Handstand push up progressions
are you….
📍Training at home
📍maxed out all of your weights and need a new upper body movement to build
📍low on equipment
📍 Looking for a new workout/skill to learn?
Taking our pressing movements to the next level. Whether you are working out from home for good, or maybe running low on equipment the HSPU is a fun and challenging way to intensify your presses. I will say, you should master the basic pressing movements we discussed last week, especially if your overheard range of motion is 💩 before being concerned about really any movement here we are about to discuss.
Basics > variety just for the sake of variety
Alright well, here we go, easiest to hardest ( in my opinion) and how to progress from one to another.
Like anything really this is a skill set so prescription would be at least 1x a week every week so you can progressively work towards the final product. Otherwise, totally unnecessary in my opinion. Fun and looks cool, but not imperative for strength or physique gains.
Pike Push ups
How to do it
Begin in a plank position and slowly walk your hands back towards your feet.
Maybe 2-3 steps, I would take a few steps in at first and test it out and slowly make your way closer to your feet here. Once you are in position keep your elbows tucked in and lower the crown of your head to the floor. Think about sending your elbows towards your feet and your eyes should be on your feet the whole time. Keep walking the hands in towards the feet until you find a challenging but doable position. This could replace your press movement or be in addition to on your pressing days. So sets and reps would be indicative of where you are in your training.
Once you have mastered this its time to kick it up a notch
Box pike handstand push up
How to do it
I like to have clients start in a plank position in front of their box or bench, slowly walk your hands and feet back to the box once there lift one leg at a time onto the box. Once you are comfortable there slowly walk your hands in towards the box, knees will soften and your butt and hips will travel into the air a bit as you see in the video clip. From there you will want to lower the crown of your head to the floor just as before and press away from the ground until you are full locked out. The closer your hands are to the box here the harder it will be. Once mastery here has been reached its time to move onto the strict HSPU with a decreased range of motion.
Decreased range of motion hspu
How to do it :
Place an ab mat or a rolled up yoga mat up against the wall. Did i mention you’ll need to be able to kick up into a handstand against the wall? If you aren’t there yet keep working the box hspu from above and start to add in some handstand kicking up drills into your program.
If you do have your handstand then now you will kick up into your hand stand so the mat rests right under your head. Slowly begin to bend your elbows lowering the crown of your head to the floor. Your hands should be a few inches away from the wall when you kick up so as you lower your head you will form a triangle position with your hands and head, once down on the ground, squeeze your body as tight as you effing can and press away from the ground.
If the range of motion was too hard and you found yourself with a crazy arch in your back I recommend getting those shoulders stronger before revisiting this again. If you need to stack 3 ab mats under your head to perform it, you just need to get stronger first no worries, 2 inch elbow bends aren’t the way to do it though. That’ll be through pressing. For pressing ideas be sure to revisit last weeks blog on shoulder pressing variations at home 🙃
Strict hspu
We’ve made it, the holy grail. This movement is a cool party trick and requires some serious pressing strength. If you are a crossfitter this is the end all be all of pressing movements. Otherwise again these movements are a cool skill to master, but definitely not necessary for strength and physique gains. Now that I don’t CrossFit anymore very rarely am I doing HSPU’s. It doesn’t fit in my training right now, and honestly they used to jack my traps up quite a bit so I just don’t do them. Come summertime though when I want to start hitting some handstand walks again because I love them and they frustrate the f*ck out of me, then things like this may reappear so I can become stronger being inverted. The majority of us though, don’t need to train these ever unless we want to because it makes us happy.
Any who….
We made it here, now what? Well to avoid lowering your head onto the straight up floor, doesnt feel good. Keep the ab mat under the head and add 2 25 pound bumper plates under where your hands will go. Kick up into your handstand and lower down and press up just as before. BOOM, Strict HSPU.
Congratulations you are one badass, strong mothereffer.
Till next time,
No matter what movements you do or don’t do out there, remember one thing. Consistency is always 🔑 . Stick to the plan and give it a chance to actually work. Program hopping from workout to workout isn’t going to get you anywhere.
If you are unsure about what type of workout plan you should be following, schedule your free consult today, and let’s build a plan for you. No more wishing and hoping for the things you want, let’s make sure it happens.