lower back and put focus on controlling your core.  This is why I put up plank and pilates exercises. However the problem with this is the factor that there isn’t many people out there training pilates or now how to do a proper plank. And as a result of much handstand people seem to get this strength from just being on hands, doing things that pushes their core control further.  Still we shouldn’t dismiss this form of training completely, it isn’t a shortcut but it will help you understand your weakest points and what to train on and help you prevent injures. Basically you can train strength and control exercises and improve your technique without training the same technique repetitions to often. Which for most people will have a great psychological effect based on the variation that you’re getting.

Conclusion

This is one way to train strength for your handstands, and if done correctly you will increase the weights fairly often and your handstand presses and holds will become much more controlled. One setback with this workout is the heavy weights used on the basic exercises is forcing you to have a longer restitution period, while you need a much shorter on on the shoulders and cores. That’s this gives us opportunities though, not only for variation, but also for technique training in handstands etc. My point short: Let’s say you need 4 days rest for the bigger muscles, and your shoulders only need 1 – 2. Obviously you can or  will do a “only” shoulder workout in the middle of your rest period.

Visit Exercise Explanation for a complete explanation of shoulder exercises

Reference
1. Strength Training Anatomy Third Edition.Frederic Delavier. 2009
2. Atlas of Human Anatomy Fifth Edition. Frank H. Netter MD. 2010