Muscles worked
What the handstand push-up trains
Tap a muscle to see just that one and what it does in the lift.
Before the first rep
How to set up
- 01
Pick your wall. Use a solid wall with clear floor in front of it and nothing on either side, so you have room to come down sideways if a rep fails.
- 02
Pad the floor. Put a folded mat or a thin pad on the floor just in front of where your hands will go. It protects your head and sets a consistent depth.
- 03
Hand position. Place your hands about a hand's width out from the wall and just wider than shoulder width, fingers spread and pointing forward. The pad should sit a little in front of the line between your hands, so your head and hands make a triangle.
- 04
Practice the exit first. Before your first rep, kick up and come down a few times: step one foot down, then the other, or turn your hips and cartwheel out to the side. You should be able to get down without thinking.
- 05
Kick up. Kick up one leg at a time and let your heels touch the wall softly. Lock your arms, squeeze your legs together and push the floor away.
Step by step
How to do the handstand push-up
- 01
Set the top. Arms straight, shoulders pushed up toward your ears, ribs pulled in and heels resting on the wall. Take a breath and brace.
- 02
Lower. Bend your elbows and lower slowly, letting them point forward at about 45 degrees rather than flaring straight out. Your head travels slightly in front of your hands.
- 03
Touch the pad. Touch the top of your head lightly to the pad, with your weight still on your hands. Do not let your neck take your bodyweight or bounce off the floor.
- 04
Press. Push the floor away hard and drive back up, keeping your heels on the wall and your body in one line.
- 05
Lock out. Finish with straight arms and shoulders shrugged up, the same position you started in, before the next rep.
- 06
Come down. After the last rep, step one foot down from the wall, then the other, and stay crouched for a breath before you stand up.
Cues to say in your head
- Push the floor away
- Ribs down, glutes tight
- Make a triangle
- Elbows forward, not out
- Touch, then drive
- Shoulders to your ears
Fix these first
Common mistakes
Head landing between or behind the hands
Aim your head a little in front of your hands to make a triangle. Head in line with your hands crowds your shoulders and makes the press much harder.
Elbows flared straight out to the sides
Let them point forward at about 45 degrees. Flared elbows tend to leave you weak at the bottom and can strain the front of the shoulder.
Crashing into the floor
Lower for a slow count of two or three and touch the pad lightly. If you cannot control the way down, shorten the range with a thicker pad.
Big arch in the lower back
Pull your ribs in and squeeze your glutes so your body stays close to a straight line from hands to heels.
Kipping before the strict version is solid
Keep your legs still and press with your arms. Kipping is a separate skill that can come later once strict reps are steady.
Short reps at the top
Finish every rep with straight arms and shoulders pushed up. Stopping with soft elbows hides where the lift is weak.
Stay safe
Only train handstand push-ups once you can hold a wall handstand comfortably and come down from it on purpose. Always use a pad under your head, keep the floor around you clear, and practice stepping or cartwheeling out before your first rep. The normal way to fail is to lower to the pad under control, rest your weight on your hands, and step your feet down one at a time; never let your neck take your bodyweight. Stop if you feel neck pain, pins and needles in your arms, or a sharp pain in the shoulder or wrist, and get it checked. If you have high blood pressure, an eye pressure problem or a neck injury, check with your doctor before you train upside down.
Programming
Sets, reps and how much weight
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3 to 5 | 2 to 5 | 82–92% 1RM | 2 to 3 min |
| Muscle | 3 to 4 | 5 to 10 | 67–80% 1RM | 1.5 to 2.5 min |
| Technique | 3 to 5 | 3 to 5 | 50–65% 1RM | 1.5 to 2 min |
Plan your next session
Put in a recent set. You get working weights for your goal, a warm-up and the plates to load.
Estimated 1RM 216 lb
Muscle sets
145–173lb
3 to 4 sets of 5 to 10 reps, 1.5 to 2.5 min rest. Once you have more than five strict reps. Use a thicker pad to keep the reps coming as you tire.
Estimates use the Epley formula and work best from sets of 3 to 8 reps. Treat them as a starting point and adjust by how the first working set moves.
Questions
Handstand Push-Up questions
What muscles do handstand push-ups work?
Mainly the front shoulders and triceps, which press your body up from the floor. The side delts, traps and serratus help hold your arms and shoulder blades overhead, and your abs keep your body in a straight line.
How do you do a wall handstand push-up?
Kick up with your back to the wall and your heels resting on it, hands just wider than your shoulders. Lower your head to a pad slightly in front of your hands, then press back to straight arms. Practice stepping down from the wall before you try a rep.
What is a good handstand push-up progression?
Get strong at pike push-ups first, then build a steady wall handstand hold; 30 to 60 seconds is a common target. From there, do slow lowering reps to a thick stack of pads, press back up from that shorter range, and lower the stack as you get stronger until you reach a single pad.
How many handstand push-ups should I do?
Most people start with 3 to 5 sets of 1 to 5 strict reps, stopping well before form breaks. Once you can do more than five, sets of 5 to 10 build more muscle.
Are handstand push-ups bad for your neck?
Usually not when done with control: your hands carry the weight and your head only touches the pad lightly. Crashing into the floor or pressing through a neck injury is what causes problems, so lower slowly and stop if your neck hurts.
Should I face the wall or put my back to it?
Back to the wall with a kick-up is the common way to learn because getting in and out is easy. Chest to the wall, walked up from the floor, encourages a straighter body line but is harder to exit, so add it once the back-to-wall version is solid.
Train in Protocol
Log your handstand push-up by voice. Protocol tracks the rest.
Your last session shows up before every set, warm-ups and plates are worked out for you, and your coach sees every lift next to your sleep and recovery.