The How To Handstand Challenge

Handstand challenges are widely popular across the globe on social media platforms. One of the biggest and well-known ones to date was the handstand t-shirt challenge where a wide variety of celebrities and actors got involved at home.

Handstand challenges are a great way to get active whilst having fun!

We’ve run a few handstand challenges on our Instagram enabling lots of people to get involved in trying out this skill alone or with friends and family. The How to Handstand challenge is a 7-day challenge centred around our ‘7-Pillar Method’ that has helped over a thousand of our students achieve their handstands. We wanted to create something that’s fun but is also really helpful if you are someone that is wanting to learn how to achieve your handstand.

Check out our How to Handstand Challenge below!

Day 1: Strength

Wrist Extensor Strengthening Drill

The reason this is one of the most useful wrist drills for handstands is because it helps you strengthen the required muscles you need to balance your handstand, especially when you’re falling back towards your feet!

Step 1. Take a pair of handstand blocks (if you don’t have any, you can just use some Tupperware, books or saucepans, anything you have around that replicates a block is fine).

Step 2. Take your hands shoulder-width apart resting on your ‘blocks’ letting your fingers cling and grab the object over the edge.

Step 3. Leaning your weight down into your wrists, slowly try and straighten your fingers and thumbs without moving anything else.

Step 4. Then bend your fingers and thumbs again, gripping the ‘blocks’ and repeat this multiple times.

DOs and DON’Ts

Stack your shoulders on top of your wrists.
Drive your weight down into the floor.
Straighten your fingers and thumbs as much as you can!
Don’t bend your elbows.
You can use any household objects that are similar to handstand blocks.

Day 2: Flexibility

Straddle Compression Drill

This drill set is excellent for increasing your ability to actively bring your legs closer to your body which is essential for any straddle positions you might want to progress to later on in your handstand journey (especially if you want to learn the press to handstand!)

Step 1. Take a straddle position on the floor with your legs 90 degrees apart or whatever is comfortable for you.

Step 2. Place your hands flat on the floor either side of one knee.

Step 3. Push into the floor with your hands and your leg off the floor.

Step 4. Repeat 10 times.

Step 5. On the last repetition, hold for 10 seconds, trying not to let the leg drop down towards the floor.

Step 6. Repeat on the other side.

DOs and DON’Ts

Don’t lean back too much.
If you struggle to lift your legs off the floor, slide your hands closer to your hips.
If it’s too easy for you, slide your hands closer to your feet.
You can adjust the number of repetitions or the duration of the final hold to suit your level of ability.

Day 3: Alignment

Bunny Stack Fork Drill

One of our most popular drills, this teaches you the correct movement patterns and the correct way to learn how to stack your weight in your handstand.

Step 1. Kneel on the floor and place your hands slightly in front of (but close to) your knees.

Step 2. Pushing down into the floor, straighten your legs to jump your hips up on top of your shoulders and make a baby straddle shape with your legs.

Step 3. Lower yourself back down to the kneeling position and repeat multiple times.

DOs and DON’Ts

The order is VERY IMPORTANT; the hips need to be stacked on top of the shoulders before the straddle shape is made. Think hips first, then straddle.
Keep your shoulders on top of your wrists in the jump. Think about pushing straight down into the floor.
Lots of focus should be on the correct position. Stack your hips on top of the shoulders as much as you can with your shoulders above your hands at all times.
Don’t push your shoulders too far over your wrists.
Don’t let your ears come away from your shoulders, they should be superglued together when jumping up.
Don’t try and ‘open your shoulders’ by pushing your weight into your armpits.
Don’t bend your legs in the air.
Don‘t rush to make your baby straddle. It’s the LAST thing you do on the way up.

Day 4 Balance

Reuben’s In Line Scissor Drill

The reason this drill is great (and better than almost any other balance drill out there, trust us!) is because you already start ‘in balance’ so you can focus solely on learning how to balance without having to ‘find your balance’ first. Your centre of gravity is directly above your hands with your hips, shoulders and wrists stacked on top of each other. So, all you have to do is close your legs WITHOUT changing your weight distribution. F*cking magic guys (you’re welcome!)

NOTE: You should start the freestanding handstand already in balance, all you have to do is maintain it!

If you‘re a total beginner and not comfortable doing a belly to wall handstand then this one may not be suitable for you yet. Instead you can focus on the other Pillars before progressing to this one. (That’s why the 7 Pillars are there… to help you know what order you should train things in!)

