Kit's Top Tips
Any coach will tell you that consistency (in alignment with your body's experience and tolerance) is key to progressing with handstands. But what about getting started?
Confidence can be a key barrier for most people, you want to seek out a friendly coach/class that can work with you on the right progressions to transfer your weight onto your hands in a way that makes you feel supported and safe, there's a wealth of floor exercises with various progressions that can allow you to do this at your own pace.
Let's assume you're already comfortable kicking up to a wall and are looking to support your progress with some self-training (a great advantage of having handstands in your training schedule).
We asked Cloud's handstand maestro, Kit, for his top 3 recommended exercises for beginners to support their development.
Disclaimer: It’s always important to practice new exercises with a qualified coach before training them solo, you want to ensure you are approaching the exercises safely and your form is good. Depending on your level of strength and training history, you may find that you require easier or harder options too!
Exercise 1: Forearm Plank (side plank variation)
A nice friendly floor exercise to get you started. Starting in a forearm plank, ensuring you are actively pushing into the floor, your core is braced, and your glutes are tight!
Transfer your weight to one side and open your body outwards into a side plank. Make sure your shoulder remains externally rotated (your hand should be in line with your head), this will make the balance harder, but it’s great for opening the chest and activating those shoulder and upper back muscles.
Aim for 3 sets for each arm, 30 secs for each rep. Don’t be afraid to reduce the time if you feel your form drop, you can build up resilience with consistency.
Exercise 2: Shoulder Extensions (in a belly-to-wall handstand)
Start by facing away from the wall, bring your hands to the floor and walk your feet up the wall, walk your hands closer to the wall. Once you are in your best approximation of a handstand, push into the floor and try to get your shoulders to touch your ears, relax and repeat until you feel a sensible amount of shoulder fatigue. You don’t need a perfect handstand for this one, the wall is there to support you, and having your body weight above your shoulders will be enough to give you a good workout.
You want to be comfortable cartwheeling out of your handstand for this one. An easier variation would be shoulder extensions in a pike position (either in a downward dog or with your legs elevated by a block/stack of crashmats; the higher the block, the harder this exercise will feel).
Aim for 3 sets of 30 secs
Exercise 3: Tuck Downs
From a belly-to-wall handstand position, leave enough distance to slide your legs down into a tucked position and back up again. You want to fight to keep your shoulders open as you do this. Play around with your hand positioning. Too far away will take the weight off your hands and shoulders, and the closer you are, the more your shoulder flexibility will be challenged. Finding a position that works with your body may take a few attempts.
Aim for 3 sets of 30 secs
Kit has been flipping, twisting, and balancing for as long as they can remember. Starting out as a gymnast before diving (literally) into high board diving and trampolining, their love for defying gravity eventually led them to the circus world, where they’ve been tumbling around for the last 12 years. Now, they teach handstands, acrobatics, and gymnastics with us at Cloud Aerial Arts, sharing their passion for playful yet precise movement with students of all levels
Do you want some advice with your handstands, are you seeking progress? You can find guidance with these exercises and much at Cloud's weekly Beginner's Handstand classes (hosted by the marvellous Kit), Tuesdays and Fridays 17:45.
Explore Cloud's timetable here and remember "life is better upside down".
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