Shoulders during a wide arm handstand

[AlexX]

Been on occasion doing some wide arm handstands (tons of bicep strain the lower I go) and had a question about the shoulder position. Are you suppose to be shrugging the shoulders up as much as you would in a regular handstand?

Some other questions:

- Am I right to think that an inverted cross is a progression in handstand work or is this none-related?

- Even though the inverted cross is rated at c and maltese a d, I've seen a lot of people with malteses who did not have an inverted cross or had a hard time with it. Is this the norm or is it just because people would rather spend time on training the maltese since it's ranked higher?

[Blairbob]

Shrug shoulder up in WideArmHS.

There could definitely be some favoring going there from gymnast to gymnast. Some may find x skill easier, thus work it more. For taller/longer guys planche and maltese are probably tight dreams, though they can usually get front levers. Cross doesn't seem as difficult for taller guys as is wide arm.

[Alexander Moreen]

I had a question about wide arm handstands; Do you brace your arms against the floor and press outwards and down, or do you pull your arms together?

[AlexX]

I had a question about wide arm handstands; Do you brace your arms against the floor and press outwards and down, or do you pull your arms together?

For me (and I am obviously no expert on this) the wider I put my arms out the more I have to press into the floor in a motion similar to that of closing your arms above your head. The closer together the arms the more it becomes a press outwards and down that you described.