Complete Handstand Push Up Progression For Strong Shoulders

Handstand push up progression will test your limits.

Handstand push ups are yet another impressive calisthenics skill. It requires significant strength, shoulder mobility and balance.

If you ever tried to do a handstand you know how hard it is just to balance upside down.

Add a pushing movement that will shift your weight during the movement, and you may start to see the difficulty.

Putting aside all the difficulty, this skill will help you build your shoulder strength. If you want to put serious mass to your shoulder muscles, handstand push up progression is a valuable progression for you.

Handstand Push Up Progression: Muscles Worked

Handstand push up progression will require a lot of strength to perform. This in turn builds your muscles. As already mentioned, your shoulder muscles are the primary target. By shoulder muscles I mean your deltoids.

However, not only deltoids will do the work. Your triceps and trapezius will be heavily involved too.

Your core will be engaged to keep your body rigid and to prevent you from falling.

Handstand push up progression muscles worked:

• Delts
• Triceps
• Traps
• Core

Handstand Push Up Progression: Equipment

For freestanding handstand push up you will not need any equipment. However, in some exercises in handstand push up progression you will benefit from using equipment.

Equipment:

• Wall (or some other vertical object you can lean on)
• Box (or some other elevated surface)
• Exercise mat (optional)

Handstand Push Up Progression: Exercises

When starting with your handstand push up progression you will start with easier exercises. The exercises will gradually be more difficult.

You will need more strength, mobility and balance as you progress.

Handstand push up progression will start with basic preparation exercises like a downward dog yoga pose.

Exercises will get harder and you will have to master pike push up on the way.

You will continue towards handstand push ups against the wall. All the way to a full freestanding handstand push up at the end.

Progression instructions

Each exercise in the handstand push up progression will build upon the previous exercise. When you are able to perform the first exercise in a progression, its benefits will help you move on to the next.

Each exercise comes with targeted prerequisites for progressing to the next one. However, these prerequisites are not set in stone.

Those are just guidelines. Even if you haven’t mastered the current exercise you are working on, doing the harder one may help you progress further.

This can keep you motivated and work more. Especially if you are stuck on one exercise for a while.

Even doing one rep on harder exercise may help you feel some progress.

Handstand push up levels

For your convenience, exercises are divided into five levels of difficulty. This will make it easier to follow your progress.

It will add a gamification element to your workouts. So, you may feel even more motivated for solving each level as you go. Think of solving each level as solving a level in a game. The only difference – this game is performed in real life.

Level 0 is reserved for basic preparation exercises.

The main goal of Level 1 is achieving your first pike push up.

Level 2 will move you past pike push ups and prepare you for going vertical.

You will continue to work on a handstand push up against the wall on Level 3.

Level 4 is where you get off the wall and start doing freestanding variants of exercises. This level will require you to completely master freestanding balance. This is the final level where you will finally reach your first full handstand push up.

Here are the exercises in a progression:

Level 0

• Downward dog hold
• Downward dog shrugs
• Incline pike push ups
• Incline diamond push ups

Level 1

• Elevated pike hold
• Elevated pike shrugs
• Pike push ups

Level 2

• One leg pike push ups
• Elevated pike push ups (decline pike push ups)
• Handstand hold (against the wall)

Level 3

• Handstand shrugs (against the wall)
• Handstand half push ups (against the wall)
• Handstand push ups (against the wall)
• Handstand bail outs (with wall assistance)

Level 4

• Freestanding handstand
• Handstand half push up
• Handstand push up negative
• Headstand push up to handstand
• Handstand push up

Level 0

Level 0 is the first step of a handstand push up progression. It’s reserved for basic exercises. On this level, you will have to improve your hamstring flexibility and get basic shoulder strength.

Even though I’m currently comfortably doing wall handstand push ups I benefit from these basics. I’m still struggling with my hamstring flexibility. So, I may perform a downward dog stretch during my cooldowns.

Downward Dog Hold

Even though downward dog hold may seem like a basic exercise to someone, it still challenges you.

For me, the main challenge is my hamstring flexibility.

