Handstand Walk
The handstand walk is an advanced gymnastic exercise that involves walking on your hands while maintaining an inverted body position. This full-body movement builds exceptional shoulder stability, core control, and balance while strengthening the upper body.
Because handstand walks place high demand on the central nervous system and wrists, the AI analyzes your daily HRV and recovery data to determine if you are ready for this high-skill movement or if a regression is safer today. Since you cannot look at a screen while inverted, the app optimizes your target duration and intensity beforehand, then uses your post-set RPE to adjust future volume, ensuring you build capacity without risking technical failure or shoulder overuse.
Form Cues
- Press the floor away actively to keep shoulders close to your ears
- Squeeze your glutes and abs to maintain a rigid, hollow-body line
- Spread your fingers wide to maximize surface area for balance
- Shift your weight slightly toward the supporting hand before stepping
- Keep your gaze fixed on the floor a few inches ahead of your hands
- Don't allow your lower back to arch excessively (banana back)
- Don't bend your elbows; keep them locked out for structural stability
- Don't look back at your feet or tuck your chin to your chest
- Don't take large, uncontrolled steps that throw off your center of mass
- Don't hold your breath; maintain a steady breathing rhythm
Common Mistakes
- Excessive lumbar hyperextension
- Bending elbows due to fatigue
- Taking steps that are too wide or fast
- Collapsing through the shoulders
- Failing to engage the core
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the anterior deltoids and triceps, which must work isometrically to support your entire body weight in a locked-out position. The core, specifically the abdominals and erector spinae, works intensely to stabilize the spine and pelvis, while the forearms and wrists manage fine-tuned balance adjustments.
Primary
Secondary
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