Handstand and Forearm Routine | The Flexibility Challenge

I recommend this routine only after completing the recommended cardio warmup and the muscle isolation warmup. I also recommend completing this routine before a stretching routine to preserve maximum strength.

Cyclic Thoughts

Posture Strength is Key.

There are many points to review in your head during each exercise. Most of the time you’ll correct one point and the other point you just corrected will go back out of whack. Cycle through the points.

Breath consistently. Try kicking up on the exhale or inhale.
Fingers spaced out and clawed into the ground, for greater push forward leverage.
Palms planted firmly against the ground, for a greater push backwards leverage.
Arms engaged straight, pushing torso away from shoulders.
Stack shoulders on top of hands.
Ribs are tucked in and stacked over shoulders.
Head and neck are lengthened out of the “shoulder pocket”.
Core is engaged, pulling belly button back towards spine, and butt is tucked in.
Legs are minimally engaged in position; straight, passé, stag, split, etc.
Toes and feet are either fully pointed or flexed.

It will take many repetitions to remember all of these points and to execute them correctly. Be patient with yourself.

It is important to build proper form in every single exercise. To do this you will need to check yourself in a mirror, take videos of yourself, or have a coach help you.

The more you practice proper form and breath in the prep exercises, the better your handstands will be.

Beginners

If you are a beginner, start off with the forearm stand variations. Once you get comfortable in those variations with good form, you can move onto the handstand drills.
When kicking into a handstand, use a wall, couch, or crash mat behind you, in case you fall backwards. A lot of times fear will inhibit you from kicking far enough to find your balance, but too much of a kick and you’ll be in a back bend. If you have a stiff back this can be very dangerous. By using a couch you’ll have less of fall, and a cushy one.
Use a spotter when available. They can also help remind you of form corrections.

1. Twisting Arm Circles

5 circles

Twist your arms back and fourth while rotating them in a circle
Be sure to use your full range of motion.

2. Shoulder Shrugs

2 sets of 10; hold shrug for 20 seconds on 10th rep.

Start by kneeling with proper posture, reach your arms straight above your head.
Lock your arms straight and shrug your shoulders upwards.
Use locked handstand wrists for some of the shrugs, to imitate handstands.
Repeat kneeling or standing up.

Make sure your core is engaged, and your neck is lengthened.

3. Basic Wrist Stretch

10x

Kneeling, stack your shoulders over your wrists and plant your palms to the ground.
Maintaining your palms on th ground, start to sit back onto your heals slowly.

4. Leg Lifts to Hollow Body Hold

2 sets of 10; hold hollow body for 15 seconds on 10th rep.

Laying on your back, engage your core so your lower back is glued to the ground.
Reach your arms straight back behind you.
Lift your legs to a 90 degree angle, and slow descend them to a hollow body; with your feet about an inch from the ground.
Hold the hollow body on the 10th one for 15 seconds.

Breath steady, and focus on your core muscles glued to the ground.

5. Forearm Stand Single Leg Lift

10x each leg.

Hands and forearms are shoulder width apart. Alternatively you can pull your hands inwards and create a triangle.
Make a right angle with your arms by stacking your shoulders on top of your elbows. You will have to walk in towards your elbows, lifting your butt and core up and back.
Lift a leg as high as you can while lifting onto your base leg tippy toes.

6a. Forearm Stand Kickoff

5x each leg.

Hands and forearms are shoulder width apart. Alternatively you can pull your hands inwards and create a triangle.
Make a right angle with your arms by stacking your shoulders on top of your elbows. You will have to walk in towards your elbows, while lifting your butt and core upwards and backwards.
Lift a leg as high as you can, use your base leg tippy toe to slightly push off.
Use your leg and core muscles to pull you into a strong straight position.

Complete all of the following variations for a forearm stand focused routine. Skip if doing a handstand focused routine.

6b. Forearm Stand Kickoff and Meet

Optional – 5x each leg.

Instead of leaving your kickoff leg hanging, pick it up to meet the other leg, and then pull it back down to catch your descent.

6c. Forearm Stand Scissor Kicks

Optional – 10x

Same thing as 6b but you switch your legs in the air, so the other leg will catch your descent and become the new kick off leg.

7. Forearm Stand Holds – Straight Legs

5x – Minimum: hold for 5 seconds.

Hands and forearms are shoulder width apart. Alternatively you can pull your hands inwards and create a triangle.
Make a right angle with your arms by stacking your shoulders on top of your elbows. You will have to walk in as far as you can towards your elbows, while lifting your butt and core upwards and backwards.
Kick or lift your leg straight into the air; use your base leg tippy toe to give yourself a boost, and meet up with the other leg.
Use your hands and fingers to push you forwards (towards safety), use your forearm and elbows to push you backwards, be careful not to push too far backwards or you’ll end up in an advanced forearm backbend.
Check posture; make necessary changes by focusing on your muscle movement, engagement, and relaxation.
Breath steadily.

