The UK's fittest man's information to perfecting the strict handstand push-up

Speak to a CrossFitter for greater than ten minutes and you’ll hear the mixture of phrases “strict handstand push-ups”. For a lot of months I heard these phrases stated by everybody I spoke to within the business and each time I needed to google it to ensure I knew precisely what it meant. They imply, it seems, precisely what they sound like: doing push-ups whereas doing a handstand up in opposition to a wall. 

These sort of ludicrous feats, which make your wrists ache simply on the thought, are bread and butter for CrossFit followers, athletes and even the UK's fittest man, Zack George, who I sat down with to try to determine a) what a strict handstand push-up is, b) is there any advantage in you studying to do one and c) is it a dope celebration trick? To whet your urge for food the solutions are: a) actually onerous, b) kind of and c) completely. 

The problem of the strict handstand push-up

To know why George is the proper man to show you the artwork of your new expertise, it's vital to know that he himself was, for fairly some time, not superb at them. In reality, though gymnastics “is actually a 3rd of CrossFit”, they have been completely not George's power coming in. “A standard athlete will most likely weigh 80 to 90 kilograms on common after which they'll most likely be about about 5 foot eight. Going into the game, I used to be about 102 kilograms and 6 foot one.” AKA: not constructed for gymnastics.

Realizing he had a number of floor to make up, he made gymnastics a serious focus of his coaching. However it took a very long time: “It most likely took me about six to eight months to get a muscle-up,” he admits, “and my muscle-ups have been horrible for about three years.” About two years into his coaching as a CrossFit athlete it took him greater than 29 minutes to do 30 ring muscle-ups. In 2020 it took him two and a half minutes. “I believe individuals see me now and so they assume that it got here actually simply and I've at all times been good at them,” says George. “However it took years to get the method proper and get my capability and quantity up.”

Going into the 2019 CrossFit Open, George felt like he was ready and had constructed up his kipping handstand push-ups – which differs from a strict handstand push-up solely in that the athlete lowers their knees earlier than exploding again up into the standard handstand place – as they have been rather more of a staple of the competitors. If you happen to gained your nationwide open, you certified for the CrossFit Video games, the Olympics of the game. That yr, nevertheless, they launched strict handstand push-ups. George cleared his first two exercises both in first or within the high three or 4. “Then the third got here up.” He can keep in mind the precise exercise: 200 foot overhead dumbbell lunge, 50 field step ups, 50 strict handstand push-ups after which 200 foot handstand walks on the finish. “So I noticed the exercise and I believe, ‘Oh, good. Yeah, I'm good at gymnastics, I don't actually observe strict palms that a lot however that's going to be wonderful.’”

Reader: it was not wonderful. He made good time up till the strict handstand push-ups – he had 5 and a half minutes left – and he didn't even make it to the handstand stroll. “I simply had a meltdown,” he remembers. His rating acquired worse with every repeat. In his different exercises he'd positioned fourth, first, first and second respectively. On this one? 168th. “That was most likely my most demoralising profession second. As a result of it was my fault and I didn't programme myself nicely sufficient.”

Since then, handstand push-ups have been his white whale, besides that in contrast to Captain Ahab he has efficiently wrestled along with his immortal foe. Whereas in 2019 he may handle 50 in 5 and a half minutes, now he can do 100 in that point. “I at all times get questioned now saying, 'How have they improved a lot? What have you ever carried out?' And it's purely consistency in coaching.” In 2020, he ended up profitable the identical exercise.

The worth of endurance

For George, the worth of gymnastics as a part of understanding is that it's a type of train that you could solely actually grasp with time, diligence and a spotlight to element. “And it's like this has taken me two years to get this significantly better at this motion. So that you've acquired to be keen to be affected person and to place the work in 3 times per week, each single week, for 2 years.”

Compared to burpees – “It's one motion, there's not likely a lot method, as soon as somebody's taught you easy methods to do one it most likely takes you 5 minutes to get it” – gymnastics takes for much longer to good. It's additionally, compared to one thing equivalent to burpees, rather more nerve-racking on the joints and tendons. Whereas you’ll be able to see actual progress in your burpees inside a month, gymnastics takes for much longer, could be a lot more durable on you “and most of the people need to skip the method, as a result of they will't be bothered or they're too impatient”.

When individuals come into George's gymnasium and say they need to do a muscle-up, George at all times asks them the identical query: are you able to do a pull-up? “They usually say, ‘No’, so I inform them you're most likely 5 months away from doing a muscle-up and even us letting you try it.” Whereas it admittedly appears cool, “They don't understand how a lot work it takes to have the ability to do this: it'll most likely take you two months of method drills, then particular muscle-strengthening drills, then after possibly a month or two I'll let you may have an try.”

All gymnastic strikes require the method to be sure to don't damage your self after which the power to have the ability to carry out what you've perfected. Plus, they're not workouts that you could carry out on a regular basis: “When you've carried out a muscle-up, individuals get carried away,” defined George. “It's a lot stress on joints and tendons. If you happen to bang out plenty of gymnastics each single day, again to again, you've most likely gonna have some kind of tendonitis or some kind of harm.” This, he says, is why individuals battle after they attempt to replicate his exercise programme: it takes time to construct up your muscle fibres to take care of the load of his gymnastics-heavy routine.

The advantages of gymnastics

So if gymnastics is this tough, ought to individuals get thinking about including gymnastics into their exercise regimens, then? “Would you like me to try to sound like individuals ought to do gymnastics? Or ought to I simply be sincere with it?” says George, laughing. He identified that gymnastics are removed from important if you wish to construct muscle or shed weight, however slightly they’re “only a cool-looking factor to do”. 

However, he says, there’s definitely loads of advantage in doing gymnastics at house or on the gymnasium: it teaches you one thing purposeful, one thing deeper than simply wanting good. It additionally offers an excellent variation on conventional shoulder exercises. “Or in right this moment's local weather, they may be caught at house with no package. So in case you've acquired any gymnasium tools, you've acquired no bar, no dumbbells, then handstand push-ups are an effective way to get a very good shoulder, triceps and chest exercise,” says George, “and also you want no package by any means.”

Plus, he says, gymnastics is all about confidence: about constructing that confidence up, utilizing it to know you are able to do it and realise precisely what the physique is able to. “The quantity of individuals we've had come into our gymnasium and so they can't even kick up in opposition to the wall to begin with. However then two months later, they're kicking up, they've acquired a lot confidence the other way up and so they're doing handstand push-ups, is a very good kind of confidence,” added George. “It's only a factor that individuals love to do. And it appears good. And it makes them really feel like they've achieved one thing higher than simply doing a traditional dumbbell shoulder press.”

What you could have earlier than you try it

As a result of problem introduced by a strict handstand push-up, there are some standards it’s good to hit earlier than you begin. First off: being inside the suitable weight-to-strength ratio. “If you happen to're round 120 kilos, it's going to be very onerous to handstand push-up your individual body weight,” defined George. Crucial factor, he says, is ensuring you already know you’ll be able to press the quantity of weight needed to do that. “If you happen to can comfortably press 50-65 per cent of your body weight, you've roughly acquired the power to have the ability to handle your individual body weight the other way up.” So: get used to lifting weights on this vary first and whenever you're comfy with that? Think about the transfer to the strict handstand push-up.

A second factor is ensuring you may have a little bit of confidence with doing actions like this (which doesn't come rapidly and there are some good prelude workouts under to get you there). “You've acquired to interrupt down the limitations, have the boldness to strive it and never be afraid of what individuals suppose or of failure.” More often than not when individuals need to do that train at his gymnasium, George sees that the primary impediment is worry of the way it will go. “You have to be assured and conscious that it's going to take a while, as a result of for most individuals being the other way up in opposition to a wall is a very unnatural factor and most can't do it right away.” 

Workout routines that can assist you construct as much as it

“The primary motion I'd get you to do is pike push-ups,” suggests George. Seize a chair, or an elevated floor, and put your ft on the chair and your palms on the ground: “So fake you're in a traditional push-up place, so your physique's flat… I would like you to carry your hips up and stroll your palms near the chair, so that you're at an angle.” Along with your ft and bum within the air and your physique going straight down, carry out a push-up. “That's a very great way since you're technically in a really comparable place [to a strict handstand push-up] as a result of all of your weight is thru your shoulders, your bum's within the air, you've simply acquired the ft on the bench as a substitute of the ft in opposition to the wall.” Do 5 units of wherever between 4 and eight reps, ensuring your head comes all the best way down and that you just totally lengthen your arms.

Subsequent, it's time to get used to being the other way up in opposition to a wall. “Put your palms on the ground and kick up, so your bum's in opposition to the wall and your head's dealing with outwards and also you're wanting away from the wall. Maintain your core good and tight, preserve your ft collectively and have your arms totally locked out.” Strive doing 5 units of ten to twenty second holds of this place, “simply getting comfy being the other way up, conserving your arms straight and staying in a superb, tight place”.

Preserving your arms straight, George added, is vitally vital. “Once you're kicking up for the primary time, the one factor that may go unsuitable is in case you bend your elbows, as a result of then you definately'll collapse to the ground. Don't fear in case you don't get your legs in opposition to the wall, so long as you retain your arms straight.” So long as your elbows and arms are locked out, he says, nothing's going to occur: the worst situation is your ft will hit the ground.

