HeSPU opening shoulders. Also slight pain in lower spine

I have good strength and balance in the bottom part of the exercise now and can do headstand to static hold just off floor to static hold a bit higher etc really easily now but when I reach the top of the movement when I have to open my shoulders, I lose balance and my back arches. I am also weaker, far weaker at the top.

I train next to a wall and my feet hit the wall at the top of the movement most of the time. I now realise I have been putting a serious amount of strain on my lower back by training too far away from the wall and hyper extending at the top with both feet hitting the wall. My lower back hurts as a result of doing this continually - just slightly been getting worse and I've only really thought about it this week.

I've got a few ideas. One is to move closer to the wall obviously.

-putting one leg touching wall and the other hollow and in position, almost like a front split HeSPU?

- trying it in tuck?

- sacking freestanding HeSPU off altogether and just do sets of freestanding negatives completely away from the wall, focusing on the top of the movement and then doing close to wall HeSPU and allowing my feet to make contact at the top like I have been doing: CLOSE to wall thought avoid the hyper extension issue.

Which of these do you think would help?

are JCurls a good idea for the back pain I described?

I am doing a set of Jefferson curls ED after I train - like 5-6 days a week. I am still recovering from a hamstring tear which may have contributed to the back pain (via compensation on the opposite side when walking, I have to walk upwards of 8miles a day) so can't go past wrists to toes. Not going past 50kg or just over ½ bodyweight & back feels good afterwards until pain returns - only when bending over I feel pain and if I touch the vertebrae in question I feel it's a little bit sore. Not major pain but I don't want it to get worse.

From the sound of things, your active shoulder flexion needs to be adressed by doing mobility. Arching of the back generally means your are too weak in the shoulders so your body tries to compensate, or you fail to maintain core tension and keep hollow body shape. 

 

If this only occurs at the top of the rep, it is most likely only a mobility deficit. Post a video of a freestanding hespu so we can see..

 

Nobody can diagnose possible back injuries over the internet, see a doctor/physician.

 

Oh yes, one leg against the wall is good, or simply freestanding of course.

These symptoms are indicative of a technically weak and physically unprepared handstand.

 

Note that the Handstand Courses and the Foundation courses are designed to be trained simultaneously.

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

You need to go back and make 100% sure that your back isn't arched in the two previous progressions. Arching means that the shoulders are too weak, so the body arches in order to engage the high pecs. Pushing in a straight line above your head is very different to pushing out in the direction of your forehead.

Also, like Sommer says, you need a decent handstand to be able to do these. Not perfect, but decent. I think that being able to look at your feet while in handstand is an indication that you are advanced enough to begin freestanding HESPU work.

Thanks, looks like I'm stuck then till I move on from wrist wall HS. Doing extra tuck planche sets in a non formal 'greasing the groove' fashion every day in addition to once a week 'formal' consecutive sets based on the template has greatly improved my tPL work so I'll try this with wWHS too.

Paid more attention to the sets today as I was doing them and found that my back arches as I become fatigued however it is indeed a problem of balance as I come to the top. I can stay in the HS sometimes and get the odd full rep. I definitely need to learn the position of a fHS well so I can go in and out of it properly.

As far as HeSPU training, I'll just build up to 5x5 still counting reps where my feet touch the wall so long as I got into a hollow handstand BEFORE using my foot on the wall to assist so by the time I have the balance, I'll have the strength for mastery: