Name: Playbook - Jess St John - Handstand Basics Phase 1
Uploaded: 2023-12-13T15:49:49.563Z
Duration: 60 min
Description: Handstand Basics Phase 1

For those who are new to handstands. Follow this routine up to 3 times per week to build handstand strength and understanding. Everyone learns at different paces so move on to phase 2 when you feel you need more of a challenge.

- Lay on your stomach with arms and legs extended
- Pull ribs and hips in toward each other
- Squeeze glutes and tuck pelvis under (think of a dog tucking it’s tail between its legs)
- Push through shoulders (think shoulders towards ears
- Push armpits towards the floor
- Squeeze legs and think of trying to reach your toes as far as possible 
- Tilt head up just enough to be able to gaze at your thumbs

Handstand position

- Practice the handstand position in a headstand
- Make a triangle with your hands and head placement
- Keep elbows tucked (not flaring out), and push through hands to alleviate weight from neck
- Focus on stacking your hips over your shoulders and your toes over your hips

Headstand

Before getting into handstands it’s important to know what goals your body parts are trying to achieve. When inverted, your hands take the role of your feet. If you stand on one foot, you can feel the muscles working to balance you. Your hands will be working equally as hard in your handstand, even on both hands! 

Proper hand position
- Your palm is flat on the ground
- Your fingers are spread as wide as possible
- Your fingers are bent so that only the fingertips are touching - this will allow you to push 

How to control your handstand from your fingers 
- If you kick too hard (going over), push through the fingertips to balance
- If you don’t kick hard enough (not making it over), push through your palms (sometimes requires a small elbow bend), to shift the weight back to your fingers

Your fingers have more control than your palms so aim to keep your weight in your finger tips.

You can practice this by shifting your shoulders over your wrists with your feet still on the ground

Hand position

This exercise is great for building wrist, shoulder, and core strength for beginners, and is a great warm up for advanced handstanders

- Fold at the hips and place hands flat on the floor
- Walk forward with the hands while keeping your core engaged
- Squeeze glutes and core to minimize side to side hip movement 
- Walk out to a plank and back to your feet

Plank Walk Out

- Focus on hand placement and position 
- Make sure hands are directly below shoulders 
- Grip the floor with your fingers 
- Kick up with one foot and switch to the other on the way back down
- Alternate sides

HS kick up and switch

- Place hands close to wall, spread and bend fingers 
- Stack shoulders directly over top of wrists and kick up so hips are over top of shoulders 
- When kicking, drive from the heel and squeeze your glutes, aim for a big split and keep your legs straight for the most control 
- Do not arch your back
- Push through your shoulders and use your finger tips to try to push your weight away from the wall

Note: This is a tactic to getting comfortable kicking up into a full handstand and feeling the weight in your fingertips. When working on handstand position, stomach to wall is more beneficial

Kick up to wall

- Start in a high plank position
- Push through shoulders
- Tap one hand to the opposite shoulder and alternate sides
- Squeeze core and glutes to not rotate your body (imagine you’re trying to balance a glass of water on your back)
- Keep hips in line with the floor

Regression:
- Make it easier by using a wider stance (feet further apart)

Progression:
- Make it harder by elevating your feet on a box or bench

Plank shoulder taps

For the harder version, elevate feet on a bench, for the easier version, keep feet on the floor.

- Start in a plank position
- Push through shoulders, squeeze core and glutes 
- Lift one foot slightly and move it outward
- Tap foot to floor and return to plank position 
- Alternate sides

Plank toe taps

- Place hands on the floor shoulder width apart
- Stack shoulders over wrists
- Spread fingers and push against the floor to balance
- Kick heels to bum and use your fingers to resist when your weight shifts on to your hands

Donkey Kicks

- Extend arms and legs above the floor
- Keep your core engaged and round your lower back into the floor

Hollow body rocks

- Extend arms and legs above floor
- Squeeze glutes and shoulders to rock back and forth
- Arch back

Superman rocks

- Sit on your heels and take a light plate or object to balance over your head
- Gaze slightly up at your thumbs 
- Drop shoulders as low as you can (away from ears), then push them up as high as you can (into ears) 
- Keep arms straight throughout entire movement

Handstand Basics Phase 1

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