Personally I learned banana first, could hold for a 60+ seconds before I started the journey of straightening out! Thanks for sharing your perspective 👍🏻👊🏻
Another argument for the banana handstand is that it’s just natural progression like if you’re learning to stand with your feet. Babies and toddlers learning to stand don’t stand with their knees and hips straight. They stand with them bent because it offers them more control surfaces. When you get better you start to refine your control and require less control surfaces
Anybody else here for this chill vibe? 100% honesty, I find listening to Tom so relaxing. He’s years ahead of me on my own fitness journey, but I am totally okay with that. His videos and tutorials walk you through each step. Just starting off on the handstand life- wonderful! Hitting the one-arm handstand with shape changes- amazing! Keep shining on you crazy diamond! He just Bob Rossed the fitness community and I am loving it! 😆🥰😆
Just my opinion: Doing a thing is more important, at least initially, than worrying about perfection. Do the best you can and over time you can polish the position.
Spot on. Also, allowing the freedom to compromise form, at least in the beginning, makes it easier to adjust the amount of strain on the wrists, shoulders and so on, since aligning oneself frontally against the wall is super hard and intense at first and can cause injuries
Couldn't agree more Tom!! No ones gonna start with a perfect handstand! As long as you're giving it a go from the start you're doing a good job! You've got to learn how to walk before you can run! Just get upside down and learn how it feels. Once you're able to do the fundamentals then it's time to fix that form. But just give it a go! AND you're putting my one arm to shame! I need to get practising again!
thanks Tom, love your approach, I'm 63 & started doing handstands 3yrs ago (against the wall) & been tipping away ever since, but still can't hold point of balance for very long😆btw your handstands look pretty perfect to me !
Tom, I can totally relate with what you shared with us here. As a stubborn perfectionist, I spent months focusing on improving my shoulder mobility and chest to wall line, but did not bother working on entries and balance. As a results, time passed but (as you might expect) balance only marginally improved. Finally, I decided to `let go`, started playing with back to wall, wall-assisted balance drills (both chest and back to wall) and kick-up entries (without any wall): I can now start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! As a side bonus, handstand training has become much more enjoyable and fun, too. Still a long way to go, but I am enjoying the learning process. After all, in 5 years, it will not matter if it took me a few months more to learn. By the way, keep up the great work. Been following you for quite a while, your content is stellar.
Just go upside down and have fun this is how I learnt it without knowing that I was doing handstands. That's fun and do whatever u do in a controlled way and work on mobility if u don't have the necessary level of it .
My biggest issue is my anterior pelvic tilt, it's really hard for me to keep my legs and pelvis in a straight line. I also overextend my shoulders, which makes it harder for me to balance. I've been practicing for 4 months and haven't seen too much progress, but my anterior pelvic tilt is way better than it used to be thanks to my practice and I've become more aware of my allignment and thanks to that I've gotten better at balancing. I still have a long way to go but with consistency I'll eventually get my free standing handstand :)
Definitely an individual experience but definitely whatever gets you the most time in balance to begin with will be most important, banana handstands have never worked for me but that might be my anatomy, great vid
i think one should just practice both. typically in a session I will do some wall assisted stuff to improve my line, mobility, strength and I will also do some balance practice which is less focused on perfect line and more on just improving balance. over time one can then put the things together. I wouldn't neglect any of the two, neither line nor balance. but i agree, one should not be too fixated on perfect looks from the beginning
Very nice and well-balanced coverage of the topic! I completely agree. Anyway, most people don't have enough shoulder flexibility to do a perfectly straight handstand. There's nothing wrong with working on the balance anyway, and maybe slowly improving the line.
In my csse, what helped me the most on it was to get good shoulder mobility. After getting enough mobility to get into a straight line I actually started getting progress on it. I actually got to bslance, to even the weight and the hands and do more stuff. To me, the mobility aspect would come before the balance one, but only up to a certain point. Id say that once you get to stack the shoulders over the hands (instewdnof having a "miniplanche"), you should get into the balsncing aspect.
for better grip, it's harder to balance in a "soft" surface like a yoga mat, grass, the floor in the gym etc. than in a solid surface like concrete or wood (like Tom and a lot of handbalancing practicers)
Is it normal that my lower back hurts while doing a handstand ? I'm thinking of quitting HS training just because of that , Also i can't maintain a free handstand just wall assisted for now , and am still afraid to fall...
Balance may be key but unlearning bad habits may pose frustrating challenges; currently, I'm trying to unlearn the mini-planche with bent arms. Progress is slow as my balance is simply better with those form flaws.
i recently was able to finally balance out of the blue cause i dont give the handstand the focus it needs since im more focused on different skills, but im defintely in a banana shape. i have poor shoulder mobility but at least i have the balance now. this video made me feel a lil better haha. cheers tom.
I just made the experience how much easier it is to find and keep the balance with not fully extended shoulders ergo a banana handstand. I will continue to train like this and make the extend only than when i find the balance. Before this experience I had the feeling, the banana isnt allowed behause of all the videos on RUclips warning from it. So thank you for empowering this and of course for all your other videos!
Tom could you make a video covering periostitis (causing the pain in wrist flexors after holding a planche)? How should we take care of it and modify our workouts?
I'm not sure yet if straight line is possible for me as I have kyphosis, so the lower back must compensate for this by adopting banana curve. My approach is to just keep working all facets of HS and accept what shape my body prefers. So I'm still aiming for a stable free standing HS of 30 sec plus, any shape will do. Then I hope to achieve stalker press to HS longer term.
While using occasionally banana form for handstand isn't neccesarrily a bad thing, although I believe the end goal should always be a straight line handstand. Holding a banana handstand is nothing compared to a straight line imo. The gap between the two its too big. I could hold a 10-15 sec banana handstand after a couple of weeks of training, but it took me a solid 2+ years to transform it into a solid straight line handstand. For some people like me, learning the "wrong" pattern might actually make it harder to transition it to the "right" one. I'm saying "wrong" and "right" just because as you mentioned in the video, banana handstand is limited to just being a banana handstand, and the transferability to other skills is poor. So what I personally reccomend, is focusing on straight line attempts (on the wall) while still attempting some free standing attempts, even with a banana form but without being your main handstand training exercise.
I managed to catch my first handstand a few days ago and held it for 10 seconds. Next day the same. Obviously shoulders were not 100% open and had a bit of banana action. But I cannot tell you how happy I was. Obviously when I'm doing wall HS I'm in a "perfect" body line
I can do a few hspu on the ground, but my form is always wonky and I end up in banana form handstand and need to use some effort to correct my form, most likely inhibiting my ability to do more reps. You may have mentioned how to correct this in a vid, can someone find me that vid or tell me how?? Thanks y’all so much!
How do I stop doing steps with my arms to maintain the balance? Does it go away with practice? I can already balance for 30-40 seconds while doing the steps
At 64 doing any handstand is a challenge Do you have any suggestions? Also are you going to do any follow alongs soon? You have stated you think doing separate upper body and lower body is better than whole body. I'd love it if you did follow along for each.
I sprained my wrist working on my handstand. I’ve been trying to work through it so I don’t lose progress but probably isnt the smartest thing to do. Its just taking so long to feel better I want to get back on it. Should I just keep off of it for a bit and stretch it out everyday?
I learned banana first, and it took me a long time to undo it and learn to handstand straightish. I would defo recommend anyone to stay away from the banana. Your body learns to balance that way and it´s even harder to relearn the straight line approach.
Is there any evidence that flexing the neck back while keeping the torso upright can cause cervical degeneration? I've often wondered if holding the neck in such an extreme position for so much time can lead to this.
I suspect this would be impossible to study to get that evidence........but do you mean extension? i think the few minutes a day you are in this position (upside down) compared the the many, many, many hours you are not would not likely cause a problem....maybe even help?
If the line is your issue and it feels strenuous or overly difficult to keep the pelvis neutral, then it's most likely a combination of weak/tight psoas and possibly spinal erectors. Basically anterior pelvic tilt when you're upside down is more prominent and noticeable. Hope it helps
Personally I learned banana first, could hold for a 60+ seconds before I started the journey of straightening out! Thanks for sharing your perspective 👍🏻👊🏻
Hey it's the biggets bomb! Love you content man, keep it up!
Another argument for the banana handstand is that it’s just natural progression like if you’re learning to stand with your feet. Babies and toddlers learning to stand don’t stand with their knees and hips straight. They stand with them bent because it offers them more control surfaces. When you get better you start to refine your control and require less control surfaces
Anybody else here for this chill vibe? 100% honesty, I find listening to Tom so relaxing. He’s years ahead of me on my own fitness journey, but I am totally okay with that. His videos and tutorials walk you through each step. Just starting off on the handstand life- wonderful! Hitting the one-arm handstand with shape changes- amazing! Keep shining on you crazy diamond! He just Bob Rossed the fitness community and I am loving it! 😆🥰😆
Agreed- balance over line, every time at the start. Everyone else is wrong and wasting peoples time and money. You "da man", Tom.
Just my opinion: Doing a thing is more important, at least initially, than worrying about perfection. Do the best you can and over time you can polish the position.
