Learn how to do a hand stand

Welcome! I'm excited to help you master the freestanding handstand. Before we jump into the physical training and flip your world upside down, I'd love to know a little bit about your background so we can tailor this progression perfectly to your body.

To help me tailor our training, how would you describe your current fitness level, and do you have any previous experience with gymnastics, yoga, or calisthenics?

I active/fit, and I've done some yoga or calisthenics before.

It's awesome that you already have a background in yoga and calisthenics. That means your body is already familiar with core engagement and body awareness, which gives us a fantastic head start.

Your path

Building Balance

Freestanding Practice

Preparing the Foundation

Before we throw you upside down, we need to make sure your foundation is rock solid. In a handstand, your wrists are literally acting as your ankles. Since they aren't naturally built to support your entire body weight, and joint mobility are the non-negotiable first steps to prevent injury and build control. We want to stretch the forearms and get the synovial fluid moving in the joints so they can handle the load comfortably.

Let's start with a simple, dynamic stretch called the Forward and Back Wrist Rock. To do this, get on your hands and knees in a tabletop position on the floor, pointing your fingers forward. Keep your elbows completely straight. Slowly rock your shoulders forward past your fingernails until you feel a gentle stretch in your wrists and forearms, then rock back to rest. Repeat this smooth, rhythmic rocking motion 10 times.

Show me a diagram of the wrist stretch position

I'd be happy to show you. It's much easier to visualize how your hands and forearms should align when you can see it in action.

A profile view of a tabletop yoga position with the shoulders vertically aligned directly over the wrists.

As you can see, keeping those elbows completely locked out is key. It ensures the weight transfers directly down through your bones, placing the stretch exactly where we want it in the forearms rather than letting your biceps do the work. Once you feel good with this stretch, we can move right along to looking at the and flexibility you'll need to support your body weight once we flip you upside down.