How to Do a Handstand: A 5-Step Guide

Always wanted to learn how to do a handstand as a kid?

Think it’s so easy, anyone can do it? Well, if that’s the case, why aren’t you doing it?

Back in the Golden Era and even earlier, bodybuilders were using handstands, especially for push-ups.

They knew that the benefits of full-body stability and control would help them succeed in building strength and muscle.

Are you ready to learn how to do a handstand so that you can gain more stability and strength? Here is a step by step guide for beginners on how to do a handstand at home using your own bodyweight.

How to do a Handstand: Equipment Needed

Most of the process of learning how to do a handstand includes just your own bodyweight. 

In the beginning, though, you’ll need some equipment to prepare your body for the process:

• Resistance band – the resistance strength is up to you. Just be sure to get one that you can step on and stretch the length of your body (more on this later).
• Step or chair – this will be used as part of the process of performing the handstand. You may need a few different items with varying height levels as you progress.
• Mat or another soft surface – this will cushion the blow when you actually start to practice the handstand. A gym with a rubberized floor is great, but if you are doing this at home, consider using:
  • A carpeted floor
  • Thick yoga mat
  • Rubber floor tiles
  • Crash mat
  • Drop pads
  • Pillows
  • Blankets 

How to do a Handstand: Flexibility, Control, and Stability

Learning how to do a handstand is a process that starts with testing and improving your flexibility. 

The brunt of your body weight is going to be placed directly on the wrists. However, the handstand is actually a full-body exercise, employing almost all your muscles to maintain balance.

Before we discuss the steps it takes to complete a handstand, let’s first work on your flexibility. These exercises can also be used to warm-up prior to your handstand practice session.

Since most of the weight is on your hands and wrists, we’ll start there.

Wrists and Hands

Make sure you do these warm-up movements each time before you practice your handstand.

Start with rolling your wrists around, first to the outside and then to the inside. Do this for at least 15 rotations each way.

Sit down on the floor with your legs under you. Begin with your hands flat on the floor in front of you with your fingers pointing away from you. 

Rock your body and your wrists back and forth, keeping your hands on the floor. This will provide a nice stretch to your wrists to get them ready for your handstand practice.

You’ll also want to do this same motion but with your hands in different positions:

• Lifting your hands off the floor with your fingers remaining on the floor as you rock forward. Bring your hand back down on the floor as you rock back.
• Flipping your hands backward so your fingers are facing your legs, continuing the rocking motion.
• Flipping your wrists upside down so the back of your hands are on the floor. Keep your body stationary as you bend your elbows to work your wrists. 
• Now, keep your hands upside down and face your fingers towards each other while lacing your fingers together. Bend at the elbows and push down gently to further stretch the wrists.
• Fingertip push-ups are another great way to focus on the fingers. Splay out your fingers and use the fingertips to push up, pressing them into the ground. If you want the added challenge, get into the push-up position and lift your entire bodyweight. This might take some practice and time, and proper form is crucial to prevent injury.

Do each of these stretches 10 – 15 times to really get your wrists and hands ready.

Shoulders and Neck

Your shoulders will also be working hard to keep you in the right position when practicing your handstand.

Your neck, on the other hand, will remain loose and fluid throughout the handstand. You’ll still want to do some movements to warm your neck to make sure it stays nice and fluid.

Here are some stretching and warm-up exercises you’ll want to use to help prepare your shoulders.

• Jumping jacks – complete 15 reps
• Arm circles: 
  • Stand straight with your arms raised, straight out to each side. 
  • Begin by moving your arms forward and rotating them in a circle. 
  • Complete 20 revolutions and then switch the rotation backward and complete another 20 revolutions.
• Shoulder extension: 
  • Sit down on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. 
  • Place your hands a few inches behind your butt with your fingers facing out to the sides. 
  • Roll your shoulders back, keep your neck neutral and face towards the ceiling to keep your back straight.
  • Lift your hips up until your torso is straight and hold for 2 – 3 seconds.
  • Return back to the seated position. 
  • Complete 10 – 15 reps.
• Resistance band stretch:
  • Stand with your feet on the band. 
  • Grab the other end of the band with your hands. 
  • Pull the band up to your shoulders as if you are performing an overhead press. 
  • Continue to press all the way up so that your arms are straight. 
  • Hold for 15 seconds and then repeat 3 – 4 more times.
• Downward Facing Dog: This yoga pose will help elongate your spine, control your breathing, and open your chest and shoulders. Failure to perform the downward-facing dog pose can cause shoulder impingement. To get yourself prepared for how to do a handstand properly, watch this YouTube video to get the posedown.

