If you’ve read many of my articles, you know I’m a big believer in the pushup. I love doing different varieties of pushups for different reasons.
I think it’s a very versatile exercise that has a lot of benefit, working not just your upper arms and shoulders, but also your core. Pushups can help build strength and improve your stability and balance, so they have a lot of applications.
In this article, I want to show you how to do handstand pushups. These are a lot more challenging than your typical pushup, so if regular pushups are too much for you, you’ll probably want to wait until you develop your musculature before you attempt handstand pushup.
However, if regular pushups seem too boring an old hat for you, then throwing some handstand pushups into your regimen can really shake things up.
Try new exercises and new variations on old exercises like this can help you push past the plateaus in your muscle development, causing muscle tearing and exponential muscle growth.
I have seen a lot of requests online for “how to do handstand push ups Arrow”, because people want to copy Steve Arnell’s exercise routine.
They see him pulling off some incredible stuff, and they want to know how to do it. I’ll show you from the beginner level all the way to the hardest stuff how to pull off handstand pushups.
How to Do Handstand Pushups as a Beginner
We all have to start somewhere, right? I’m going to show you the easiest way to start out with handstand pushups.
You might have taken one look at the standard handstand pushup and thought that it looked pretty challenging for you, and that may have turned you off to this exercise.
Don’t worry, though; there are easier ways to get started and some modifications you can make that will help you work toward the handstand pushup.
You can start by doing what are called pike pushups.
These are triangular shaped pushups where your body is in a pyramid shape. This will help you build up the musculature needed to do the more challenging handstand pushups.
But you’re probably not there yet. Next, you can move on to modified handstand pushups. With this, you will lay flat on a bench or chair and rest your hands down on the floor.
Your body should be at a 90-degree angle for this exercise. Push yourself up to full height for each rep, and you’ll be building up the strength you need to move onto harder handstand pushups. You should be lowering yourself to the floor for each rep.
How to Do Strict Handstand Push Ups
Depending on who you ask, strict handstand pushup may or may not involve using a wall or other standing surface. We are working on your progression here, so when moving on strict handstands, you will be working with a wall to provide support and balance for you.
The freestanding handstand pushups are much harder to do, and you probably don’t want to move directly from the earlier modifications to those.
For many people, the hardest part of how to easily do strict handstand pushups is simply getting in position. There are a couple different ways you can do it, though, depending on your resources and where you are.
If you have a partner, I think the easiest way to do the handstand pushup next to the wall is to get someone to lift your legs up above you so that they’re resting up against the wall.
Of course, the handstand pushup stance means you’re supporting yourself with your hands. I don’t suggest resting on your head if you can help it. That can put pressure on your neck, causing damage to your spinal column.
If you want to know how to do handstand pushups without getting the wall dirty, I would suggest taking off your shoes. You can put on clean socks for this exercise or do it barefoot, if you have clean feet.
So, if you’re doing it barefoot, you may want to clean your feet off ahead of time. You may have concerns about getting the wall dirty if you’re using a white or light-colored wall, particularly if it’s a wall in your own home. Hopefully, these little tips help.
Another method for getting up into that stance, in order to get your legs up high above you onto the wall is to rest your upper body against the wall with your head facing down and your hands on the floor.
From there, push yourself up against the wall and extend your legs upward. Once your legs are touching the wall, rest them against the wall for support and move your upper body slightly away from the wall. You should have a space of about a foot between the wall and your hands.
Another method for strict handstand pushups and getting into that position would be to use support straps. You can attach these to an overhead bar like on a swing set and then fit yourself into them.
That way, you’re less likely to fall and you have the support you need and even a way to rest when you need to take a break. You can just put all your support on those bands, and they’ll keep you from falling flat on your face.
How to Do Freestanding Handstand Pushups
Now, we’ve come to the most difficult of the handstand pushups. With this one, you’re not getting any support from a wall or straps. It’s completely freestanding, so all the balance and all the weight support is up to you.
These are definitely the hardest ones to do, and a lot of people who are very fit can’t even do them. That’s because freestanding pushups require you to lift your own body weight. If you can’t do a pull up, you’re not going to be able to do a freestanding push up, which many consider to be even harder than a pull-up.
You’re going to have to get a lot of upper body strength, particularly in your upper arms and shoulders.
This is going to be very difficult exercise for you if you have a lot of body weight, though.
Even if you’re very strong, the freestanding pushup requires you to be able to lift your own body weight against the force of gravity and be able to maintain your balance while you do it.
The first time you try this, I would suggest getting a partner. You should start on the wall with the wall supported handstand pushup. From there, get someone to help you by holding your legs so that you walk out on your hands away from the wall.
Try to do a couple handstand push-ups like that with your partner supporting your legs and keeping you from toppling over. Once you get down the motions, ask your partner to let you go and then attempt to do the freestanding handstand pushup on your own.
Like I said, this will be very difficult, and most people won’t be able to do it the first couple times they try. You may need to work on your balance and incorporate a workout routine that improves your balance and stability.
You can also build up to the freestanding handstand pushup by using planks and other core strengthening exercises that boost your endurance and stamina.
