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You’ll be hard-pressed to find a fitness feat that feels more rewarding — more “I am amazing and I can do anything!” — than handstands.
After all, when you perform your first handstand, you are literally defying gravity and bending the rules of what the human body is designed to do. (Think: stand on its feet, not hands). “That’s very empowering,” explains Erica Suter, a Baltimore-based certified strength and conditioning specialist, who says handstands are one of the hardest bodyweight exercises you can perform — period.
Apart from testing total-body strength and stability, they build total-body strength and stability. Handstands work the entire body, hammering the muscles of the shoulders, arms, core and even the hips and legs, Suter says. Plus, they are a gateway to a lot of other awesome acrobatic movements such as handstand walks and handstand push-ups.
Woah, buddy!
That said, no matter how exciting the thought of performing your first handstand is, knowing how to pull it off is something else entirely. That’s why we had Suter share a workout designed to get you upside-down in eight weeks. Perform it 2–3 times weekly for the best results.