Strict handstand push-ups are a complex gymnastics movement that involve a proper inverted position, strength, skill, and balance to achieve. Therefore, they require progressions and practice to be able to execute with quality. Learn a few handstand push-up progressions with Khan Porter, plus some extras from The WOD Life. These progressions require minimal equipment and will teach you to not only master the movement but string multiple reps together.

1. Push-Ups

To make sure you have enough strength to support your own body weight, you should be able to perform at least 20 strict push-ups. Hands are placed shoulder-width apart and your hips, chest, and chin touch the ground at the same time, while the elbows stay close to the body.

2. Dumbbell Presses

With one dumbbell in each hand, you can either do seated or standing dumbbell presses, which means you lift the weight up directly overhead until you get your elbows locked out. If you perform this progression seated, you can focus more on your upper body strength. On the other hand, the standing dumbbell press has the exact range of motion required by a handstand push-up.

You can also do dumbbell presses with a tempo, which means you lift the weight up, and then you lower it down slowly until you get to the front rack position.

3. Piked Position Push-Up

Place yourself in a plank position and then bring your hands toward your legs, creating a pike position. Then, press your head down between your hands and push up again.

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4. Push-Ups Off a Box

This progression is similar to the last one but more complicated since your knees or feet are up on a box, creating a tripod between your hands and legs.

When you achieve the position, press down and drive yourself back up. The goal of this progression is to get your head between your hands and then press back up.

5. Kicking Up on the Wall

Keeping your elbows locked out and hands wide open, kick up against the wall. With this progression, you need to commit to kicking up, always keeping in mind the wall is not going anywhere and will stop you from falling on your back or hurting yourself.

Keep yourself inverted for a moment to help gain strength and get used to supporting yourself upside down. Do this several times until you feel confident to stay there at least a minute.

6. Negatives

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Similar to how you would execute pull-up negatives, once you are on the wall in the handstand position, lower yourself very slowly and then kick off the wall. This will train your muscles to learn the movement range of a handstand push-up without the added effort required to push yourself back up.

This is called eccentric contraction when lowering yourself under tension — you break down more muscle, which makes you gain more strength.

7. Kipping Handstand Push-Ups

To achieve this movement, go into a handstand hold position and lower yourself down until the head touches the ground. Bring the knees down, glutes to the wall, flex the feet, drive the hips up back into the wall and kick up in an explosive and coordinated motion.

Make sure that when you lower yourself down to perform another repetition, you don’t lose your core and shoulder tightness. If you do, you won’t be able to drive yourself up again.

8. Strict Handstand Push-Ups

Finally, transition into a strict handstand push-up. Here you will get into a handstand position, lower your head to the ground and push back up, elbows locked out at the top. Make sure you get your head through at the top, and your body is in a straight line.

You can also add an AbMat (or several) for a shorter range of motion under your head, but make sure that when you are able to touch one of them with your head, you remove it until you have enough strength so that your head touches the ground.

Stay tight and controlled through all the progressions — control is fundamental in this movement. Always remember every functional fitness movement requires a lot of practice and perseverance. Now you have the necessary tools to get a handstand push-up with proper progressions. Give them a try and let us know how it goes!