Tbh, you changed my mind on the banana handstand. Even though that’s how I got my handstand, I still preached fixing your line first
Spot on. Also, allowing the freedom to compromise form, at least in the beginning, makes it easier to adjust the amount of strain on the wrists, shoulders and so on, since aligning oneself frontally against the wall is super hard and intense at first and can cause injuries
Couldn't agree more Tom!! No ones gonna start with a perfect handstand! As long as you're giving it a go from the start you're doing a good job! You've got to learn how to walk before you can run! Just get upside down and learn how it feels. Once you're able to do the fundamentals then it's time to fix that form. But just give it a go!
AND you're putting my one arm to shame! I need to get practising again!
thanks Tom, love your approach, I'm 63 & started doing handstands 3yrs ago (against the wall) & been tipping away ever since, but still can't hold point of balance for very long😆btw your handstands look pretty perfect to me !
Tom, I can totally relate with what you shared with us here. As a stubborn perfectionist, I spent months focusing on improving my shoulder mobility and chest to wall line, but did not bother working on entries and balance. As a results, time passed but (as you might expect) balance only marginally improved. Finally, I decided to `let go`, started playing with back to wall, wall-assisted balance drills (both chest and back to wall) and kick-up entries (without any wall): I can now start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!
As a side bonus, handstand training has become much more enjoyable and fun, too. Still a long way to go, but I am enjoying the learning process. After all, in 5 years, it will not matter if it took me a few months more to learn. By the way, keep up the great work. Been following you for quite a while, your content is stellar.
Got my first ten second hold yesterday! You’re advice and mobility routines have helped me so much thank you!
Perfect! Congratulations!
How long it took?
@@sxdx-8519 about 2 months of 30-40 minute sessions every other day.
@@archifit8041 What exercises did you do?
2:53 he played the forbidden song!? No but seriously this helps my handstand progress so much! Thank you!
😂 oops
@@BodyweightWarrior did they copyright strike you for that???
This video made me feel less guilty about doing back to wall handstands to practice. Haha, cheers Tom :D
Thank you so much for clearing up those priorities👏
Just go upside down and have fun this is how I learnt it without knowing that I was doing handstands. That's fun and do whatever u do in a controlled way and work on mobility if u don't have the necessary level of it .
When you're too good at handstand, you can't even fake a banana handstand anymore 😂😂
My biggest issue is my anterior pelvic tilt, it's really hard for me to keep my legs and pelvis in a straight line. I also overextend my shoulders, which makes it harder for me to balance. I've been practicing for 4 months and haven't seen too much progress, but my anterior pelvic tilt is way better than it used to be thanks to my practice and I've become more aware of my allignment and thanks to that I've gotten better at balancing.
I still have a long way to go but with consistency I'll eventually get my free standing handstand :)
Definitely an individual experience but definitely whatever gets you the most time in balance to begin with will be most important, banana handstands have never worked for me but that might be my anatomy, great vid
i think one should just practice both. typically in a session I will do some wall assisted stuff to improve my line, mobility, strength and I will also do some balance practice which is less focused on perfect line and more on just improving balance. over time one can then put the things together. I wouldn't neglect any of the two, neither line nor balance. but i agree, one should not be too fixated on perfect looks from the beginning
Just came here to hear you say “banana” for five minutes straight. Love your accent. ❤️
Very nice and well-balanced coverage of the topic! I completely agree. Anyway, most people don't have enough shoulder flexibility to do a perfectly straight handstand. There's nothing wrong with working on the balance anyway, and maybe slowly improving the line.
In my csse, what helped me the most on it was to get good shoulder mobility. After getting enough mobility to get into a straight line I actually started getting progress on it. I actually got to bslance, to even the weight and the hands and do more stuff. To me, the mobility aspect would come before the balance one, but only up to a certain point. Id say that once you get to stack the shoulders over the hands (instewdnof having a "miniplanche"), you should get into the balsncing aspect.
Hey Tom what is that board you're using ? And why ?
for better grip, it's harder to balance in a "soft" surface like a yoga mat, grass, the floor in the gym etc. than in a solid surface like concrete or wood (like Tom and a lot of handbalancing practicers)
@@OwenColin123 Oh ok I see thanks for responding ;)
Is it normal that my lower back hurts while doing a handstand ?
I'm thinking of quitting HS training just because of that , Also i can't maintain a free handstand just wall assisted for now , and am still afraid to fall...
Balance may be key but unlearning bad habits may pose frustrating challenges; currently, I'm trying to unlearn the mini-planche with bent arms. Progress is slow as my balance is simply better with those form flaws.
Myman flexing with his guitar skills
i recently was able to finally balance out of the blue cause i dont give the handstand the focus it needs since im more focused on different skills, but im defintely in a banana shape. i have poor shoulder mobility but at least i have the balance now. this video made me feel a lil better haha. cheers tom.