Core

To maintain your balance and stability during your handstand, you need to have a strong core. 

These exercises are not only great as a warm-up, but they will also help you improve your core strength.

• Plank – if you don’t know how to perform the plank, we give you the step by step process here. Complete the plank for at least 30 seconds, and do this twice (either back to back, or after you’ve completed the other exercises). Continue to work on the plank several times a week until you can hold the pose for 90 seconds.
• Dead Bug:
  • Lay flat on the floor with your legs up and knees bent at 90 degrees. Raise your arms straight up towards the ceiling.
  • Lower your left leg and right arm down until they are just above the floor, without touching. 
  • Return to the starting position and then do the same motion with the opposite limbs.
  • Complete 10 – 15 reps on each side.
• Bird-dog pose: Similar to the dead bug, but with your limbs on the ground instead of your torso. Complete this exercise to help stabilize your core and spine to prepare for the handstand. Step by step instructions can be found here.
• Boat pose:
  • Sit on a mat with your feet flat in front of you, knees bent.
  • Place your hands behind your knees and lean back slightly with your back straight.
  • Begin to raise your legs up, first halfway, then continue until your legs are straight.
  • Then, raise your arms up in the air. Your body should be in a V-shape.
  • Hold this pose for a few seconds before you go back to the starting position.
  • Do 10 – 15 reps.
  • If you need a visual for this pose, check out this video.

Practice First, Then Progression

These exercises will work different muscle groups and body parts to help condition them for the handstand. 

You’ll want to spend several weeks practicing these exercises three to four times per week. 

You can use these exercises as a warm-up to your weighted workouts as well. It’s best to perform these exercises before you perform your weighted workout routine.

Once you can work through them and feel confident in your strength and stability, it’s time to move to the progression phase.

How to do a Handstand: The Progression

Now that you’ve successfully completed your warm-up exercises, you’re ready to start progressing into a handstand.

Unless you’ve done a handstand before, you won’t be able to get it down right away. That’s where the progression comes in. These progress steps will get your balance and control down to be able to complete a handstand without falling.

Many of the poses you will be using in your preparation for doing a handstand are also used in gymnastics.

In CrossFit, people learn how to do a handstand to perform push-ups, walk, and other variations. By learning to do a handstand, you’ll gain strength, flexibility, and the ability to perform other exercises easier. 

This first progression is a great way to help improve your squat form as well.

First Progression: Quadruped Hip Rocking

This exercise will help you balance your center of gravity over your hands properly when doing the handstand. 

To learn how to properly perform the quadruped hip rocking movement, check out this video.

Ultimately, you want your center of gravity to be over the middle of your hand to create balance and stability. This means when you are in the full handstand, the weight should be right around your knuckles. 

It makes sense, right? The center of gravity should be at the center of your hand. As you rock back and forth, notice the weight distribution change from the palm to your fingers.

Second Progression: The Hollow Body Hold

This next progression is going to be more challenging than the first. Performing the hollow body hold correctly is key, which means your lower back should always be pressed into the floor.

This video shows the step by step process to complete the hollow body hold. If you can’t perform the sequence without lifting/engaging your lower back, you need to go back to the basics.

Once you’ve got the full progression down, try rocking back and forth smoothly, like a rocking horse. Your goal is to rock back and forth for at least 15 seconds, longer if you can.

When you have this down, move on to the third progression.

Third Progression: Crow and Crane Poses

This next progression is going to be where you start to get upside down.

If you’ve worked through all the prior exercises and built up your strength and stability, it’s time to try these poses. They will strengthen your arms, abs, and wrists.

If you haven’t already, now is the time for the mat or cushions. Place them in front of your head in case you fall forward while working on your poses. 

Make sure you have plenty of space in front of you. If you’re too close to a wall, you could go crashing right through it!

You’ll start with crow pose and then once you’ve got that down, you’ll move to crane pose. Both are almost the exact same pose, but there is a key difference. In crow pose, your elbows are bent.

Crane pose is more difficult and requires your arms to be straight.

