Flip Yourself
Handstand guide part 1
Complete beginners
Introduction
The purpose of this guide is to help you build the necessary overhead strength (if you don't have it), understand the mechanics of the handstand, learn the techniques that are needed in order for you to balance and hold long and stable handstand.
NOTE
This is just an universal guide, it gives different results, since everyone is different. For the best and most efficient progress you need to program your own routine based on your strength level, body composition, height, weight and a lot of other factors. If you need help, consider private coaching or the Virtual Guide "The corrections".
Healthy wrists
If you are a complete beginner and never done overhead movements before, this is your starting point, building the foundations. The wrists are the first link from the body to the ground.
There are a lot of wrist mobility exercises, these ones are the most efficient in my opinion.
My wrists were week and stiff and I had pain on my right wrist, but I fixed them with these exercises.
By doing these exercises shown in the video below, it will be enough to build proper strength, mobility and flexibility of your wrists and prevent injuries in the future.
Pike hold
Once you have started to take care of your wrists, your next step should be pike hold. This is the beginning step, building proper overhead strength, stronger shoulders and wrists and getting ready for the harder variations.
This exercise will be enough for building proper strength. In this video I will demonstrate pike hold.
You can also move around with your shoulders once you feel safe and strong enough, especially leaning forward.
Elevated pike hold
Once you got stronger doing pike holds, it's time to put more pressure on your shoulders and wrists by doing elevated pike holds.
This exercise is similar to pike hold. I will demonstrate it in the video below. It's very beneficial if you move with your shoulders around, especially leaning forward.
And always push the ground hard and away from you.
Elevated walks
Once you have mastered pike holds and elevated pike holds its time to put even more pressure on your wrists and shoulders.
But before you start doing wall walks I suggest you to do one step in between, a safer method just to make sure you are strong enough and get used to walking with your hands with this easier variation shown in the video below.
Wall walks
Once you feel confident with this move and perform it with ease, you are ready to try to do wall walks.
Since you are starting wall walks I suggest also learning how to bail out of that position in case you lose balance and fall over. Getting over the fear of falling.
Learning to bail early in your handstand journey is very important, it will get you prepared for handstand kickups later on and won't interfere with you while you work on your balance.
Check out my tips on this link on how to create confidence and fall over safely.
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By doing wall walks safely and with confidence its safe to say you have build solid overhead strength, the foundation for being upside down.
And you shoud not be considered as complete beginner anymore.