press to handstand

hi i ask you some clarifications about the learning process of this skill

the basic is do the wall press to handstand, i know the idea of this movements BUT during the press what are the bodyparts wich are in contact with the wall??

and what is the role of the head? it press against the wall or is neutral?

how many times a week is reasonable to play with the press to handstand?

thanks for the replies

HS presses can be programmed whenever for training gymnasts. At the beginning of practice, as a side station during an event, in a routine, at the end of practice.

Point being, they can be done everyday throughout the day. One of the only limiting factors is how tired you are. You don't really hear of HS presses causing overuse.

On the wall, your butt to the back of your head touches. You can pull the back of your head off the wall which takes quite a bit of load off the wall.

Blairbob said:

HS presses can be programmed whenever for training gymnasts. At the beginning of practice, as a side station during an event, in a routine, at the end of practice.

Point being, they can be done everyday throughout the day. One of the only limiting factors is how tired you are. You don't really hear of HS presses causing overuse.

On the wall, your butt to the back of your head touches. You can pull the back of your head off the wall which takes quite a bit of load off the wall.

ok you touch the point for what i'm searching for, use the head to make the press easy is not a great shortcut is correct?

The best explanation of the role of the head can be found in the recent discussion Coach had with Erik regarding his stalder negative: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=8279

Coach points out that if the head isn't neutral (ie pressing hard into the wall) the back arches and the shoulders close which is not what you want. He says you want to feel as though you are pulling your head under your torso and curling up your back and hips. So the less pressing the head does on the wall the better I guess.

jl5555 said:

The best explanation of the role of the head can be found in the recent discussion Coach had with Erik regarding his stalder negative: http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/viewto ... f=7&t=8279

Coach points out that if the head isn't neutral (ie pressing hard into the wall) the back arches and the shoulders close which is not what you want. He says you want to feel as though you are pulling your head under your torso and curling up your back and hips. So the less pressing the head does on the wall the better I guess.

Do NOT press the head into the wall, this will significantly retard your progress. If you find yourself doing so, make an effort to tuck the chin into the chest. By pressing the head into the wall you are utilising your neck musculature in a way that just can't be done in a real press HS, essentially cheating.

Please note, this is not the correct procedure for a freestanding press HS. However, that is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about a Wall HS press, this is not a technical element, it is more or less purely a strength development one. Think about, the shoulders (at least when beginning) will be significantly forward of the shoulders and you never reach a true HS position. So I reiterate this is a strength development exercise, a graduation from HeS RLL, with the intention of exposing the shoulders/traps, arms and back to a greater load (something which more closely mimics a true press HS).

You can start developing the technical aspects of it by playing with Negative press HS's and also box press HS's.

Please note, this is not the correct procedure for a freestanding press HS. However, that is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about a Wall HS press, this is not a technical element, it is more or less purely a strength development one. Think about, the shoulders (at least when beginning) will be significantly forward of the shoulders and you never reach a true HS position. So I reiterate this is a strength development exercise, a graduation from HeS RLL, with the intention of exposing the shoulders/traps, arms and back to a greater load (something which more closely mimics a true press HS).

You can start developing the technical aspects of it by playing with Negative press HS's and also box press HS's.

Nicely said, edx. Proceeding from HeS Presses to Wall HS Presses to Box HS Presses is a very beneficial progression.

NOTE: Once you are strong enough to begin working Box HS Presses it is essential to start the press with the hips, shoulders and hands all stacked in a single vertical line and to not allow them to move out of this alignment for any reason during any portion of either the press HS ascent or the press HS descent.

Initially most people will find that their traps are so weak that they are physically unable to maintain the correct alignment unless they begin their press with the feet are supported at a nearly vertical position. From there, as their strength and stability improves over time, they may gradually lower the initial supported starting position of their press HS.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

I have noticed that even from a very high box, it is still hard to perform the press. Since I don't have enough space to straddle, would it be still beneficial to do a press with a single leg? As in, one leg is straight up in handstand position and the other proceeds to do the press from a box.

I tried today the wall press to hs with neutral head, horrible result...

