How to Not Arch Your Back on a Handstand

Handstands are an impressive feat of strength and balance. This exercise, though, poses many risks, especially when done incorrectly. Depending on your shoulder structure, doing exercises with your arms overhead can be dangerous and may lead to impingement syndrome. If you have a shoulder structure that can handle doing overhead movements, such as handstands, then one of the things you need to be careful of is not overarching your back. When you place your spine in this hyperextended position, you put yourself at high risk of vertebral disc rupture and spinal nerve damage. So it's important to learn how to correctly do a handstand to avoid these severe consequences.

Things You'll Need

  • Wall
  • Treadmill or jump rope
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Instructions

  1. Handstand

    • 1

      Walk on a treadmill or jump rope for five to 10 minutes to warm up your entire body before practicing the handstand. Also, perform two to three sets of arm circles for one minute per set to further warmup your shoulder muscles, which will be heavily engaged during the handstand.

    • 2

      Stand about a foot in front of a wall, facing it. Bend your hips and knees and place the palms of your hands on the ground at a distance slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Spread your fingers apart so you can better distribute your weight once you get in the handstand position and thus better balance your weight.

    • 3

      Straighten your arms by fully extending your elbows. Contract your triceps, shoulders, and core muscles.

    • 4

      Push off the balls of your right foot to raise your right leg up toward the wall, and then do the same with the left leg until both of your heels are up against the wall. Keep your feet close together.

    • 5

      Contract your buttocks and tuck in your pelvis so your spine is not in a hyperextended position. Keep your core muscles tight, including rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, and erector spinae. The simultaneous contraction of these core muscles results in the flat back position you are be seeking.

    • 6

      Move your heels slightly away from the wall and try to maintain your balance. Again, it is imperative you concentrate on keeping your core tight so you are not overarching your back. If you cannot maintain your balance, return your heels to the wall. If you start to fall down the other direction, go down the same way you went up, one leg down, followed by the other. Try to return down with the balls of your feet coming in contact with the ground first.

    • 7

      Do five to ten sets of handstands away from the wall. Hold each handstand for as long as possible.