Handstand Pushups

Um…Nate…i think John McCallum passed away sdome time ago…the article of his must be an old one.

Tan, sorry I didn’t clarify that. All the articles in each issue of MILO are reprints from stuff he wrote long ago. And I have a feeling that much of it is straight from his book. So yes, he did write the article, but he didn’t write the article recently (as he passed away in 1989). But it appeared in the June 2000 issue of MILO. Good advice on the handstand pushups Mike!!!

Nate or anyone just a quick question…what is the hand position on these handstand pushups…is it shoulder width or wide as if i was doing militaries??

Bladerunner, you can do what is more comfortable for you. A close position is much tougher (for me), so I go with a slightly wider than shoulder-width stance. It’s the hand position you would use if you wanted to walk on your hands.

Nate Dogg, Mr. Doggystyle, sir, that’s the prob, my man…I can’t even get into a handstand! That’s why I think maybe I’m doing something wrong. Do you start with your arms extended and then you’re in the handstand position when get your feet up? I’ve just been doing headstands up against the wall and try to push myself (extend my arms) after that. Also, when I’ve been doing them with my back facing the wall, should my abs be facing the wall instead? Thanks, big dog(s).

I find that I like a pretty wide grip when doing handstandpushups off of the floor, and a medium stance when doing them off of stools and chairs.(One elbow between chairs is a good measuring tool)Just experiment with a few different placements and see which one is most comfortable. One great variation on handstand pushups off of the flooris to keep your elbos in and bend at the forarms(Like when doing skull crushers) Wow, this is an awesome triceps exercise.

How about starting with pushups and elevating the feet,gradually going higher until your shoulder complex is strong enough to support
your bodyweight.

Good idea ulisses! That is certainly a viable option. However, I still think that it is worth working on handstands and just holding the position if nothing else. Nate Dogg gave some great advice about holding the position for a few minutes to build confidence and to get your muscles used to the position. Then you can focus on quarter reps. half reps, and gradually work on getting your nose to the floor. Before you know it, you will be using stools and chairs to increase the range of motion and your shoulders and arms will just blow up!

Timbo, PLEASE do not do the handstand with your abs against the wall. Actually, go ahead and get your camcorder out and videotape yourself trying to get into that position. Be sure and send that tape to T-mag. heheh…just pushin’ a little, bro. Anyway, it would be very difficult to get into that position, and if you did, you’d have to do a forward roll to get out of it. So…here are instructions for doing a handstand against a wall. Measure back with your feet about 3-4 feet away from the wall. If you’re right-legged, put your left foot BACK into a lunge (you should be in a lunge with your right forward, 3-4 feet from the wall). Now, with your arms EXTENDED and biceps by your ears, reach forward, (keeping the right foot planted and lifting your left leg behind you), plant your hands right NEXT to the wall. From the initial lunge position, do all of that in one motion, and softly kick up with your right leg - keep your arms EXTENDED the ENTIRE TIME. Congrats! You should be in a handstand, and hopefully you did not kick up so hard that you put your feet through the wall. IMPORTANT NOTE: if you don’t kick hard enough and start to fall back again, KEEP YOUR ARMS EXTENDED - if you bend your arms on the way back down, you’ll crash on your face!!!

It helps to keep your glutes, low back and abs extremely tight during the handstand. Keep your legs straight and toes pointed toward the ceiling. If your legs and hips are moving everywhere, it’s tough to maintain balance.

Timbo, my man! Jeremy gave some good advice on how to get up against the wall. As for me, all I do is a kick up. I start with my hands overhead and then put them down onto the floor about 8-12 inches from the wall and kick my feet up. At that point, I’m already totally extended and ready to go! But I do have the advantage of being much lighter than you. It’s easy for me to walk on my hands or hold a handstand without support. So getting into this position to do pushups is pretty easy! Strike one for the little guy! :wink:

If you can't do that, you can always start in the headstand position and try to push yourself up. But I think it's better to at least do a stationary handstand and just hold the position as long as possible. Then work on getting in full reps when you feel more confident.

J-Dawg (that’s you big Jer), thanks for the detailed description, buddy. Ya might as well just come on over and coach me! Just playin’, but you can be assured that I’ll be trying those bad boys tonite (as soon as I’m done grubbin’). I’ll let you know how it goes. I really appreciate it.

Nate Dogg, I can just see your crazy ass walking around on your hands, ya big nut!

It’s all good Timbo! Hand balancing is cool stuff. And I want to get better at it. People (especially women) will comment on my walking/handstand abilities. It’s fun to do on the beach too! :wink:

J-Dawg…heheheh - my FIRST ever Dawg name. Pretty funny stuff, Timbo. Thanks! By the way, that’s how I taught my gymnastics and tumbling classes how to do handstands, so if my description isn’t clear enough, let me know!

J-Dawg and the Combat Crew…just thought I’d let you know, I am now a successful handstand artist. I can’t hold it real long, but now I’ve got something to work with. And of course, I’m no Nate Dogg-walkin’-upside-down foolio yet either (just messin’ bro)…thanks for all the tips and I’ll be sure to update with my progress as well as hear about all of yours.

J-Dawg…I love it, bro! You busted out the whoopin’ stick and used J-Dawg as your handle, Yeah! Oh, you know that blood rush is as sweet as sugar. It’s an awesome feeling…I’m just pumped and looking forward to getting some reps. It’s something to work towards. I’ll keep you up to date, my man.

I tried the handstand pushups today in preparation for cheering. I did four. I thought i was going to fall on my head on the last one. Those bastards are hard. Cant wait to do them again.

Goldberg, hey big dog! They’re addictive, aren’t they, bro? Hey, I was just wondering about your cheering. It’s sparked a little interest in me. Are you cheering at the college leve? Also, how did you get involved? I hope I didn’t just peruse past these questions in your earlier posts, but I’d appreciate some feedback, even if it’s just Scroll to the bottom of the page, ya goon! Thanks, beast.

Timbo, you’re the man! Good job bro! Keep it up my man. As for the blood rushing to my head, I never really noticed that. Maybe because I do handstands or walk on my hands often. My brother tried doing a handstand and said he got dizzy from the blood rushing to his head. Goldberg, in order to get more reps, be sure that you’re fresh. I tried doing some handstand pushups after my shoulder workout on Monday, and I could only get three sets of 4-5 reps. But if I’m fresh, I can knock out eight without a problem.

Nate Dogg…wassup, big dog! I see you’re kickin’ it DoggyStyle as always. Yeah, bro, those handstands are hella addictive–right up there with the back bridges. Just gotta keep my cool though, cause the iron is where my head and heart is and I wouldn’t want to not be fresh for my sessions. I’m fixin’ to drop ya an email as soon as I can get connected with the server…not sure what’s goin’ on in the kitchen at H-O-T-mail. Keep it real, supah fly. Oh, Nate, how often do you do the handstands and bridges?