Step 1. Walk your handstand up the wall, belly to wall but make sure there is some distance between your hands and the wall.

Step 2. Split your legs slightly so that one leg on the wall and the other leg is behind you with your weight stacked on top of your shoulder and wrists.

Step 3. Without changing your weight distribution, close your legs so that your legs are above your hips, shoulders and wrists.

Step 4. As soon as you start to lose your balance, split your legs again and come back to the wall.

Step 5. Repeat this multiple times.

Step 6. Bring both legs back to the wall and come out safely to the side or to the front.

DOs and DON’Ts

Do NOT do this drill if you are not yet comfortable falling over the top in handstand!
It’s ESSENTIAL you keep your hips square at all times.
Only move your legs. The rest of your body should NOT move.
Don’t arch your back or twist your hips when you open your legs.

Day 5: Consistency

Bunny Stack Full Straddle Drill

A level up from the Bunny Stack Fork Drill, this one will help you become consistent in your straddle handstand. This one is about really understanding, applying and repeating the CORRECT ORDER of movements for learning to be CONSISTENT in your jumps to handstand.

Don‘t worry about ’holding’ the handstand. Focus on the purpose of this drill, which is to practice getting the position correct consistently! This one is not about balance. It’s about clean, consistent technique.

Step 1. Just like the Bunny Stack Fork Drill, kneel on the floor and place your hands slightly in front of (but close to) your knees.

Step 2. Pushing down into the floor, straighten your legs and jump your hips up on top of your shoulders and make a big straddle shape with your legs.

Step 3. Lower yourself back down to the kneeling position.

Step 4. Repeat this multiple times

DOs and DON’Ts

Don’t lift the legs too early.
Focus on the hips stacking on top of the shoulders and wrists THEN opening the legs.

Day 6: Endurance

The Golden Line Open and Close Drill

Another one of our popular drills, this one is great for working on your alignment and your endurance.

The Golden Five – Five things to focus on when doing this drill:

Toes

Your toes should be pointed with the tops of your feet touching the wall.

Pelvis

Your pelvis should be tilted and as close to the wall as you can.

Ribs

Your ribs should be sucked in and not touching the wall.

Head

Your head should be tucked in with your eyes looking at the floor between your hands.

Hands

Your hands should be slightly turned out and close to the wall but no less than 2 inches or 5 centimetres.

Step 1. Walk your handstand up the wall, belly facing the wall.

Step 2. Get in as close as you can whilst focusing on The Golden Five.

Step 3. Open your legs into a straddle as far as you can, whilst maintaining The Golden Five.

Step 4. Close your legs again.

Step 5. Repeat this multiple times.

Step 6. Come down safely to the side or in front.

DOs and DON’Ts

Don‘t ’relax‘ or ’collapse’ in your body shape in any part of the movement.
Try to maintain the correct position the whole way through.
If you‘re a beginner and not comfortable falling out of handstand, make sure you focus on the previous Pillars until you’re ready to do this drill safely.

Day 7: Shape

Basic Shapes Combination

Moving between basic shapes (tuck, straddle, pike) without changing your handstand stack (wrists, shoulders, hips) is super valuable!

If you‘re a beginner and not confident in a freestanding handstand, then this one isn’t for you! However, you can always work on some of these shapes against the wall, if you want to give it a go.

Step 1. Kick up to handstand (making sure you have enough room to fall out safely) or you can jump into your handstand through a basic shape (our preferred shape to start with is the straddle).

Step 2. Open your legs to a straddle position (without piking).

Step 3. Close your legs to make a tuck position (knees close to your chest).

Step 4. Straighten your legs into a straight handstand position (trying to keep your shins vertical).

Step 5. Bend your legs again back into the tuck position (trying to keep your shins vertical).

Step 6. Open your legs out into a straddle position.

Step 7. Close your legs to a straight position.

Step 8. Step down or straddle down to come down to the floor and relax.

DOs and DON’Ts

The balance should be controlled by your fingers, hands and wrists.
Don’t use your body or legs to balance your handstand.

The How To Handstand Challenge

Day 1: Strength

Day 2: Flexibility

Day 3: Alignment

Day 4 Balance

Day 5: Consistency

Day 6: Endurance

Day 7: Shape

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