Bodyweight progressions to hspu

[Harald Motz]

I do usually two kinds of handstandpushups:

1. freestanding HSPU from the ground

2. full range of motion HSPU between chairs, legs on the wall


what it takes, to do it:
- upper body (t-spine/shoulder)- mobility
- supporting strength/stability
- pressing strength
- low(er) weight/height ratio
- low(er) bodyfat percentage
- practice, fresh & frequently

when I remember correctly from my dusty mind, I started handstandpressing wall supported, with belly facing the wall (the other way would encourage bowing the body more). Range of motion can be manipulated, with head touching a book and progressing by elevating the hands.

with freestanding handstand pressing, I always start, as in the video from the crow position, thus from an already balanced position, which I find easier than to kick up the leg. Helpful is, to have the hands some wider than shoulder width. Practicing the crow position, and the transition to get the resting knees off the upper arms and holding a bit of isometrically would be beneficial in my book. Would look like this:

 

[pet']

Hello,

Did you work on them simultaneously or first wall supported and then freestanding ?

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[Harald Motz]

Did you work on them simultaneously or first wall supported and then freestanding ?

either, or
or either/or

 

[Anna C]

Yes, @Harald Motz I think your contribution to Karen's article would be VERY valuable!

I am working on crow to handstand. Figured out how to walk up the wall for assistance... getting closer. Would love more tips on this, as well as HSPU.

 

[305pelusa]

Hello,

@305pelusa
Did you already consider working on some yoga stances which require balance (arm balance poses):
Arm Balance Yoga Poses

Kind regards,

Pet'

I had not considered that. However they all look really cool! Some of them look challenging as well although I think most of them should be easy to approach if you have built a solid handbalancing base with Handstands, and a strength base through the Planche (most of them seem to use the lean to balance).

Thank you for the information. Yoga has always been on my radar and now I would just have to find a place that practices more hardcore stuff like that hehe.

 

[Miguel]

Yes, @Harald Motz I think your contribution to Karen's article would be VERY valuable!

I am working on crow to handstand. Figured out how to walk up the wall for assistance... getting closer. Would love more tips on this, as well as HSPU.

+1!!!

@Harald Motz , you're strength and skill never cease to amaze me. You seem to have a somewhat unique ability to hone in on the minutiae of each and every movement you do, with the capacity to explain those observations extremely well. Your laser focus is something we would all do well to emulate and your humility is evident in everything you say.

 

[Harald Motz]

Yes, @Harald Motz I think your contribution to Karen's article would be VERY valuable!

...I thought, I covered everything.

@Harald Motz , you're strength and skill never cease to amaze me. You seem to have a somewhat unique ability to hone in on the minutiae of each and every movement you do, with the capacity to explain those observations extremely well. Your laser focus is something we would all do well to emulate and your humility is evident in everything you say.

Lately, I am thinking, tinkering or better I would describe it as thinkering about my personal training approach. The truly amazing thing is this working on a few basic principles, just works.

 

[pet']

Hello,

Here is part 3 of @Karen Smith 's article
Your Journey to a Handstand Push-up: Part 3

@Karen Smith thanks a lot !

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[Tarzan]

Just for the sake of discussion.

Is a wall supported HeSPU too difficult to be part of the criteria for an SFB cert for a man ?

I realise it's straying somewhat from the Naked Warrior template but the bar has been raised for the SFG recently so maybe it would have it's place in the course if not in the cert.

& I suppose it leads into the question will there ever be a SFB II and would it be more suited to that theoretical level if it was ever to materialise ?

 

[pet']

Hello,

IMO, HSPU with hands on the ground is relatively achievable while maintaining good form. However, progressively adding ROM (until doing them in full ROM between 2 chairs) while maintaining good form is another story...unfortunately eh eh

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[305pelusa]

Hello,

Here is part 3 of @Karen Smith 's article
Your Journey to a Handstand Push-up: Part 3

@Karen Smith thanks a lot !

Kind regards,

Pet'

Oh no Karen! So much work built up through Pike Push up work, with a focus on alignment and maintaining the hollow position, only to end up at the HeSPU done back to wall?

Why does SF not teach it stomach to wall? It's harder. It's safer. Translates much more to freestanding work. It makes more sense with the Pike Pushup progression (since you can keep elevating your feet until they are on a wall). The act of walking up the wall is also an excellent exercise in its own right for bettering your hollow; it flows perfectly from the hollow progression.

Would recommend SF jumps on the STW HeSPU wagon if possible. It feels like such a SF exercise honestly.

As far as the article, I really like the progression through the Pike Push up. It's so good. So logical. The idea of building up some straight-arm, alignment and bent-arm strength is solid. No excuse for anybody to not be able to do these anymore! Hehe

Cheers!

