My handstand journey

I recently started H1 (and I am also doing F1). I've been doing crossfit for a while so some aspects of handstand have been incorporated there. I now feel that I want to develop a very stable hand stand and that is the reason for starting this course. I have thought of hand stand as an easy way to get injured but with time I've gotten more comfortable. I have just reached PE2 and it is starting to be quite stable. My shoulder mobility is not that close to what it should be. Anyway, I will post (semi) regularly as I progress. Any advice is most welcome.

Below is the status as of today. The first part is a bit short (some people walked by), but it's is very stable for the 12 s that is the goal right now.

Hi Tobias, welcome to GB. some tips for you:

-keep the legs together all the time during the PE

-during the IM the first goal it is 90° of shoulder extension, reduce the weight and see how it goes. increasing the weight it is the last of your problem.

I've been reading through the forum and it sounds like there are some different opinions on when to start Handstand 2. Some say 1 and 2 go together and others seem to argue that F2 an a fair bit into H1 is required to benefit from H2. Any suggestions?. Basically my questions is will I go faster forward with also H2 or will that be to demanding and best saved for later?
 

The H2 program needs from the first element a decent amount of shoulder mobility. I suggest your reach at least the mastery of IM1 and IM2. then probably you are more ready for H2.

I have been working on the mobility part. but it is going slow. How is it best to attack it. Is it to do a rather narrow grip (first part of video) and not get all the way up. or is it better to go for a wider grip (last part of the video) and get all the way?

Hi Tobias, 

Great effort. This is definitely a long term movement.  Starting wide and working your way narrow isn't a bad idea and is helpful in opening up the shoulders. You can do this as a warm up if you'd like. Just when you preform the exercise in your training, do so with a narrow grip (hip width) and do not move on until you have hit that horizontal mark. Take your time here because the next step is weighted.

So I have not stopped  Here it the situation at the moment. I have started PE3, still not very stable getting up. So the first 30 s is just me trying to get my legs straight. However in the final seconds does it look OK? For the mobility I think I still have a rather far way to go?

Thankful for any and all advice. 

This is not bad, try to keep your belly in and the knees locked. it will improve for sure.

Keep up the good work Tobais, remember that while doing CrossFit your mobility progress will be remarkably slower, and many times balancing CrossFit and GST can be difficult, but with patience and methodicality you will find the sweet spot between the two. Good job so far.

Slowly chipping along on this plan. This is how my current wall stand looks. If feels quite comfortable and very stable.

Does it look OK?

Hei Tobias, it looks good. A side view it is perfect for a 100% evaluation.

First 30 s is from the front. There are also some attempts on the wall walk. It is my current step but very difficult at the moment. at 30 s there is a side view.

Very thankful for any advice on how I can best improve.

Im continuing to work on the wall walks. Still not very stable.

Any advice on how I should best proceed?

Hey Tobias,

You're off to a solid start. As you do your wall walks work on pushing tall through the shoulders just as you did on your wall handstand. Remember to engage your glutes and core to help keep a tight body line. The tighter your body is, the easier it will be to keep your balance.

Hey Tobias, if you do not hold the feet together there is a substantial problem. When you lean on one shoulder and your legs are separated then your center of gravity will never be over the supporting arm.

Thanks for the advice. I will continue to practice. When i now do it i feel that I cant focus on keeping both body straight and move the arms. Would the best way be to stay 100% strict with the body and only lift the hands a short bit and then slowly increase that range. Or should I keep on moving the hands full range but work on step by step get the feet together.

Hi Tobias,

It is always best to start with good form and work from there. I recommend starting with a tight body and lifting the hands as high as you are able. As you become more comfortable in your handstand it will be easier to lift your hands off the ground.

Thanks so much for the advice. I finally feel like I have made a breakthrough and the exercise is starting to feel much better. There is still some way to go, but I am starting to feel a bit in control.

Any advice on how I can continue to improve is greatly appreciated 

Hey Tobias, a bit better for sure.

remember that the cue point it is the center of gravity over the supporting hand. if you feel that you are falling on the other hand after touching the shoulder then you did not lean enough.

Probably a reason of that can be the distance between the two hands. the more the distance the higher the amount of lean you have to show to hold properly the center of gravity over the supporting hand.

I am currently trying to get the wrist wall handstand to work and last attempt felt pretty solid. It is a huge difference and I really feel that the weight is much more in the center part of my hands.

how does it look?

Looking good Tobias, make sure that you are gazing down. Don't forget to do your shoulder mobility. I can't quite see your lower back. (so make sure to work on your PPT as well) I hope this helps.