Are There Any Handstand Benefits? Or Just a Cool Party Trick?

Being able to hop up onto your hands and balance, or even walk around, is a pretty impressive trick. Certainly it requires serious muscle power, but is there more to it than that? Should you or your clients be working up to handstand? Turns out there are some benefits of doing handstands for more than just a party trick. 

What is and is Not a Handstand? 

Keep in mind that there is a difference between a headstand and a handstand. The headstand yoga pose, sirsasana, involves putting all the weight of your body on your head and forearms. A handstand is literally on your hands, with your arms holding you up, not your head. 

Some people use the terms interchangeably, but this is incorrect. Certain benefits are shared by the two, but a headstand can be a little riskier. A headstand puts a lot of pressure on the spine. If done incorrectly, it can even cause a disc herniation. 

A true handstand requires more balance and more strength, and as long as you do it in an open space with somewhere soft to land, it’s low risk. 

Handstands Offer A Unique Take on Strength Training 

If you work on handstands for no other reason, do it for this one. The only part of your body you won’t work much is your legs. Handstands are great for upper body and core strength.

Handstand Benefits for Upper Body Strength

You know what it feels like to be in a plank position. Stay in it long enough and you start to feel the burn throughout your arms and in your shoulders. Now imagine that your feet are not on the floor supporting part of your weight. 

Holding up your entire body weight with your arms is challenging and strength building. It works most every muscle in the arm, shoulders, and upper back. Even your chest will feel some of the burn. 

If lifting isn’t your thing, here are some yoga poses and body weight exercises that will give you a strong upper body. 

Strengthen Your Core Too

Getting into and holding a handstand requires serious upper body strength, especially in the arms and shoulders. Your core plays a role in this move too, which means regular handstands are great for working the core and building strength. 

The core muscles stabilize you in nearly every body position, from standing to sitting upright in a chair. The more difficult the position is to hold, the harder the core has to work. This is why a handstand is so good for strengthening these muscles. It’s very challenging. 

Strength Equals Balance

It almost goes without saying that a handstand improves balance. The stronger you are, especially in your core muscles, the better your balance. If balance is a weak point for you, start working on handstands to improve it. 

Any time you work on balance, you’re strengthening your core. Read more about unstable surface training to build a strength and balance. 

The Handstand Benefits You Didn’t Expect

Strength and balance are reasons enough to work on handstands, but there are many more. There’s a reason, after all, that yogis like to do inversions. Balancing upside down has some other health and wellness benefits: 

• Mental strength. A handstand requires physical strength, but it is also a mental exercise. It requires mind-body coordination and focus. 

• Breathing. Balancing in such a difficult position requires a focus on the breath. Large or uneven breaths can throw you out of balance. This exercise can help you learn how to control your breathing more. 

• Blood flow. Inversion shifts the flow of blood to your brain and improves overall blood flow in the body. Many people find this energizing and clarifying. It’s especially useful for draining fluid out of the lower body after a long day sitting at a desk. 

• Mood. While the scientific research is a little behind on this benefit, there is much anecdotal evidence to suggest that inversions in yoga provide some relief from depression. Why this might be the case isn’t obvious, but doing handstands regularly could boost your mood. 

• Stress. It may be the blood flow going to the brain or the mood boost, but a handstand can help you reduce stress. Inversion poses in yoga are highly valued for this reason. 

• Bone health. As a weight-bearing exercise, a handstand supports strong bones. All load-bearing workouts help strengthen bones and improve density, staving off age-related bone loss and fractures. 

Of course, all of these are good reasons to practice handstands, but maybe the best one is that it’s fun. You’ll feel like a kid again when you can go upside down and hold yourself there. Party tricks are also useful, and this one is hard to beat. 

Yes, You Can Learn to Do a Handstand

As with any difficult exercise, a handstand may seem impossible to you at first. The key is to build up to it. You can’t do one today, but in a month or two, with the right preparation, you could be doing it daily. Here are some preparatory exercises: 

• Downward dog

• Downward dog with leg kick ups

• Plank

• An inversion chair or sling

• Pike wall hold, with feet flat against the wall, work them up higher and higher with hands on the floor

When you’re ready to try a handstand, use a spotter so you don’t come crashing down in a dangerous way. They can help you get into the handstand, then guide you, and finally simply stand by to catch you if necessary. It’s all about small steps to progress to an independent handstand.

There are some minor risks of doing handstands. If you have specific health conditions, it may not be advisable to do this move. Ask your doctor first, but generally people with back, shoulder, or neck injuries should not do it. Also talk to your doctor about handstands if you have high or low blood pressure, glaucoma, or a heart condition. 

For most people, a handstand is a fun and rewarding challenge. If you have clients working on strength, consider working up to one. Try it yourself too, if you haven’t already mastered a handstand. 

Whether you want to do a handstand or just learn how to work out effectively, the ISSA’s Certified Personal Trainer – Self-Guided Study Program is for you. Learn how to break down exercises, plan training sessions, and work with clients to meet any goal as you become a professional trainer.