Technique
- Perform a Handstand on an elevated support such as Parallettes. The elevation is necessary for your head to go below the level of your hands and for this exercise to be considered a Handstand pushup and not a Headstand pushup.
- Start bending at the shoulders and elbows to bring your body down.
- As you go down, the upper part of your torso will naturally go in front of your hands, and your legs will go behind your hands.
- At the bottom position, your whole body will be at a slight angle leaning forward.
- Push back up to the Handstand position, where your whole body is aligned vertically.
Form tips
- Avoid arching your back: there should be a straight line from your feet to your shoulders at all times.
- Avoid letting your elbows flare out to the sides: they should stay relatively close to the centerline.
Muscles
Strength
Primary
- Back
- Serratus anterior
- Shoulders
- Triceps
- Neck
Secondary
- Chest
- Forearms
Individual muscles
Individual muscles
- Lower trapezius
- Serratus anterior
- Anterior deltoid
- Middle deltoid
- Triceps brachii (long head)
- Triceps brachii (medial head)
- Triceps brachii (lateral head)
- Posterior deltoid
- Upper trapezius
- Levator scapulae
Equipment
Appears in
Calisthenics skills
Joint movements
Progressions
Rings strap handstand pushup
Elite
Regressions
Chair handstand
Advanced
Headstand pushup
Advanced
View Similar Exercises
View Similar Exercises
Chest roll press-to-handstand
Elite
Bent-arm pike press-to-handstand
Advanced
Handstand block walk
Elite
Straight-arm pike press-to-handstand
Elite
Shoulder-Pressing Pose sequence
Elite
Want to log this exercise? Open it in Calistree. Text and images are used under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0; the video plays from the original source.