Equipment:

• Exercise mat (optional)

How to perform downward dog hold

Positioning:

In a perfect downward dog position you will be standing on the soles of your feet and your palms. Your butt will be up in the air.

Keep your legs straight. Your arms will be in a straight line with your upper body.

You will be bent in your hips and your body will form an A shape.

Hold for as long as you can. To reach mastery hold this position for 30 seconds or more in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3x30s downward dog holds

Downward Dog Shrugs

Downward dog shrugs add a small additional movement to a downward dog pose. This small movement will help you prepare your traps for increased load in the following exercises.

Equipment:

• Exercise mat (optional)

How to perform downward dog shrug

Positioning:

In a perfect downward dog position you will be standing on the soles of your feet and your palms. Your butt will be up in the air.

Keep your legs straight. Your arms will be in a straight line with your upper body.

You will be bent in your hips and your body will form an A shape.

Upward movement:

Make a small movement by extending your arms in your shoulders. You will be able to perform this move by letting your scapulas move upward. You will basically push your shoulders up to your ears.

Downward movement:

Release the tension in your traps by letting your shoulder come back to a starting position. Do this movement slowly.

Mastery level for this exercise is 20 or more reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×10 downward dog shrugs

Incline Pike Push Ups

To perform incline pike push ups you will need a box or some other sturdy elevated surface. This can be a sofa, a bed, a table or wall.

The higher the surface the easier it will be. The lower the surface the harder it will be to perform this exercise.

Equipment:

• Box (or some other elevated surface)

How to perform incline pike push ups

Positioning:

Place your hands on an elevated surface. Your upper body and your hands should be in a straight line in the starting position.

Your legs should be at around hip width apart firmly on the ground. You will be bent in your hips and your body will form an A shape.

Downward movement:

To move down, bend your arms in your elbows. Let your head move towards an elevated surface where you are holding your hands.

Touch the surface with your head. But don’t rest your head against the surface.

Upward movement:

Push away from an elevated surface by extending your arms in your elbows. Keep on pushing until your arms and your upper body are in the straight line again.

Mastery level for this exercise is 20 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×10 incline pike push ups

Incline Diamond Push Ups

The only difference between incline pike push ups and incline diamond push ups is in the position of your hands. In incline diamond push ups your hands are close together.

Your index fingers and your thumbs are touching and form a diamond shape. Hence the diamond in the name of this exercise.

Equipment:

• Box (or some other elevated surface)

How to perform incline diamond push ups

Positioning:

Place your hands close together on an elevated surface. Your index fingers and your thumbs are touching and form a diamond shape. Your upper body and your hands should be in a straight line in the starting position.

You will be bent in your hips and your body will form an A shape. Your legs should be at around hip width apart firmly on the ground.

Downward movement:

To move down, bend your arms in your elbows. Let your head move towards an elevated surface where you are holding your hands.

Touch the surface with your head. But don’t rest your head against the surface.

Upward movement:

Push away from an elevated surface by extending your arms in your elbows. Keep on pushing until your arms and your upper body are in the straight line again.

Mastery level for this exercise is 20 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×10 incline diamond push ups

Level 1

Level 1 is all about mastering pike push ups. Pike push ups will help you increase your strength.

This level of strength will be necessary to be able to progress to vertical exercises. So, let’s start and get this pike push up under your belt.

Elevated Pike Hold

Elevated pike hold is pretty similar to a downward dog hold. Only difference is that your feet will be positioned on an elevated surface.

It will help you position your upper body vertically and get a feeling of a handstand position.

Equipment:

• Box (or some other elevated surface)

How to perform elevated pike hold

Positioning:

Place your toes on an elevated surface. Put your hands on the floor in front of the box.

Your butt will be up in the air.

Keep your legs straight. Your arms will be in a straight line with your upper body.

You will be bent in your hips and your body will form an A shape. Ideally, your upper body will be vertical.

Hold for as long as you can. To reach mastery hold this position for 30 seconds or more in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3x20s elevated pike holds

Elevated Pike Shrugs

Elevated pike shrugs add a small additional movement to an elevated pike hold. This small movement will help you prepare your traps for increased load in the following exercises.

Equipment:

• Box (or some other elevated surface)

How to perform elevated pike shrugs

Positioning:

Place your toes on an elevated surface. Put your hands on the floor in front of the box.

Your butt will be up in the air.

Keep your legs straight. Your arms will be in a straight line with your upper body.

You will be bent in your hips and your body will form an A shape. Ideally, your upper body will be vertical.

Upward movement:

Make a small movement by extending your arms in your shoulders. You will be able to perform this move by letting your scapulas move upward. You will basically push your shoulders up to your ears.

Downward movement:

Release the tension in your traps by letting your shoulder come back to a starting position. Do this movement slowly.

Mastery level for this exercise is 20 or more reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×12 elevated pike shrugs

Pike Push Ups

Pike push ups will be the first exercise that will closely resemble handstand push ups. Starting position will be very similar to a downward dog pose.

So, if we simplify it, this will be like doing handstand push ups from a downward dog position.

Equipment:

• Exercise mat (optional)

How to perform pike push ups

Positioning:

To perform a pike push up with perfect form your upper body will be positioned as close to 90 degrees to the floor as possible.

You will be bent in your hips and your body will form an A shape.

Your legs will be straight and form less than 90 degree angle to your upper body.

Your toes and your hands will be positioned on the floor. So, your butt will be the highest point of your body in this position.

Downward movement:

To start going down, bend your arms in your elbows. Allow your head to go down toward your hands positioned on the floor.

Keep on lowering down as much as you can. If you can, touch the ground with your head. But, don’t rest your head against the floor.

Upward movement:

To start moving back up, push against the floor. Extend your arms in your elbows. Keep on pushing until you reach the starting A frame position.

Mastery level for this exercise is 15 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×10 pike push ups

Level 2

This level is intended to help you go vertical. It’s all about transition from pike push ups to wall handstand.

Each exercise will help you improve and move one step closer to a wall handstand.

One Leg Pike Push Ups

One leg pike push up is a more challenging version of a pike push up. You will simply lift one leg in the air and perform a pike push up.

This will be harder than a normal pike push up. Your body will tend to twist, so your core muscles will work extra hard to keep you straight. This will also add additional load to your shoulders making this exercise harder.

Equipment:

• Exercise mat (optional)

How to perform one leg pike push ups

Positioning:

Start in a pike push up position. Lift one leg from the ground slightly.

Downward movement:

To start going down, bend your arms in your elbows. Allow your head to go down toward your hands positioned on the floor.

Keep on lowering down as much as you can. If you can, touch the ground with your head. But, don’t rest your head against the floor.

Upward movement:

To start moving back up, push against the floor. Extend your arms in your elbows. Keep on pushing until you reach the starting A frame position.

Mastery level for this exercise is 15 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×10 one leg pike push ups

Elevated Pike Push Ups

Elevated pike push ups are pike push ups with your feet on an elevated surface. Your position will be more vertical.

You will push more directly against the floor. So, it will be harder than pike push ups. Once you are able to do elevated pike push ups, transition to wall handstand push ups will be relatively easy.

Equipment:

• Box (or some other elevated surface)

How to perform elevated pike push ups

Positioning:

Place your toes on an elevated surface. Put your hands on the floor in front of the box.

Your butt will be up in the air.

Keep your legs straight. Your arms will be in a straight line with your upper body.

You will be bent in your hips and your body will form an A shape. Ideally, your upper body will be vertical.

Downward movement:

To start going down, bend your arms in your elbows. Allow your head to go down toward your hands positioned on the floor.

Keep on lowering down as much as you can. If you can, touch the ground with your head. But, don’t rest your head against the floor.

Upward movement:

To start moving back up, push against the floor. Extend your arms in your elbows. Keep on pushing until you reach the starting A frame position.

Mastery level for this exercise is 12 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×8 elevated pike push ups

Handstand Hold (against the wall)

It’s finally time for your first handstand against the wall. At first getting into the handstand position might be tricky. Once you get a hold of it, you will be able to do it easily.

Equipment:

• Wall (or some other vertical object you can lean on)

How to perform handstand hold (against the wall)

There are two ways you can get into a handstand against the wall position. So, there are two ways to position yourself for this exercise.