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Odd, I've never tried it that way.

Most gymnasts I had could do box presses fairly easy if they could do them on the wall.

Pike box press is much harder than straddle box press. Whole New World.

I have noticed that even from a very high box, it is still hard to perform the press. Since I don't have enough space to straddle, would it be still beneficial to do a press with a single leg?

No.

Continue to increase the height of your box until you find one that is manageable. This allows you to restrict your working ROM to a level specifically suitable for your current strength level.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

This allows you to restrict your working ROM to a level specifically suitable for your current strength level.

I know most of the time working full ROM with less resistance is preferred, so how does one decide when to use less resistance and when to use restricted ROM?

I know most of the time working full ROM with less resistance is preferred, so how does one decide when to use less resistance and when to use restricted ROM?

In this instance the primary muscle group being targeted is the traps; not the lower back.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Okay, so I did try a raised box pike press to HS. After a couple reps I felt a lot of stress on my traps. I am decently proficient with wall press to HS but strength tradeoff isn't much into free standing press to HS...

I was just wondering on how to deal with the flexibility factor .

Do I just increase my hip and shoulder flexibility to deal with some stress. Because I noticed whenI started losing strength, my shoulders started to close. And hip flexibility is to just to be lower my legs without losing my center if gravity? Because that causes a lot the closing of my shoulders.

I was just wondering on how to deal with the flexibility factor .

- The weighted pike stretch that is often assigned in the GB WODs would be a good place to start.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

That also depends on what the purpose of the exercise is. In this case it's about finding that stacked position and being able to work from the traps.

Increasing ROM too soon with this invariably means loosing the stacked position and the resistance agains the traps.

ive been mainly doing 4 exersices that have been of tremendous help with achieving press to HS:

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the exercise starting at 0:25 in this video:

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those 2, and also doing negatives to get used to the movement and control. also what i just realized i can do, is that i can hold the bottom position where my toes leave the floor. it takes alot of shoulder strength, and thats what ive been lacking. i can hold the bottom position now with straight arms with toes about 5cm/2inches from the floor, but i still cant for some reason lift my legs up but i know it will come. the bottom position and the correct way to perform the press on the floor is demonstrated in this great clip from Luis Sarabia:

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Ive only got the press ONE time for now, but i can feel im close to being able to press on a more regular basis/whenever i want. Been training these exercises almost every day accompanied with 2-3times ring strength per week, + more or less handstand training every day. Its working great for me.

Just thought id share those exercises since it felt almost impossible for me when i started working towards the press in november, and those were really helpful.

Nice selection Mikko.

alex87 said:

I tried today the wall press to hs with neutral head, horrible result...

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Try Negativ Wall HS Press. As you get stronger try not lean so much against the wall/close shoulder (like me).

IBofNBJX1Ko

cdx said:

alex87 said:

I tried today the wall press to hs with neutral head, horrible result...

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Try Negativ Wall HS Press. As you get stronger try not lean so much against the wall/close shoulder (like me).

IBofNBJX1Ko

i'm sure i can't do that

Which muscles do I need to improve flexibility on for this? I'm able to keep my shoulders pretty open but when I get to the point at about 5 seconds into cdx's video I fall off the wall.

I'm guessing everything in the hamstrings and glutes. I'd say my flexibility is poor compared to most, I can touch my toes easily but thats about it.

I have struggled with wall press with both legs closed, straddle was never a problem. I think you need very strong lower back muscles to bring the legs up.

Wall HS pike presses are tough.

For straddle, it's just a matter of active flexibility. Now if you're passive flexibility is poor, guess what? Your active hip flexibility isn't gonna be good either.

By far simply the best tool for me in helping to understand the mechanics of the press and getting the right feel of it is this, try it and see for yourself!

CjaHngiHDmo

I think on another thread Yuri encouraged ppl to do something similar to this on the floor, but with lying on a block you body is elevated and you can bring your legs all the way to the straddle L position which helps alot with compression as far as i can tell. I could easily do slow controlled negatives all the way down to straddle L after trying this just a few times. Never had them before.