Are handstands unhealthy (or - shall I take handstand1 too) ?

Hi everyone,

I've just started F1 and I love it. Thanks for this amazing resource

I'm contemplating now whether I should start doing handstand1 too.

My only concern is whether doing handstands is really healthy? from the little I've tried I felt really uncomfortable with amount of blood rushing into my head. I tried to google this a bit, and found the following in Wikipedia:

Blood pressure in the head increases to abnormally high levels when the body is inverted. When one is inverted for extended periods, the prolonged high blood pressure may exacerbate preexisting medical conditions and increase the risk of stroke, pulmonary oedema, and other ailments.^[3]

i quote your words : preexisting medical conditions.

r This explains exactly the problem. if you do not have previous problems you are not under risk. the body will adapts. i started doing headspin 6 years agoa dn i can stay on my head for multiple minutes. and i've never suffered from those injuries. check your doctor and do a medical check if you want o be sure.

Crossing the road increases your risk of being hit by traffic. Life is dangerous, you'll eventually end up dead. Proceed at your own discretion.

Thanks Alex87 - good point

Ravn - my question is not about random risk, which is inherent in life, but whether doing handstands directly affects health. I'm sure it's doing great for strength and probably other stuff, but I was wondering whether specifically this rush of blood to the head is bad for us or not. thanks

You get used to the blood flow pretty quickly.  It doesn't even happen to me anymore.

If you're doing other exercise to keep your heart healthy, you should be fine.

Body adjusts. Otherwise every handbalancer would be dead.

This is kind of like the old guidelines to prevent heart conditions that would recommend Never do any exercise so that your heart isn't stressed. Obviously your body adapts to the exercise and done correctly it is massively beneficial to the heart.

And even if you dont want to go upside down, H1 is still worth it for shoulders, wrists, etc!

It's not unusual at first to experience the feeling of blood rushing to the head. It's quite common and generally goes away quickly with even a little practice.

As for health, getting upside down is generally considered to be very healthy, even a tonic. Nothing to be concerned about unless you have preexisting issues, glaucoma, high blood pressure etc.

Yes, handstands are bad for health... Look at this video...this man looks so ill...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYwfvF3e1os
 

Nacho training said:

Yes, handstands are bad for health... Look at this video...this man looks so ill...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYwfvF3e1os

 

Going to be honest, I really thought he was going to die for a second there...

Guys, thanks a lot for the answers!

I'm super happy about finding this community, hope to get far with the courses

I'm going to throw my $.04 ( due to inflation) here. In yoga practice inversions are considered healthy and are encouraged. We attain a sense of calm and increase healthy circulation and activation into those regions of our body.