Positioning – Option 1

One option is by walking your legs up the wall and your hands towards the wall at the same time. It’s like walking on all four and once you reach the wall, you continue walking up the wall with your legs and your hands continue to follow on the floor.

When you get into a handstand position this way, your head will be facing towards the wall. This position is better for performing handstand push ups. It will load your shoulders more naturally.

Your position will be more like in pike push up. So your body will be slightly tilted forward.

It will also be beneficial once you want to proceed to freestanding handstands. It’s because in this position you will not have the wall behind you.

If the wall is behind you, you will feel safe to not tip over and fall on your back. This is mentally hardest fear to overcome when moving to freestanding handstand.

Without training yourself having a wall behind you as a safety, you will not miss it in later stages. So, this is the preferred way of getting into a handstand against the wall.

Positioning – Option 2

The other way is by kicking up to a handstand and allowing your legs to hit the wall. This is an easier, faster and more practical way of getting into a handstand.

However, it does come with a cost of being harder to progress to freestanding handstand later on. Also when doing handstand push ups from this position, your shoulders will be loaded differently.

Your body will be tilted backwards. This will strain your shoulders unnecessarily. Because your shoulders will have to be elevated even more than in previous option.

Once you get into a handstand using any of the methods, you will have to keep your body straight. Your body will need to be in a straight line from your hands to your toes.

This will require sufficient strength of your core.

Hold for as long as you can. To reach mastery hold this position for 30 seconds or more in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3x30s downward dog holds

Level 3

This level is all about improving your strength in handstand against the wall and preparing you for next step. Next step is moving away from wall and doing freestanding handstands.

Handstand Shrugs (against the wall)

Handstand shrugs add a small additional movement to a handstand hold. This small movement will help you prepare your traps for increased load in the following exercises.

Equipment:

• Wall (or some other vertical object you can lean on)

How to perform handstand shrugs

Positioning:

Start in a handstand against the wall position.

Upward movement:

Make a small movement by extending your arms in your shoulders. You will be able to perform this move by letting your scapulas move upward. You will basically push your shoulders up to your ears.

Downward movement:

Release the tension in your traps by letting your shoulder come back to a starting position. Do this movement slowly.

Mastery level for this exercise is 15 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×10 handstand shrugs

Handstand Half Push Ups (against the wall)

Handstand half push ups will bring you one step closer to handstand push up against the wall.

It’s like doing regular handstand push ups with limited range of motion. When I first tried I wasn’t able to do even one rep. Little by little my strength improved. In a few months I was able to do 3 reps for 3 sets. It took more than a year to be able to get to 3 sets of 10 reps.

Equipment:

• Wall (or some other vertical object you can lean on)

How to perform handstand half push ups

Positioning:

Start in a handstand against the wall position.

Downward movement:

To start going down, bend your arms in your elbows. Allow your head to go down toward your hands positioned on the floor.

Keep on lowering down as much as you can. At this point you will not go all the way down. You will gradually increase the range of motion.

Upward movement:

To start moving back up, push against the floor. Extend your arms in your elbows. Keep on pushing until you reach the starting handstand position.

Mastery level for this exercise is 10 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×5 handstand half push ups

Handstand Push Ups (against the wall)

Handstand push ups will be the same as handstand half push ups with a full range of motion.

Now you will go all the way down and up. This exercise is still a little too hard for me.

Equipment:

• Wall (or some other vertical object you can lean on)

How to perform handstand push ups

Positioning:

Start in a handstand against the wall position.

Downward movement:

To start going down, bend your arms in your elbows. Allow your head to go down toward your hands positioned on the floor.

Keep on lowering down until you touch the ground with your head. Don’t rest on your head.

Upward movement:

To start moving back up, push against the floor. Extend your arms in your elbows. Keep on pushing until you reach the starting handstand position.

Mastery level for this exercise is 10 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×5 handstand push ups

Handstand Bail Outs (with wall assistance)

Handstand bail outs will help you prepare for freestanding handstand. The whole idea of this exercise is to remove a fear of falling on your back.

You are doing handstand bail outs so you can bail out if you feel like falling on your back while doing freestanding handstand.

