this fitness faq's calisthenics tutorial is going to discuss how to optimally improve
overhead strength for handstand push-ups you're going to learn the best ways to develop
functional growth in the chest shoulders and triceps for a dominant overhead press
the secret for stronger handstand push-ups is by replacing the illusion of complexity
with the reality of simplicity now my calisthenics family back to wall or chest to wall handstand
push-ups what's been your experience in training which do you think is better and why i'm about
to go deep on all things handstand push-ups it's time to learn sup everyone australian
physiotherapist daniel vadnal here for fitness faqs my goal with this video is to help you with
exercise selection relative to your level beginner intermediate or advanced
most people invest their time and energy training the pipe push up at the start of their journey
this is an absolutely perfect place to begin as the exercise ticks many of the correct boxes
the movement pattern of the elbow and shoulder is highly transferable to the end goal of handstand
push-ups pike push-ups are going to improve hypertrophy and strength in all the muscle
groups which need to improve perfect right well unfortunately the efficacy after a while of
doing pipe push-ups eventually plateaus a point of diminishing returns happens to absolutely everyone
eventually the reduced loading intensity thanks to the feet being supported becomes a bottleneck for
future progress many many people struggle taking that next step chest-to-wall handstand push-ups
put simply the strict loading mechanic's force with this setup means the strength required is
tremendous the intensity of chest-to-wall handstand push-ups is far more demanding
than anything most people have ever experienced prior even with strict high-volume pike push-ups
this progression is always recommended due to the encouraged hollow body mechanics
because after all the end goal is freestanding handstand push-ups right
as we can see there's a very specific technique required in order to maintain balance the head
and shoulders lean forward while the torso and legs are shifted backwards
one of the fundamental traits being developed for future strength skills is pressing with
tucked elbows now it becomes obvious why the chest wall setup is ideal on paper pretty much
everything is identical such as forward lean of the shoulders tucked elbows and the diagonal body
position you have to be mindful though when you're pushing from the bottom you need to
think about driving up in an overhead direction cheating is definitely possible by pushing into
the wall with the legs this is going to feel awkward and you're going to gain less strength
so what's the best plan of attack if the exercise is too hard more pike push-ups nah
enter the back-to-wall handstand push-up context application and technique mean everything in
calisthenics training yes even the sacrilegious back-to-wall handstand push-up has its place hear
me out it's best we begin with the mistakes and incorrect technique for the calisthenics athlete
having the hands really far away from the wall promotes the classic banana back arching the
back is a sign of weak shoulders and the body is choosing to use a chest dominant pressing strategy
a wide hand placement and flared elbow press is going to have poor transfer
to freestanding handstand push-ups flared elbows improves coronal plane pressing
which once again has poor biomechanical application for advanced calisthenics
now let's move on to some potential considerations for training the back-to-wall handstand push-up
when tucking the elbows and minimising the back from arching this is arguably a useful
intermediate progression it's got the advantage of more bodyweight loading compared to pipe push-ups
yet it's not as demanding as the chest to wall variation taking away all the complexity
and paralysis by analysis back-to-wall handstand push-ups build brute strength
it's undeniable the prime movers being the shoulders triceps and chest
are going to grow bigger and stronger with increased volume and intensity here
the wall isn't going to dictate your form entirely it's on you to be in control of
your body you've got to be mindful of keeping a hollow body position and preventing your body
from bending in half like a contortionist it's also on you to be aware of keeping tucked elbows
pressing in the sagittal plane and focusing on the shoulders moving forward and vertically there's
no escaping the facts you can't go wrong getting strong remember you can always improve aesthetics
and balance separately to truly achieve unlimited strength gains overhead you're going to need to
train the external rotators the main function of the rotator cuff during handstand push-ups
are to act as dynamic stabilizers those external rotators on the back of the
shoulder are responsible for keeping the humerus sucked into the glenoid fossa of the scapula
everyone should begin their rotator cuff journey by starting with the arm by the side
and eventually progressing into more of an overhead position
regardless if you're a beginner or someone who's advanced if you want to get stronger overhead
do not skip the rotator cuff you see our body is very good at keeping us safe and protected
if we have weakness in the posterior rotator cuff the body is not going to be capable of displaying
its full strength this means increased difficulty when it comes to handstand push-up progression
instability or even discomfort and shoulder pain to help you understand what this means in practice
let's use an example of someone who's flaring the elbows with good global strength in their pressing
muscles no amount of curing elbows inbro elbows in is going to help them fix this technical weakness
they need to be improving strength in the external rotators in order to keep those elbows in by the
sides cheers for watching everyone good luck with your handstand push-ups now stop wasting time
start training smarter go to fitnessfaqs.com to master calisnex i'll see you over there