Bardogs Handstand Class

A handstand is a form of balancing upside down on your hands. This skill finds a great application not only in the field of calisthenics, but also, for example, in apparatus gymnastics, acrobatics, artistic gymnastics, etc.. The handstand comes in many different forms, such as the tuck, straddle, hollowback and many more.

In calisthenics, the handstand is a skill in itself and forms the basis for other advanced skills, such as "Handstand Push Ups," "Handstand to Planche," "Press to Handstand," and "One Arm Handstand."

Check out our handstand class. Our trainers will guide you safely and with exercises suitable for you to the handstand. Not only the structured structure with meaningful exercises, but also helpful and constructive feedback promise you quick success in handstand in our class.

Otherwise, start slowly and build your strength, body awareness and confidence. Work a lot with the wall and solidify your exit from the handstand. The better you are on the wall and the more you understand the handstand, the better you will be outdoors.

The handstand is a full-body exercise. However, it mainly uses the shoulder muscles, the trapezius and the forearm flexors. But also the core, the legs and the buttocks are tensed and the arms are stretched.

Almost Daily. This is a skill that benefits greatly from a lot of practice and does not stress the body and muscles as much as other skills in calisthenics. Therefore, you can train it almost daily. However, start with 3 times a week first, as especially the wrists need to get used to this load. Once 3 times a week works well, you can slowly increase the frequency. Always listen to your body and give it enough time to recover.

From every level! No matter if you have never done a handstand before or if you can already stand 30s outside, in our handstand class there is something to learn for every level. Our instructors tailor the exercises to you and the group so that everyone can learn something.

The focus of the handstand class is, as the name suggests, the handstand. Here, after a general and specific warm up, a lot of time is spent in the handstand. Various forms and exercises to improve and strengthen the handstand and the respective form are also looked at. Finally, there is handstand specific strengthening training. Mobility is also addressed and is not neglected here.

In our handstand class we will guide you specifically to the handstand and also learn different forms. For a successful handstand different factors play a role, such as mobility, body awareness, strength, coordination and balance. In our handstand class we will cover all these aspects and give you specific feedback so that you can get to your handstand as quickly as possible. But still, here are the individual points described in more detail, so that you can already practice something at home.

• Mobility: here, shoulder and wrist mobility are particularly important. The shoulder should allow 180° flexion and the wrists should allow at least 70° extension (better 90°). This is important in order to achieve a nice straight line in the handstand. Therefore, shoulder openers and exercises that stretch shoulder flexion and wrist extension are worth your time.
• Body awareness: in handstand you have to understand the position of your joints in a new way, because above your head everything is different from what you are used to. In order to balance a handstand, all joints must be stacked vertically, that is, feet over knees over hips over shoulders over hands. Learning to do this takes one thing above all else, lots of practice! Targeted feedback can also speed up this process considerably.
• Strength: here the shoulder and forearm strength is especially important. The shoulders should be as tight as possible (ears tucked between the shoulders) and support the entire body weight. The forearms are needed to move the wrist, which is essential for balance. Handstand Holds, Scapula Shrugs in Handstand/Pike Stand and Wrist Flexion Exercises are ideal here.
• Coordination: in handstand, the arms should be extended, the shoulders pushed out (elevated), the abdomen pulled in and the pelvis tilted back (posterior pelvic tilt, PPT), as well as the buttocks, legs and calves tensed. All these different movements and isometric contractions together, and then upside down, seem impossible at first. But the body coordination will improve, this just needs practice and some patience.
• Balance: last in handstand is important to understand how to balance. There are several ways to do this. The simplest is to use your hands. When you fall towards your back, you need to press into the ground with your fingers. After that, it's a constant push and release with your fingers to stay balanced in the handstand. The shoulders and hips can also be used, but this takes a little more practice.

Start in the pike hold. Try to support yourself for at least 30 seconds with arms extended and shoulders fully pushed out. Then raise your feet more and more. Once you can do 30s with your feet elevated, you can move into handstand with your back against the wall. Again, the goal is to hold for 30s. After that also with the belly to the wall. These are mainly strengthening exercises, Wall Walks, Hollow Body Hold, Hollow Body Hold on the wall (stretch your arms and hold them high up), Y-Raises and Handstand Schoulder Taps (advanced) also help here.

Before you get off the wall, first practice how to get out of a handstand in case you fall toward your back. When you feel confident in that, you can move on to kick ups. At the same time, wall exercises remain important! Next, you can do balance exercises on the wall, such as Alternating Toe/Heel Taps (with your belly or back to the wall) or simply try to balance on the wall without touching it. Headstand can also be useful to improve your balance and body awareness head over.