It is a constant balance between the beginning and end of your base, which in this case is your fingers and elbows.

Once you get comfortable with a straight leg forearm stand you can move your legs around, alternating between straight legs, passé, stag, or any other leg variation you can come up with. See more advanced forearm stand poses below.

7. T-Shape Handstand Prep

5x each side.

Standing tall with proper posture, raise your arm straight above your head and pull your wrists back.
Engage your muscles to hold form. Even your pointed foot and toes should be locked.
Start to lean forward with your leg straight back behind you, inline with your torso and arms.

If your leg or arms are lower or higher than your torso, your improper form can carry over into your handstands, so be sure to watch yourself in a mirror, on video, or have a spotter correct you.

8a. L-Shape Handstand Prep

Hands are shoulder’s width apart, fingers are spread and clawed, palms are firmly pressed into the ground.
Use a wall, railing or something similar to walk up and rest your feet against.
Push up and pull your butt back to create a perfect 90 degree angle; hips, core, ribs, and shoulders are stacked directly above hands and wrists.
Engage your muscles to hold position and gain muscle memory.
Practice leaning forward and backwards into your fingers and palms like a seesaw to gain strength and balance.
From this move you’ll continue on to 8b and 8c, eventually without coming down in-between. Rest as needed.

8b. L-Shape Handstand Shrugs and/or Pushups

10x, or as many times as possible.

Continuing from 8a, if you’re comfortable, try to shrug your shoulders; pushing your torso up and away from your straightened arms.
If you are still comfortable, slightly depress into your arms. Think about your shoulders coming straight down; not forward or backwards because you’ll lose your form and strength.
Push back up into your shoulder shrug, do a posture check, then repeat.
For this specific move, it is common to want to round your upper back. Normally when in doubt, pull your armpits forward to stack your shoulders on top of your wrists.
As you advanced you’ll try depressing lower and lower.

If you can only do one today, just think next time you’ll be able to do two or maybe even more! Celebrate the small victories 🙂

8c. L-Shaped Handstand to Straight Leg

5x each leg.

Continuing from 8a, lift 1 leg straight into the air and stacked directly on top of your core.
To advance, slowly try to bring up your other leg; get your fingers ready to push you forwards towards safety.

Make sure your leg doesn’t extend too far backwards.

9a. Handstand Kickoff

5x each leg

Hands are shoulder’s width apart, fingers are spread and clawed, palms are firmly pressed into the ground.
Slightly lunge into your kickoff leg and push off your toes.
Try to maintain a straight leg and back in-line with your straight arms.
Think about pushing your shoulders back into your fingers, meanwhile prepare your fingers to push you forward into your palms and lastly your palms push you backwards into your fingers and vice versa until you find your balance.

9b. Handstand Kickoff and Meet

5x each leg

Continue from 9a and meet your kickoff leg to the straight leg and back down.

9c. Handstand Kickoff Scissor Kick

5x each leg

Continuing from 9a, switch your legs in the air, so the initial straight leg will catch your descent and become the new kick off leg.

10. Handstand Holds

10x; each time try to hold as long as you can, up against a wall, by yourself or with a spotter.

Breath consistently. Try both kicking up on the exhale and inhale and maintaining breath throughout.
Fingers spaced out and clawed into the ground, to allow for greater push forward leverage.
Palms planted firmly against the ground of greater push back leverage.
Arms engaged straight, pushing torso away from shoulders.
Stack shoulders on top of hands.
Ribs are tucked in and stacked over shoulders.
Head and neck are lengthened out of the “shoulder pocket”.
Core is engaged, pulling belly button back towards spine, and butt is tucked in.
Legs are minimally engaged in position; straight, passé, stag, split, etc.
Toes and feet are either fully pointed or flexed.

11a. Advanced Forearm Stands – Seated Pose

It is common to want to bend at the lower back, but for this move it must be the middle back that arches.
As you will notice I transition from lower back to middle back by pushing tall into me shoulders and pulling my armpits forward.
Meanwhile your butt with be moving upwards and backwards; you’ll essentially feel like you’re sitting in your middle and upper back.
Once your as far as you can go, think about scrunching down slowly.

11b. Advanced Forearm Stand with Backbend

Your main focus will be to push you torso upwards, away from your shoulders, and then pull your armpits forward as you start to bend your back and descend your legs behind you.
Simply put; push upward and forward, and slowly descend.
To keep you balance as you descend lower, you can pull one leg in.