 

[Tarzan]

Why does SF not teach it stomach to wall?

Maybe it's a safety concern @305pelusa , for people like me especially. I remember reading Convict Conditioning years ago & my first thought was to flick through each exercise until I found the hardest progression for each one and have a crack at it. Or just those people that rush through progressions and move on to the tougher progressions too soon.

If someone with that mentality read part three of the series they could be tempted to have a crack at the final progression and STW could be more dangerous than back to the wall.

That being said I do mine STW most of the time too, I can get a bit more depth that way and it makes an easier transition to the full HSPU because I already trained closer to the full ROM. STW also gives you the option for a wide variety of body angles to and can lead into tiger bends into handstand etc.

 

[pet']

Hello,

I think it depends from the position you use to start HSPU.

I can pass now some of them, back against the wall. Now, I work on HS. I start from the crow position (as in yoga). I find safer to do the crow in front of a wall. That way, if I fall, the wall will be here (in my back). HSPU from crow is an easier way because you are already more or less balanced since the beginning. But I still have problem to kick my legs off.

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[305pelusa]

Maybe it's a safety concern @305pelusa

I mean, I guess I have more faith in the SF community in general. I don't think a person who would end up reading a SF article, is the kind of person who would see warnings, bail techniques, and then the STW HeSPU itself, and somehow still recklessly try it without knowing how to get out safely.

I can tell you the first time I read Convict Conditioning, I read through the Handstand Push-up series, and as soon as I saw the Handstand with one hand on a basketball, immediately closed it and put it away. Just a little bit of common sense is all you really need to avoid impact injuries in calisthenics strength training.

I find safer to do the crow in front of a wall. That way, if I fall, the wall will be here (in my back).

You call this "safe" but I think it's counterproductive and dangerous. Step one of any handbalancing work (like crow into Handstand) should be knowing how to twist/roll out safely. And once you learn that, you should always stay away from the wall so that everytime you fall, you go through the same safety techniques.

If you do your crows into Handstand with a wall to catch you if you overbalance, then you will never safely be able to do them without a wall.

But I still have problem to kick my legs off.

Yes, it's very difficult. It just requires practice though. Put in the time and you'll slowly get it. I made it my goal to learn them through kicks, and it's been frustrating to say the least! However, I'm glad I've put in the time because it's a very easy way to get into a Handstand if you get it right!

 

[Steve Freides]

May I suggest we give @Karen Smith a moment to answer before we speculate on the reasons? Thanks.

-S-

 

[pet']

Hello,

Yes, it's very difficult. It just requires practice though. Put in the time and you'll slowly get it. I made it my goal to learn them through kicks, and it's been frustrating to say the least! However, I'm glad I've put in the time because it's a very easy way to get into a Handstand if you get it right!

HSPU is one of my 2017 goals ! So I'll try to work on it with dedication. The "kick" start sounds far harder to me at the moment eh eh

From the crow, what I notice is that I can slowly straighten my legs to put them on a vertical position. However, once they are vertical, I still have bent arms. I can hold this position around 15s. If I rest 1 or 2 minutes, I can do it again and so on. Then, I lose balance while straightening my arm. Finally, I lose balance while I press.

Is there a kind of strategy / tip ?

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[Harald Motz]

Is there a kind of strategy / tip ?

from the crow you could try to press up and straighten hips and knees simultaneosly, this would provide some momentum.

 

[pet']

Hello,

from the crow you could try to press up and straighten hips and knees simultaneosly, this would provide some momentum

Thanks ! I will try this this evening and report how it goes and how I feel it.

When you finish your press, are you totally straight, or is there some lumbar bent to maintain balance ?

Kind regards,

Pet'

 

[Tarzan]

I never had a great deal of success pressing from a crow/frogstand myself. I've had several serious hand and wrist injuries so controlling my balance with my wrists bent like that was always a struggle for me. Even though I could hold a crow stand for over a minute the transition to a vertical position was a struggle for me. I could do it but it was quite ugly & uncontrolled .

I ended up moving on to parallettes and starting from an Lsit or tuck Lsit and then moving into a tuck planche (with a fair degree of momentum) and using a bit of momentum to get vertical and then as @Harald Motz suggested using that momentum to get my first few unsupported reps.

It's a bit of a gap in my training that needs to be addressed, when I'm ready to go again I plan to go back to basics and relearn all those progressions I've always tended to rush through.

 

[305pelusa]

When you finish your press, are you totally straight, or is there some lumbar bent to maintain balance ?

Depends on how good your shoulder mobility and Handstand is hehe.