Equipment:

• Wall (or some other vertical object you can lean on)

How to perform handstand bail outs

Positioning:

Start in a handstand against the wall position. You must be facing towards the wall to perform this exercise. So, you will not kick up to a handstand. You have to get into position by doing wall walk.

If you are righty, release your right hand and move it forward 5-8″. Remove your legs from the wall one by one. Lower you legs down to your right side one by one. Right leg first and left will follow.

If you are lefty, start with your left hand and left leg. If this feels awkward try to do it with other hand and leg. Whatever feels more natural to you. Once you feel more confident doing bail out on one side, never do it to the other side.

You have to automate this movement on one side only. It will be your fail safe move if anything goes wrong during freestanding handstand. So, it must be automatic and used as a reflex.

The feeling will be like doing a cartwheel. However, this doesn’t mean you have to pay special attention to form. The main idea is that you feel safe doing this move.

When you start at first your hands will be up to 20″ away from wall (approximately your arms length distance). This will give you necessary feeling of safety. You will measure your progress by reducing the distance between your hands and wall.

Mastery level for this exercise is when you are able to do bail outs with chest to wall handstand. You will practically be doing a handstand with your entire body touching the wall. At this point getting away from wall and doing a freestanding handstand should be easy.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• handstand bailouts with hands 4-5″ away from wall

Level 4

On this level everything you do will be in freestanding handstand position. You will gradually move to a full handstand push up. This is the last step of a handstand push up progression.

Freestanding Handstand

Freestanding handstand is a whole new beast to conquer. Getting to your first freestanding handstand will be a journey of it’s own.

Equipment:

• None

How to perform freestanding handstand

Positioning:

Place your hands on the floor in front of you. Place your legs a few inches apart. If you are righty, your right leg will be further away. If you are lefty, your left leg will be further away.

Kick up with your legs and balance on your hands.

Mastery level for this exercise is 10s handstand hold for 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3x10s freestanding handstand holds

Handstand Half Push Up

Handstand half push ups will bring you one step closer to a full handstand push up.

It’s like doing regular handstand push ups with limited range of motion.

Equipment:

• None

How to perform handstand half push ups

Positioning:

Start in a handstand position.

Downward movement:

To start going down, bend your arms in your elbows. Allow your head to go down toward your hands positioned on the floor.

Keep on lowering down as much as you can. At this point you will not go all the way down. You will gradually increase the range of motion.

Upward movement:

To start moving back up, push against the floor. Extend your arms in your elbows. Keep on pushing until you reach the starting handstand position.

Mastery level for this exercise is 8 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×3 handstand half push ups

Handstand Push Up Negatives

In handstand push up negatives you will only be doing the lowering part of the handstand push up.

Equipment:

• None

How to perform handstand push up negatives

Positioning:

Start in a handstand position.

Downward movement:

To start going down, bend your arms in your elbows. Allow your head to go down toward your hands positioned on the floor.

Keep on lowering down until you touch the ground with your head. Do a handstand bail out. Start over by kicking up in a handstand position.

Mastery level for this exercise is 8 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×3 handstand push up negatives

Headstand Push Up To Handstand

Headstand push up to handstand is just the upward part of a handstand push up. When you combine it with a handstand push up negative, you will get a full handstand push up.

Equipment:

• None

How to perform headstand push up to handstand

Positioning:

Start in a headstand position.

Upward movement:

To start moving up, push against the floor. Extend your arms in your elbows. Keep on pushing until you reach the full handstand position.

Mastery level for this exercise is 8 reps in 3 sets.

Prerequisite for next exercise:

• 3×3 headstand push up to handstand

Handstand Push Up

Finally, it’s time for a first ever handstand push up. This is the final step in a handstand push up progression.

Equipment:

• None

How to perform handstand push ups

Positioning:

Start in a handstand position.

Downward movement:

To start going down, bend your arms in your elbows. Allow your head to go down toward your hands positioned on the floor.

Keep on lowering down until you touch the ground with your head.

Upward movement:

To start moving back up, push against the floor. Extend your arms in your elbows. Keep on pushing until you reach the starting handstand position.