The subsequent factor to strive is a detrimental rep model, “which is the place you actually focus all of your vitality on the eccentric part of the motion”. What this implies is: specializing in the reducing down, slightly than on the pushing again up. “That's an effective way of constructing power in any motion.” For this, get your self right into a handstand after which decrease your self as slowly as potential till your head touches the ground. Though you begin together with your arms straight, as within the earlier handstand, “you're bending your arms and your body weight is of course going to push you down. You're in search of a gradual, managed descent down.”

When you've carried out this, stand again upright, relaxation a bit after which strive it once more. He recommends 5 units of two reps every. 

Lastly – and this isn’t a fast week-long course of, thoughts – he recommends doing partial handstand push-ups. “You get three cushions, stack them on high of one another in opposition to the wall, then you definately kick up. As an alternative of getting a large hole between your head and the ground, now you've possibly acquired a few inches.” Now you decrease your self down till your head douches the pillows and then you definately push again up. “You're not doing the complete vary of movement, possibly 1 / 4 of it. However as you get stronger, take a pillow out, so that you get even decrease, after which take one other pillow out, till ultimately – over a interval of months – you don’t have any pillows and also you're in a position to do a full rep.”

The right way to do your first strict handstand push-up

So, you've practiced for months and your pillows are disappearing one after the opposite. You're able to do your first full strict handstand push-up. “Be sure you're recent: clearly don't do 50 handstand push-ups to a pillow the day earlier than, as a result of that's going to impact your power. You need to be resting about two days earlier than to be sure to're totally recovered.” Plus, sleep nicely! And be sure to've had a superb breakfast – “However go away a while between a meal and truly attempting since you're going to be the other way up and also you don't need to be feeling sick.”

With all this prep, George says, the one factor left to do is consider in your self. “Know that you just've put within the work for the final nevertheless many months and that you just really feel robust sufficient, kick the other way up in opposition to the wall after which simply be assured within the motion.” As soon as the other way up, decrease your head to the ground rapidly – “Once you really go in for the rep, you don't need to decrease your self down slowly as a result of that's going to tire you out extra” – after which do a “very aggressive and explosive” motion again up. That is the massive distinction from the detrimental reps earlier than, the place the main target was on a gradual descent: right here you need to use as little vitality as potential on the eccentric part, so you’ll be able to give attention to the push again up.

If it's not going completely? No worries, test the construction of your handstand. “Make certain your hand place is correct in correlation to the wall: in case your palms are too near the wall, you'll simply preserve falling off, since you're too shut, and you probably have your palms too distant from the wall, you'll be in a very weak place since you're too distant.” This steadiness comes from observe, says George, however discovering the candy spot is essential. 

The right way to construct it into your exercise routine

So that you've carried out your first strict handstand push-up! Congrats! What now? “When you've carried out one, I'd say most likely do them twice per week, possibly a Monday and a Thursday, so that you get some relaxation between.” To progress, you need to do completely different rep schemes, although this is able to require being at a spot the place you are able to do about 5 reps comfy. 

George's favorite solution to construction a exercise with these is an “EMOM” exercise, AKA each minute on the minute. “Begin a clock for ten minutes and when the primary minute begins do two handstand push-ups after which every minute do two extra.” This, he says, is an effective way to construct up the quantity you’ll be able to carry out. “If you happen to did 5 units of two, you may find yourself resting far more on one set than the opposite, so that you don't get very correct suggestions. If you happen to go on the minute for ten minutes, you are able to do that once more subsequent week and get a very good gauge of the way you're enhancing.” He recommends doing that a few times per week after which you’ll be able to construct as much as three each minute after which 4. Alternatively, you are able to do a set each two minutes: “Now you're happening each even minute, however you need to goal for increased reps, so that you may goal for 4 unbroken handstand push-ups each two minutes for 5 rounds.” That is nice for constructing increased reps, so that you're not simply good at doing one or two at a time.

The right way to exhibit

So, you've spent 2021 studying the strict handstand push-up and we are able to lastly meet up once more. Congratulations: you now have a brand new celebration trick for when the dialog dries up as a result of we've all forgotten easy methods to socialise!

With gymnastics being so strenuous and tough to good, I needed to ask: is that this the kind of factor you have to be doing at a celebration after a wine or two? Whereas he wouldn't advise doing it in case you're inebriated and nonetheless pretty new to it, George should confess it’s completely in his home celebration repertoire. “If somebody stated I need to see one, I'd bang one out right away,” he says, laughing. It's between that and his full handstand stroll down the road, which is one other problem for one more article. “However then you definately've acquired to be ready for all of the individuals who've by no means tried them earlier than to strive one and doubtless break their neck,” he added. So at the least it'll be a memorable night time…

Zack George has partnered with MP to launch their second restricted version clothes collaboration in the stores now from www.mp.com

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