I moved over to bodyweight - only training a few years ago after that discovery, and that's when I found the 28 - Day
Handstand Challenge for learning how to handstand.
I debated joining
this handstand challenge long and hard, because I was afraid some people might be turned off — sometimes students shy away from my classes because I have a reputation for being one of the stronger teachers (in fact, some people call me «The Beast!).
Lauren originated the 365 - day
handstand challenge to help bring some play into practice and unite inversion - addicted yogis around the world.
So when I saw
the handstand challenges gaining some steam in social media, I decided to give it a try.
Not exact matches
My current
challenge is to do a
handstand five times in a row from the floor.
Doing an inverted push - up — either with your legs elevated or in a
handstand position (with feet against a wall)-- can mimic lifting a weight thanks to the added
challenge of gravity, says Theodore.
When Peter asked me to do a
handstand here I was terrified, but up for the
challenge!
More than the physical
challenge of holding a pose (whether it's Lotus or a
handstand), what many of us continue to struggle with is the task of calming the mind and focusing on the self and the present.
The closer you get to a
handstand, the less your weight is supported by the straps and the more it shifts to your hands, making the
challenge greater.
If you are looking for an even greater
challenge, you can try adding a weight vest or try doing
handstand push ups that are not wall supported.
It's ok for these sets to be
challenging, but I often see people dropping to singles on
handstand push - ups at the end of a tough EMOM - which is probably not the point of the training session.
If this is too
challenging for you, consider just working on the negative portion: lowering yourself as slowly as possible, and then kicking back up into another
handstand and repeat the process.
If you're more advanced, you can even incorporate more
challenging exercises like
handstand pushups, one - arm pushups, and one - legged squats into your bodyweight training routines.
The reason I'm focusing on shoulders is that we have many people working on their
handstands in the 12 Week Calisthenics Trick
Challenge.
If you
challenge yourself to get the best straight line
handstand possible that process will have you improving your flexibility and mobility for more than just hand balancing it will transfer to every other area of your training.
Other push - up variations that are more
challenging include stagger handed pushups, superman pushups, pushups on a stability ball, one - arm pushups, close handed pushups, and clap pushups, and, if you dare,
handstand pushups.
On a physical level, pressing up into
handstand in the middle of a regular vinyasa class be
challenging because of all the energy you've put into the other asanas; on a safety level, establishing a solid foundational practice is really important before attempting to freestyle without guidance.