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Also known as: Tuck yaad hold.

Technique

  1. This exercise is an excellent progression towards the Handstand pushup, by making the requirements for balance and shoulder strength slightly lower than for the full Handstand pushup.
  2. It still places a lot of strain on your shoulders. If you can’t hold this position, you might need to spend more time working on progressions like the Pike pushup and related exercises.
  3. Place your hands on the ground and lean forward with bent-arms, as if you were going to do a Crow pose, except that your knees are not resting on your arms.
  4. Transfer all your weight to your hands and lift your hips up, keeping your hip and knees bent.
  5. Aim for about 90 degree angle at the elbows. Your head should be a few centimeters (or a couple of inches) off the ground.

Form tips

  • Aim to keep your elbows pointing back rather than outward. This is a slightly more difficult position for your shoulders but is also more stable and will protect them.
Risks
  • During your first attempts at this exercise you should place a soft object in front of you, in case you faceplant.

Muscles

Strength

Primary

  • Back
  • Serratus anterior
  • Shoulders
  • Triceps
  • Neck

Secondary

  • Chest
  • Forearms
  • Lower trapezius
  • Serratus anterior
  • Anterior deltoid
  • Middle deltoid
  • Triceps brachii (long head)
  • Triceps brachii (medial head)
  • Triceps brachii (lateral head)
  • Upper trapezius
  • Levator scapulae

Equipment

Appears in

Calisthenics skills
Joint movements
trains stretches

Progressions

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Bent-arm handstand

Intermediate

Regressions

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Crow pose

Novice
e02w

Decline pike pushup

Intermediate
e07r

Pike pushup with legs lift

Intermediate
e07u

Pike bent-arm handstand

Intermediate
e02s

Crow pose to handstand

Advanced
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Pike pushup

Novice
e054

Hindu pushup

Novice
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Dive-bomber pushup

Novice
e02q

Crane pose

Intermediate
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.