What's the point of headstands in H1?

Hopefully I'll master HS/PE3 this month. It's taken over a year to get to this point due to not mastering the IMs but I'm finally here. But, now I am here I'm wondering what the point of doing headstands even was? At first I thought it must be to get used to being upside down but the next 3 PEs that don't require that.

Hopefully it won't take another year to complete 3 PEs although, judging by the IMs, it probably will! Either way I'll have probably lost any upside down conditioning I've gained anyway.

I've enjoyed them, especially PE3, but I'm intrigued as to their purpose in this programme.

Just like you thought -- they help you get used to being upside down.  Keep one set of 60s PE3 in your warmup and you won't lose your conditioning.

I believe it is getting use to being upside down and also maintaining the bodyline in an unfamiliar setting.

Just keep a 60sec warmup in and you'll maintain the conditioning of being upside down (pressure in the head etc).

If you are super worried, or just enjoy them, still keep doing them with lower volume while until you reach PE7.

HS/PE1 (Tripod) requires minimal amount of shoulder flexion, HS/PE2 (Headstand) builds more strength on that shoulder flexion, HS/PE3 (Forearm Headstand) builds even more shoulder flexion strength in a bigger ROM, while you're building your shoulder flexion mobility in HS/PE1>iM and HS/PE3>iM.  Then of course, HS/PE4 and onwards requires even more shoulder flexion and builds the strength there

Same as me, took about a year to get full ROM on the shoulder extension but I can see myself moving at a good pace until I get to dislocates.

I'm really enjoying PE:3, I imagine without PE:1 and 2 it would be much more of a challenge where as I've been able to go straight into high volume.

Love my new shoulder mobility, I'm so glad I decided to drop my ego and stick with the course until I honestly got the full ROM on IM:2

Believe or not, some people can't get inverted even with headstand variations. My gf for exampe: is a dancer and in her early ages did rhythmic gymnastics, ballet, etc... splits everywhere the room, all angles, she makes the iM's from HS1 so easily that embarrases to me, BUT... when it cames to PE (strenght part) of H1, she struggle with the very first PE1... she can not maintain PE1 for 1 minute!

Is a thing that I'm working with her, her strenght with her mobility, like Coach says, everything has to be balanced with no gaps.

So, headstand has definitely a logic reason... but if you want to advance to specific HS training, then do your business with the iM's!

Cheers.

Many thanks for the replies guys. I'm still not fully convinced by their place in the programme. Unless I keep them in as a warmup during the next 3 PEs I'll have lost any inversion conditioning I reckon.

That said... I have enjoyed doing them and my wife is always impressed when she sees me doing PE3 so that's a bonus too.

I just did them this morning and I'm wondering if my mobility really is up to mastery standard at the moment though. I've got another week to go so will be super critical before moving on.

Murray Truelove said:

Love my new shoulder mobility, I'm so glad I decided to drop my ego and stick with the course until I honestly got the full ROM on IM:2

I agree.  After four months, I was hoping to be training in PE2 by now. The ROM in iM1 is holding me back.  However, my shoulder mobility has improved tremendously since starting H1.  It is humbling yet very rewarding.

PE1 did wonders for me. Before H1 I was not used to being upside-down AT ALL. I couldn't even lean back on a park bench past horizontal without feeling sick and nearly blacking out. I'm in the dislocate/weighted extension stages now, but I tried a headstand after not doing one for six months. I was surprised at how easy and natural it felt after all this time - like riding a bike.

The tripod is fantastic at introducing the nervous system to being upside down.

Personally for me headstands did wonders with BPPV, specially PE3. PE3 is an awesome exercise. 

In general, it's an intro into being upside down for a non trivial amount of time, while being some gentle shoulders and neck conditioning and also introducing you to the concept of controlling your bodyline while inverted instead of letting your bodyline being controlled by air movement.