HS PE4: Supine Floor Handstand Flexion with Weighted Bar

Hi there,

I am currently doing the Handstand Series, PE4. From the videos alone, I don't know exactly what I have to do.

(Like: Do the hands touch the ground? Do the shoulders have to be protracted? What is the goal of the exercise?)

Is there any place where I can gather more information about this?

Thanks a lot!

Ulla.

Hi Ulla, 

Thank you for reaching out. This exercise is a great drill for improving the handstand line. For many athletes when lying on their back it is a challenge to take the arch out of the lower back and still maintain open shoulders. The challenge here is to lye flat on your back, heels together, lower back on the floor, ribs in and bring the PVC pipe over head while maintaining lower back on the ground.

Can you get the hands to the ground while maintaining your spine on the ground as well?

Can you please post a video of your form? 

Hi Ulla,

Awesome questions! Your courses library and the forum search function are you best tools for learning specifics of exercise form and execution.

For this exercise, here are some tips:

1) Focus on elevating your scapulas. You want your shoulders to be right by your ears as the bar goes overhead. 

2) Keep a hollow body shape (lower back pressed firmly into the ground/ribs in).

3) A 5lb bar is a good goal for mastery. 

3) A form check video submission is a great way to ensure proper execution, like Tanya said. 

Please let us know if you have any other questions!

Hi Tanya, hi Everett!

Thanks for the answers! You're awesome!

I get it now and will post a video after I've made some progress.

For perfect form, my knees have to be on the floor, as well, right? (I realize this is an issue of flexibility in the legs.)

I had the very same questions. Thank you for the feedback.

Does ribs in mean sucking in abs?

On 12/23/2016 at 10:30 AM, Everett Carroll said:

Hi Ulla,

Awesome questions! Your courses library and the forum search function are you best tools for learning specifics of exercise form and execution.

For this exercise, here are some tips:

1) Focus on elevating your scapulas. You want your shoulders to be right by your ears as the bar goes overhead. 

2) Keep a hollow body shape (lower back pressed firmly into the ground/ribs in).

3) A 5lb bar is a good goal for mastery. 

3) A form check video submission is a great way to ensure proper execution, like Tanya said. 

Please let us know if you have any other questions!

 

Is a 5lbs bar also enough for mastering the mobility?

3 hours ago, Affan Osman said:

Does ribs in mean sucking in abs?

No. It means pulling down the ribs towards the pelvis; sort of a straight crunch. Letting the ribs rise allows lumbar bend and generally butt flopping over the back in the handstand to compensate.

Video yourself and you'll be able to see it, though it can take some practice to feel it.

16 hours ago, Jin Liu said:

Is a 5lbs bar also enough for mastering the mobility?

That is the very minimum Jin. I think you can handle more like 10-15lbs 

1 hour ago, Everett Carroll said:

That is the very minimum Jin. I think you can handle more like 10-15lbs 

LOL. I can muscle through the 15lbs, but not as slow and smooth as demonstrated in the course video. I'm sticking to my 9lbs for now to get rid of the slight unevenness between left and right while doing it slow. After that I'll up the weight a bit.

Thanks Everett!

One thing I'm not certain of here... in the video his hands appear to be touching the ground and he is only using a stick. You mention up to a 15lb bar but if the hands are on the ground then I don't see the point of the weight at all... should the hands be held just off the ground? Is this working the shoulders as well by using the weight?

>>>edit.. ok so a few youtube videos show people holding their hands off the ground and some even feet... like a very shallow hollow body hold.

Is this what we should be doing?

The ability to hold the bar just of the floor it is related to the weight:

-more weight makes the exercise  easier on one side since the weight increase the ability to stretch the muscles, BUT the more it is the weight the more the lats tend to be squeezed to resist the weight

-less weight reveals strong traps which are able to actively stretch the lats BUT you have zero help from the weight of the bar which is soo low.

What is the meaning of '5x6s'? Is the 6s the time it should take to go from one position to the overhead? Or is it the time to remain with the bar in the proper overhead position?

Hi Joss,

You should hold the position for 6 seconds.

On 3/14/2017 at 3:14 PM, Andy Desak 36466 said:

One thing I'm not certain of here... in the video his hands appear to be touching the ground and he is only using a stick. You mention up to a 15lb bar but if the hands are on the ground then I don't see the point of the weight at all... should the hands be held just off the ground? Is this working the shoulders as well by using the weight?

>>>edit.. ok so a few youtube videos show people holding their hands off the ground and some even feet... like a very shallow hollow body hold.

Is this what we should be doing?

I believe the 15 lb suggestion was in regards to the iM/Mobility element, not the PE/Strength element. For the strength element more weight provides more assistance IMO, while less weight requires more Active Flexibility (which is the point of this exercise as I understand it).

On 5/24/2017 at 11:49 AM, Keegan Yentsch said:

I believe the 15 lb suggestion was in regards to the iM/Mobility element, not the PE/Strength element. For the strength element more weight provides more assistance IMO, while less weight requires more Active Flexibility (which is the point of this exercise as I understand it).

Now that makes sense.