Bent Arm Handstand Press
What muscles does a Bent Arm Handstand Press work?
A Bent Arm Handstand Press primarily works the Shoulders, Chest, Upper & Lower Back, Triceps, and your Core Abdominal muscles. Each of these muscle groups become engaged as you move through the full range of motion. They help with your stabilization during the movement and help hold your body up. Strong core muscles are needed to be able to lift your legs from the ground up over your head and hold in position.Bent Arm Handstand Press Instructions
- From a standing position, squat down and place your hands on the ground about shoulder-width apart with the fingers spread wide.
- Keep the hands and feet where they are but lift the hips up and away.
- Bend the knees and lift the heels off the floor so just the balls of the feet are down.
- Gently press the knees in to the backs of the triceps and begin to shift your weight into the fingertips.
- Bend the elbows and hold body in position.
- Extend the legs out and away from the body at a ~45 degree angle.
- Keeping the core muscles engaged, push the body up into a handstand.
- Repeat for sets.
Number of Sets: 4
Reps per Set: As many reps as possible.
Rest Time: 1-2 minutes
How can I improve my Bent Arm Handstand Press?
Here are a few tips and recommended exercises you can perform at home to help improve your Bent Arm Handstand Press:
- DEVELOP STRONG FOREARM, WRIST AND HAND STRENGTH & FLEXIBILITY
You’re going to need strong forearms, wrists and hands to be able to hold the entire weight of your body during a bent arm handstand press. People tend to train their biceps and triceps, but often neglect the other parts of their arms. You can’t expect to build a solid handstand if the foundation is weak. Perform these exercises 2-3 times a week.- Add wrist curls (both sides: palms facing up & palms facing down) using dumbbells or barbells and hand grip strengthening exercises using hand grippers, tennis balls, etc. or finger curls with dumbbells or barbells.
- INCREASE UPPER BODY ‘PUSH’ STRENGTH
You’re going to need a lot of strength to be able to press your body from the lower bent arm position into a handstand. Perform the following exercises 1-2 times a week to increase this strength:- Decline Push-Ups You can perform these with use of a bench or a plyometric box. I recommend using or buying a set of the plyometric boxes over just a bench because you can increase or decrease the height of the boxes (certain brands provide a single box that is adjustable while others are sold as a box set, ranging in different shapes & sizes). A typical bench is one set height.
- Use the shortest box during your first set of push-ups, then increase the height of the box for the second set. Repeat these steps until you are at the highest box.
- To further increase your strength, you can also perform these with a weight plates, a weight vest, or a weighted backpack. The plates and backpack can sometimes slide during the push-up since your feet are elevated so make sure you have partner assist you in keeping it secure.
- Handstand Walks – Once you get comfortable using the highest ploymetric box in your push-up sets, you can add Handstand Walks to your exercise routine. This will serve as the transition exercise from the decline push-up to a handstand push-up.
- It will further increase your ‘pushing’ strength when you’re at a higher angle. Perform 3-4 sets of the Handstand Walks for this exercise.
- To add another layer of difficulty, perform a push-up every time you ‘walk’ 6 inches with your hands. This can be done when you’re walking up into a handstand and / or when you’re walking back down (from the handstand) into the push-up position.
- Decline Push-Ups You can perform these with use of a bench or a plyometric box. I recommend using or buying a set of the plyometric boxes over just a bench because you can increase or decrease the height of the boxes (certain brands provide a single box that is adjustable while others are sold as a box set, ranging in different shapes & sizes). A typical bench is one set height.
- INCREASE YOUR CORE STRENGTH
Once you’ve gotten strong enough to be able to push yourself up, either positioned at an angle or completely inverted (as in a handstand against a wall), you’re going to need strong core muscles to be able to perform the same movements without any outside support. Your core is a group of muscles that stabilize and control the pelvis and spine (and therefore affects the legs and upper body). The following core exercises will strengthen the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen, and train them to work in harmony. This will lead to better balance and stability. Perform the following exercises 2-3 times per week; usually done every other day.- Exercise Ball Knee Tucks – Can be performed using a stability ball or a Swiss Ball.
- There are different sizes available so be sure to pick the right size that suits you. Get into a standard push-up position and place your feet on the ball. Your body should be parallel to the floor if you chose the correct size. You can always get a bigger one or smaller one, but this is a good picture to keep in mind when using it.
- TRX Knee Tucks – These can be performed using TRX Bands. Make sure to attach the bands to a solid object that won’t move when you are exercising.
- Planks & Back Extensions – I like to alternate the days between doing High Reps (20-30 repetitions) with little or no weight and Low Reps (5-10 repetitions) with added resistance weight. If you’re a beginner, start with no weight and work your way up from week to week.
- Exercise Ball Knee Tucks – Can be performed using a stability ball or a Swiss Ball.
