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Welcome! You're just in time for the latest update of my weekly handstands challenge. For weeks now I've been practicing handstands in large part to incorporate new exercises into my strength training regimen. I prefer compound exercises to isolation exercises because the former recruits multiple muscle groups thereby increasing strength and accelerating muscular development. Handstands are just such an exercise. When I added them to my routine and quickly realized how much fun they are, I decided to post weekly challenges on this website to entertain and give suggestions for your own strength training workouts. 

Monday's Handstands

Last week I found that doing clean and press exercises had a bad effect on my handstands. So I've rotated them out for the next ten weeks. For the first part of my workout, I focused on a minicircuit of handclap push ups (six sets at body weight), supinated close grip lat pulldowns (six sets at 190 pounds or 90 % of 1 RM), and fixed barbell skull crushers (six sets at 65 pounds or 81% of my 1 RM) allowing only twenty seconds rest between sets. Close grip lat pull downs train the biceps, shoulders and back, helping development of the V- taper. I did the clap push ups simply for the fun of it but they did a wonder on my triceps. The skullcrushers compounded that effect and worked my abs, too. So by the time I finished the minicircuit my arms were feeling it. I spent the rest of my time doing handstands. They weren't very good, I averaged only twenty-two seconds. Needless to say, that wasn't very good.

Wednesday's Handstands

Wednesday was a short workout, I did five sets of leg press at 94% of my 1 RM, allowing one minute between sets. From there I spent the remainder of my time practicing handstands. It was an improvement over Monday, I remembered to spread my fingers and this helped with balance. My average was twenty-seven seconds. But I could have done better, I did not focus as much as I should have.

Friday's Handstands

Friday was deadlift day. I started out doing ten reps of dumbbell romanian deadlifts (75 pounds per hand) and ten reps of dumbbell stiff leg deadlifts (50 pounds per hand). From there I got weight plates and an Olympic bar to do barbell deadlifts. After setting everything up I performed fifty deadlift reps at 65.5% of my 1 RM, allowing 40 seconds rest between sets. I gave my lower back a very good workout, since last Friday's deadlifts hadn't negatively impacted my handstands I thought that I would be fine this time, too. Not so. I couldn't maintain my balance for very long, my average was twenty-two seconds which was definetely not up to standard. 

Lessons Learned And This Week's Challenge

I didn't have a good week. Although Wednesday was better than Monday or Friday, I held my breath during many of the handstands and that action worked against me. Refelecting back on everything that I did during last week's handstands I should have kept my abs tighter, and kept my fingers spaced, too. 

This week I will balance myself for fifty-five seconds. I know what to do and my body is capable of doing it. It boils down to my mindset. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

"Handstands - A Personal Challenge Week 4" copyright 2011 Living Fit, Healthy and Happy. All Rights Reserved.