I just made the experience how much easier it is to find and keep the balance with not fully extended shoulders ergo a banana handstand. I will continue to train like this and make the extend only than when i find the balance. Before this experience I had the feeling, the banana isnt allowed behause of all the videos on RUclips warning from it. So thank you for empowering this and of course for all your other videos!
Completely agree 💯
Tom could you make a video covering periostitis (causing the pain in wrist flexors after holding a planche)? How should we take care of it and modify our workouts?
I'm not sure yet if straight line is possible for me as I have kyphosis, so the lower back must compensate for this by adopting banana curve. My approach is to just keep working all facets of HS and accept what shape my body prefers. So I'm still aiming for a stable free standing HS of 30 sec plus, any shape will do. Then I hope to achieve stalker press to HS longer term.
While using occasionally banana form for handstand isn't neccesarrily a bad thing, although I believe the end goal should always be a straight line handstand. Holding a banana handstand is nothing compared to a straight line imo. The gap between the two its too big. I could hold a 10-15 sec banana handstand after a couple of weeks of training, but it took me a solid 2+ years to transform it into a solid straight line handstand. For some people like me, learning the "wrong" pattern might actually make it harder to transition it to the "right" one. I'm saying "wrong" and "right" just because as you mentioned in the video, banana handstand is limited to just being a banana handstand, and the transferability to other skills is poor.
So what I personally reccomend, is focusing on straight line attempts (on the wall) while still attempting some free standing attempts, even with a banana form but without being your main handstand training exercise.
I managed to catch my first handstand a few days ago and held it for 10 seconds. Next day the same. Obviously shoulders were not 100% open and had a bit of banana action. But I cannot tell you how happy I was. Obviously when I'm doing wall HS I'm in a "perfect" body line
my man really played that song on guitar
I can do a few hspu on the ground, but my form is always wonky and I end up in banana form handstand and need to use some effort to correct my form, most likely inhibiting my ability to do more reps. You may have mentioned how to correct this in a vid, can someone find me that vid or tell me how?? Thanks y’all so much!
How do I stop doing steps with my arms to maintain the balance? Does it go away with practice? I can already balance for 30-40 seconds while doing the steps
At 64 doing any handstand is a challenge Do you have any suggestions?
Also are you going to do any follow alongs soon?
You have stated you think doing separate upper body and lower body is better than whole body. I'd love it if you did follow along for each.
I sprained my wrist working on my handstand. I’ve been trying to work through it so I don’t lose progress but probably isnt the smartest thing to do. Its just taking so long to feel better I want to get back on it. Should I just keep off of it for a bit and stretch it out everyday?
I would do some light strength exercises for it! Look up some wrist mobility and wrist isometric movements ! Hope this helps 💪🏻
@@jakeportolese4031 thanks I’ll check it out. I think I over extended it when I fell over and came out of the handstand
I learned banana first, and it took me a long time to undo it and learn to handstand straightish. I would defo recommend anyone to stay away from the banana. Your body learns to balance that way and it´s even harder to relearn the straight line approach.
Maybe so, but
For me tho.
Not
Is there any evidence that flexing the neck back while keeping the torso upright can cause cervical degeneration? I've often wondered if holding the neck in such an extreme position for so much time can lead to this.
I suspect this would be impossible to study to get that evidence........but do you mean extension? i think the few minutes a day you are in this position (upside down) compared the the many, many, many hours you are not would not likely cause a problem....maybe even help?
would you say its easier on parallettes or on the hands? and does doing it in parallettes translate to doing it on hands??
I have been training handstands for 4 months and my progress is minimal.
I have used all the tips I have seen on the internet.
I really need help bro
If the line is your issue and it feels strenuous or overly difficult to keep the pelvis neutral, then it's most likely a combination of weak/tight psoas and possibly spinal erectors. Basically anterior pelvic tilt when you're upside down is more prominent and noticeable.
Hope it helps
Tom, what are the prerequisites for OAHS?
What's your opinion about working out with Disc Herniation?
Did you play Stairway to Heaven on the guitar?
Good spot
dont work on the line so much, or get obssessed with it. It will come later as u practice other drils like shapes, hold, entries. tucks slides etc.
I just gotta get a 2nd comment in: My man just played the most hated guitar store Song.
Semi troll 😂
the forbidden riff…
Would be thrilled with balance. Even a banana balance.
"There's always money in the banana h̶a̶n̶d̶stand"
Tom can play guitar?
Were you starting to play "Stairway to heaven"?
👍
NO STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN NOOOO
♥️
Banana or straight, a handstand is a handstand anyways...
Legend says Vegan athletes love 2 do 🍌 Handstand
Stairway to heaven :)
No, of course not. Full of potassium !