Handstand shoulder position clarification

Hey all,

Perhaps this has been adressed elseware but i cant seem to find it anywhere. I understand that in a handstand the shoulders should be open (as so the hands and back are in the same line) as well as the scaps must be elevated. However this is what i dont understand, i have read in some places that the shoulders should be protracted, and in others that they must me externally rotated, however i feel these two contradict each other. My final question is how do you activate the seratus anterior while in a handstand? 

Thanks Matias 

Flex the muscle to "activate" it. 

Regarding scapula position while in handstand.... Elevated and some what neutral. 

While in the handstand position... Your upper arm aught be held neutrally within the shoulder socket. 

While completing a press to handstand... your scapula starts with protraction and your upper arm needs to be externally rotated. It is in transition to the handstand position that our shoulder socket of our upper arm rotates into a neutral rotation and the scapula is positioned into full elevation.

Matias Perez Aguirre ,  they don´t contradict each other.

If your arms hang down in an upright standing neutral shoulder position , the scapulae will Re-tract if you outward rotate your arms. But try yourself : If you lift up your arms up to 180° shoulder flexion , the scapulae will protract  when externally rotate your arms .

On 3/2/2017 at 10:50 PM, Matias Perez Aguirre said:

Hey all,

Perhaps this has been adressed elseware but i cant seem to find it anywhere. I understand that in a handstand the shoulders should be open (as so the hands and back are in the same line) as well as the scaps must be elevated. However this is what i dont understand, i have read in some places that the shoulders should be protracted, and in others that they must me externally rotated, however i feel these two contradict each other. My final question is how do you activate the seratus anterior while in a handstand? 

Thanks Matias 

Matias,

The four shoulder positions in the handstand that your body needs to do is: open shoulders, elevation, protraction, and external rotation.  But, the only shoulder positions you need to be consciously worried about are open shoulders, elevation and protraction. External rotation generally falls into place naturally when there is good mobility in the shoulder, and consciously focusing on external rotation is something you might need to do only in much more advanced one arm movements. But if you are having trouble here a good stretch is: grab stick with palms facing up, bend elbows to 90 degrees, place elbows on table, then try to open the shoulders while maintaining ribs in.

You don't need a strong protraction in the handstand but just enough. It's not the same amount as you'd do in a press handstand or planche. Generally, if you are correctly pulling in the ribs enough then you are going to be experiencing the necessary protraction in the shoulder. It's kind of killing two birds with one stone. You'd really have to make a conscious effort to pull the ribs in completely and yet manage to retract the shoulders at the same time. So, open shoulders & elevate & keep your ribs in and you'll be in the correct position. This is assuming your mobility is all up to par which judging by your profile picture I'd think so.

The upper arm external rotation it is natural consequences of the scapulae protraction.