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Today I'm going to discuss the outcome of last week's handstands practice as I begin the third week of my challenge. Straight away there were highs and lows leaving room to make improvements.  

Monday's Handstands

This was a surprisingly bad day as far as strength training goes. My bench press was off, after warming up I only completed one set at 95 % of my 1 RM; nor was my clean and press up to standard. I spent fifteen minutes practicing handstands. Most of them were uneventful, I maintained my balance for fifteen to twenty seconds. My first handstand was the best - I kept myself balanced forty-five seconds (thus beating my handstand goal by fifteen seconds). Nontheless, cockiness prevented me from doing as well during the rest of practice. 

Wednesday's Handstands

I focused on legs and triceps prior to handstands. I did four sets of leg presses (10 reps at 94 % of my 1 RM) and dumbbell tricep extensions (10 reps per set starting at 50 pounds and increasing in 10 pound increments up to 70 pounds for two sets). After that I practiced handstands; I remembered to spread my fingers and this helped with balance. I maintained for an average of twenty-two seconds.

Friday's Handstands

I focused entirely on upper body exercises, exclusively performing chin up and pull up exercises.  By the time that I finished up those exercises, my triceps and upper back felt as if they were on fire. I devoted the rest of my workout to handstanding. I was maintained an average of twenty-five seconds on my hands. The last one of the day was my best so far, I maintained the handstand for fifty seconds.

Lessons Learned and Week Three's Challenge

For this week, I'll maintain a fifty-five second handstand. I didn't do any clean and press exercises, this was the single most important factor to explain how well I did. To test this theory, for the next ten weeks, I'll substitute handstands for the clean and press. Since both compound exercises use many of the same muscles, this should cut down on muscle fatigue and improve my handstand performance. Finger spacing certainly helps with balance, I'll remember to spread them as far apart as possible from now on. 

I'll update my progress next week.

"Handstands - A Personal Challenge Week 3" copyright 2011. Living Fit, Healthy and Happy. All Rights Reserved.