Check out this video to learn how to do the poses properly. Once you’ve nailed crane pose, it’s time to move on to the next progression.

Fourth Progression: L-shaped Handstand

Congratulations, you’ve made it far enough to do your first handstand! It’s not a full handstand, but you are getting closer with each progression.

The L-shaped handstand can be done using either a wall or with a partner. If you use a partner, have them support your ankles while you perform the pose.

If you have a fear of being upside-down (don’t worry, lots of people have this fear!), consider using a partner. That said, if you don’t have a partner, use an item to measure the distance from the wall to your hips when you sit down.

This will show you where to place your hands when attempting the L-shaped handstand.

Check out this video to see how it’s done. Work until you can hold the L-shaped handstand for at least 20 seconds.

When you’re ready, move on to the next and final progression before you try your first handstand!

Fifth Progression: Wall Walk (Climb)

Now that you’ve gotten yourself comfortable with balancing upside down, let’s work on the wall climb.

Your hollow body workout will really come into play for this exercise. You’ll get into a push-up position with your feet at the wall. Keep your core engaged throughout the exercise.

Begin to walk your legs up the wall while bringing your hands closer to the wall. The goal is to get completely vertical so that only your nose and toes are touching the wall.

It may take some time to get there. We strongly advise you to start out with a spotter when trying the wall climb. Continue to challenge yourself until you can hold your nose and toes to the wall for at least 60 seconds.

Once you get there, try taking one foot off the wall. Then, try taking both feet off the wall. If you can, then guess what? You just completed your first handstand!!

Now, it’s time to put all your hard work to the test to complete a freestanding handstand.

The Final Result: Completing a Handstand

By now, you’ve worked through the strengthening and stability exercises. You’ve also completed each progression to give yourself a solid understanding of the balance required during a handstand.

It’s likely been several months or more since you started the process of how to do a handstand. While it’s not a quick or easy process, the conditioning process will allow you to progress into a freestanding handstand.

You want a wide-open space, either a flat, grassy area, a gym mat or a carpeted section of your home. It’s going to take time to get yourself into a freestanding handstand, and you’re going to fall in the process.

Also, consider having a spotter to stand in front of you to catch your legs. This will keep you from falling forward and help prevent you from getting injured. 

If you don’t have a spotter, then you’ll want to allow your legs to move to one side to safely dismount. Practice this first during the wall handstand before you try a freestanding handstand without a spotter.

Before you start, don’t forget to do some stretching first!!

How to do a Handstand

1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Your hands should be loose at your sides or straight above your head. Use whichever position is most comfortable for you.
2. Step forward with your dominant leg. Make sure your body stays straight in line and moves forward, not to the side, while performing the handstand.
3. Lift your arms (if they aren’t already) and begin to tilt forward, pushing off with your dominant foot. Your legs should go up as your head and arms move down. Use a fluid motion to maintain stability and balance.
4. Keep your shoulders in towards your neck and your arms straight as they move towards the ground.
5. As your legs rise up, straighten them along with your torso and keep them together. Your center of gravity should be over your knuckles, with your head tucked to keep your back straight. If you feel yourself falling forward, tuck your head to your chin and allow your body to roll. Resist the urge to clench your muscles, as it could cause you injury when falling.
6. To come out of the handstand, split your legs and drop your dominant leg first. Begin to stand up as your leg reaches the ground, keeping your arms close to your ears.

Congratulations, you’ve learned how to do a freestanding handstand (and against the wall handstand)!! 

Now that you’ve learned the basics, you can start adding variations. Try doing one of the following:

• Handstand split
• Walk on your hands
• Front limber
• Handstand push-ups
• One-arm handstands

There are many different variations of handstands you can try once you get the freestanding handstand down. Try some out and let us know which type you like best in the comments section!

Final Thoughts

While a handstand may look easy, it’s anything but.

As you’ve learned from this article, learning how to do a handstand is a process that can take a long time. It’s not uncommon to still be working on progressions for close to a year before completing a freestanding handstand.

Focus on your strength, control, and stability first. Then, complete each progression before you try a handstand.

It can be tempting to skip some steps, but having a solid foundation is key to performing a handstand correctly.

Can you do a handstand? What did you find most challenging when learning how to do a handstand? Do you have any tips you can offer? Please share them in the comments below.