A beautiful handstand and, even more so, walking on the hands is a sign of "aerobatics" among CrossFit athletes. This is one of the most difficult gymnastic elements practiced in CrossFit.
If the handstand ends up falling for you, don't worry - even Brent Fikowski (@fikowski), who finished second at 2017 Crossfit Games, had a hard time learning the secrets of this exercise.
I've never been a gymnast and when I came to Crossfit I was hopeless when I put my hands on it, ”he says. - Since then, after years of practice and a lot of epic failures, I was able to win the regional stage, which included a handstand.
We have prepared for you 5 effective training complexes that will help you improve your skill in performing this trick, as well as strengthen and pump your shoulders. Of course, this will take some strength, flexibility and hard work from you. But it's worth it as these five workouts from Brent Fikowski and other champions of the Games will help you master one of the most important elements of Crossfit gymnastics..
# 1. Complex for the development of sustainability
The first set consists of 3 rounds, each of which includes the following exercises:
- 25 m walking lunges with a pancake (or kettlebell) over your head;
- 6 squats with a barbell overhead (hold the bar with a narrow grip).
As Fikowski said, overhead lunge walking and overhead squats with a narrow grip help develop the necessary stability in general. But that may not be enough, the athlete warns:
If you lack flexibility in your shoulders, you will have to shift your body weight to compensate — so stretch your chest, lats, and triceps.
“Once you have strength and flexibility, get upside down! Says Brent. -Keep your back against the wall, then do the same, only facing the wall. Also try to walk, moreover, not only forward, but also backward, and even sideways. Put a couple of mats next to you - they will save you during falls. "
# 2. Complex "Progress"
The second workout we offer you was developed by Austin Maleolo (@amalleolo) and Denise Thomas (@ denthomas7). Both are coaches at the Reebok CrossFit One and are employed by the Crossfit HQ Seminar Staff.
Their advice: “Master one skill before moving on to the next. This will reduce your risk of injury and improve your skills gradually.
So, at the second stage of work on improving the handstand, you need to complete the following tasks:
- 25 meters of bearish penetration;
- 20 touches of the shoulder;
- 30 - 60 seconds of holding in a handstand against the wall;
- 10 shoulder touches in a handstand.
When doing these exercises, do not forget that the center of mass of the body should load the shoulders as much as possible.
What is “shoulder touch” and how this exercise is performed, you can watch the video below.
No. 3. Complex "Angry Raven"
In the third training set, you will also need to complete three rounds of exercises:
- holding the "boat" lying on the back;
- touching the shoulders in a handstand facing the wall (see video above);
- holding the pose "crow" (exercise from yoga).
You need to start with 30 seconds of each of the above movements, gradually increasing the time to a minute. This is the advice of Sam Orme, owner of the “Crossfit Virtuosity” club in Brooklyn.
You can be at any distance from the wall when performing shoulder touches, ”says Sam. - Concentrate on achieving full body straightening - from your arms to your toes.
No. 4. Inverted tabata
The fourth training complex aimed at developing the ability to stand on hands consists of two parts.
Part I
In the first part, on the tabata principle (20 s work, 10 s rest), you need to do 8 rounds of handstand facing the wall. At the same time, you need to get into position and get out of it using wall walking.
Part II
In the second part, your goal is to do as many repetitions of the exercise below as possible.
Place the 10 kg barbell pancake close to the wall and stand in a rack with both hands on the pancake. Then, first move your left hand to the floor, and then your right. After that, return your left hand to the pancake, and then your right. Repeat this as many times as possible.
This workout comes from Bowie Whiteman (@beauvault) - Crossfit coach and former gymnast. Such exercises will help you develop strength and coordination, so that later you can easily move your arms while standing upside down.
No. 5. Complex "Party continues"
The last, fifth complex also consists of 3 rounds. Each round includes the following exercises:
- 1 minute of hanging on the horizontal bar;
- 20 s holding the "boat" lying on the back;
- 5 reps of wall walk.
This workout was developed by Alec Smith, CrossFit Games participant and creator of what is arguably the craziest hand-walking challenge we've ever seen. To complicate the first exercise (hanging on the horizontal bar), the athlete advises holding the medball between his legs. This will help activate every muscle in your body. On the boat, try to stretch your chest and upper back as much as possible. As for wall climbing, it is important for you to stop for 2-3 seconds in order to feel stability and emphasis.