STRENGTH GOAL
Be able to perform 5 Bent Arm Handstand Presses in a row.
BENT ARM HANDSTAND PRESS EQUIPMENT (click to expand)
POWER TOWER
- Pull-Up | Dip Power Tower – A Pull-Up | Dip Power Tower is a piece of equipment that allows you to build strength in the upper body as well as the core abdominal muscles. Most of them come equipped with parallel handles, a pull-up bar, and push-up handles. In addition, they usually have a back pad and forearm pads which help you perform leg raises or knee tucks (help strengthen the abs and obliques).
- Can be used in the following exercises: Pull-Ups, Chin-Ups, Scap Pulls, Resistance Band | Tube Lat Pull-Downs or Rows, Dips, Deficit Push-Ups Pike Push-Ups, Planches, Planche Push-Ups, Tuck Planche Push-Ups, Knee Tucks, L-Sits, Hanging Leg Raises.
PULL-UP BAR
- Pull-Up Bar – Pull-Up bars are designed to help you strengthen your Back, Lats, Shoulders, Chest and Arms. They are smaller and more portable than a Pull-Up | Dip Power Tower. There are different types available for purchase online. Some you can use by wedging it between a door frame, some you place on the door frame, and some you mount on the wall. All are good choices. The ones you mount are a bit more sturdy since they are bolted into the wall thereby reducing the chance of it falling off.
- The one pictured above is the exact same one I’ve been using for the last 5 years and have not issues other than it scratching up my door frame some. You can also place this particular one on the floor and use the handles as push-up bars.
- Can be used in the following exercises: Regular/Wide/Close/Neutral Grip Pull-Ups, Chin-Ups, Scap Pulls, Hanging Leg Raises, Hanging Knee Tucks, Push-Ups, Tricep Extensions, Tricep Push-Ups.
DUMBBELLS
- DUMBBELLS – You can use dumbbells in a variety of exercises and don’t need a lot of workout space when using them. They can be used individually or in pairs. This means you can perform an exercise and target just one side of the body or both sides of the body. You can also alternate reps and sets between one side and both sides.
- For example, if you were performing a Bent Over Row with dumbbells, you could pull both arms holding the dumbbells for the first rep, just your right arm for the second rep, left arm for the third, and continuing in this alternating pattern until you finish your workout set. They also allow you to quickly change the resistance weight being used during the exercise since you simply have to set it down and then pick up a lighter/heavier one. You don’t have to take time changing out the weight plates.
- I own the exact same ones shown above and use them every week in my workouts. They are quite durable as long as you take care of them.
- Can be used in the following exercises: Bent Over Rows, Bent Over Upright Rows, Single Arm Dumbbell Rows, Decline Rows, Incline Rows, Pull-Overs, Deadlifts, Goodmornings, Used as resistance weight for Weighted Pull-Ups/Dips (when placed between the legs or feet or in a heavy duty backpack or Rucksack.
BARBELL
- BARBELLS – Like dumbbells, you can use barbells in a variety of exercises. You do need a bit more space since the length of them and the weight plates or bumper plates are larger. However, using them allows you to add more resistance weight to your exercises. Most commercial gyms don’t have dumbbells heavier than 120s. Let’s say you wanted to bench press or deadlift more than 240lbs, you would have to switch over to using a barbell where you could keep adding weight plates past the 240lbs. Like dumbbells, they are quite durable and can last a long time if you take care of them.
- Can be used in the following exercises: Barbell Rows, Bent Over Barbell Rows, Bent Over Upright Rows, Single Arm Barbell Rows, Pullovers, Deadlifts, Goodmornings, Squats, Lunges, Thrusters, Military Presses, Overhead Presses, Cleans, Jerks, Push Presses.
BUMPER PLATES
- BUMPER PLATES – Bumper plates are a type of weight plate that are used with Olympic Barbells. They have a steel collar middle to slide onto the barbell and are made of dense rubber material. This material and their overall design allow you to drop a barbell that is loaded with weight plates directly on the ground. With the rubber bumper weights, the bar and plates will bounce. If drop a barbell with metal weight plates, you risk damaging the floor, the barbell, and the plates.
- Can be used in the following exercises: Weighted Pull-Ups or Chin-Ups (when using a pull-up belt), Weighted Push-Ups, Barbell Rows, Bent Over Barbell Rows, Bent Over Upright Rows, Single Arm Barbell Rows, Pullovers, Deadlifts, Goodmornings, Squats, Lunges, Thrusters, Military Presses, Overhead Presses, Cleans, Jerks, Push Presses.
BARBELL COLLARS
- BARBELL COLLARS – Barbell collars are placed on barbells to keep the weight plates in place while exercising. They help prevent the plates from falling off the bar while in use. The bumper plates or weight plates are placed on the bar, and then the collars are attached on the outer side of them.
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