A banana back— Or as Morgan describes it: “Arching the low spine shifts weight off the shoulders and onto the lower back, which makes balance harder and risks injury or pain.”
Bent elbows or soft shoulders— “Without a straight, ‘shrugged’ arm line, the wrists take extra load and the hold collapses early,” Morgan says.
Over-kicking— “A wild kick forces you past vertical, so you come straight down again,” Morgan says. “Small, controlled kicks solve this.”
Skipping strength prep— “Studies on gymnasts show weak cores and shoulders drop handstand quality fast,” Morgan says.
The optimal handstand workout
So we know why handstands are so good, and which pitfalls to avoid. But how do we actually turn theory into practice?
First things first, you’re going to warm up by turning your wrists in circles, rolling your shoulders, and generally making sure everything is loose.
Then, follow Morgan’s go-to technique:
“Facing the wall, walk your feet up it until your stomach and hands are a hand-width away. Squeeze your glutes, and pull your ribs in. Hold 15-20 seconds for three sets.
After that, practice back-to-wall kick-ups.
“Facing away from the wall, kick your feet up in a controlled manner so that your heels just tap the wall,” Morgan says. “If you can do that, try and ‘hover’ your weight over your hands for a second. Keep practicing until the entire movement feels controlled.”
Once you’ve mastered those movements, you can attempt the main event.
“In the same position, kick the back leg up as you push the floor away,” Morgan says. “Think ‘legs together, ribs in, shoulders tall’ as you push yourself into position. Press through your fingertips if you start tipping forward. Press through your palms if you tip the other way.”
Taking it up a level
If you’ve really mastered the handstand and want to make things more difficult for yourself, Morgan does have some suggestions.
“After you can balance a solid 10-15 second handstand, variations overload the same muscles in new ways and teach extra control,” he says. “As a bonus, longer static holds lengthen the ‘time under tension’ that drives isometric strength and endurance gains.”
Warning: the below exercises are very difficult and will test your patience.
Wall hand stand push-up: builds pressing power equal to heavy overhead lifts
“From a wall handstand, bend your elbows until your head touches the mat, then press back up.”
Shoulder taps: train side-to-side stability and preps for handstand walking
“In a steady handstand, lift one hand and tap the opposite shoulder. Repeat ad nauseam.”
Advanced static holds: improve endurance in small scapula stabilisers and the deep core
“Add five seconds to your handstand each week, aiming to build to 30-45 seconds total, and beyond.”
This story originally appeared in British GQ.
