Master a Basic Handstand With These 9 Moves

Sure, a handstand is a fun trick to have up your sleeve. But as any expert inverter will tell you, learning how to do a handstand is more than just a cool photo op. This advanced yoga pose is an incredible feat of strength and balance. The many benefits of handstands make them an especially aspirational move, improving blood flow, reducing stress, and improving strength all at the same time (per the International Sports Sciences Association). However, unlike other workout moves, there’s a significant barrier to entry. It’s not easy to learn how to do a handstand when you’re up against a force like gravity. But although challenging, it’s still possible, and these nine exercises will help you figure out where to start.

If you have your heart set on getting upside down — or at least want to give it a try — learn how to do a handstand with our simple guide, courtesy of yoga and gymnastics experts. This list of nine handstand progression moves is designed to slowly build your strength and teach you how to balance upside down. It’s the perfect resource for beginners learning how to do a handstand, allowing you to put in the work until you’re ready to take flight (safely). But before we get there, learn a little more about why this move is absolutely worth your time.

Danielle Gray is a NASM-certified trainer and founder of Train Like a Gymnast.

Bryan Fobbs is a NASM-certified trainer and registered yoga teacher.

“Handstands have plenty of benefits,” says Danielle Gray, a certified personal trainer and founder of Train Like a Gymnast. Some of the physiological handstand benefits include increased circulation, improved shoulder mobility, better muscle endurance, and overall body awareness and proprioception (aka understanding where your body is in space), Gray says.

Bryan Fobbs, a certified personal trainer and registered yoga teacher, agrees. “Handstands help to increase oxygenation throughout the body and improve circulation. When blood is sent upwards to the brain, it can help reduce dizziness and headaches,” he explains, adding that going upside down can also aid in digestive function. “Inverting your body helps stimulate your digestive organs and encourages better digestion.”

Beyond their many physiological benefits, handstands double as a fantastic core move. “Holding a handstand requires you to actively use your abdominal and shoulder muscles,” Fobbs says. “This helps to strengthen these particular muscles, which in turn can help improve your posture and balance.”

But like all exercise, handstands don’t just benefit you physically. “Some of the mental benefits include a new perspective (that some people may never experience in their lives) [and] improved confidence and self-esteem, which can encourage continued progress and goal setting,” Gray says. “Inverting your entire body can be a welcomed change from the pressures of daily life,” Fobbs adds. “Being upside down can create a feeling of lightness, which can lead to a more peaceful mind and less stress.”

Before trying any of the handstand progression moves below, take note of these tips from Gray.

Unlike many other exercises or yoga poses, you can’t necessarily hop into a full-blown handstand; you should progress slowly using specific moves to build up your strength and balancing skills. These handstand progression moves will help you get there.

It may seem like handstand is all about balance, but in order to be able to hold your body straight upside down, you need major upper-body strength. Push-ups are by far the best exercise since they’ll target your arms, shoulders, upper back, and core. Basic push-ups work great, but you can strengthen other areas of your body by throwing some push-up variations into your weekly routine as well.

Pike push-ups are another push-up variation that will really target your shoulders and upper back, as well as help you get used to being upside down. Do three sets of 10 a few times a week, and you’ll really notice a difference in your upper-body strength.

Crow pose is a great next step since it requires upper-body strength, balance, and core strength. It’s like a mini handstand and a great way to get your hands and wrists used to holding up your bodyweight.

Since handstand is a pretty advanced inversion, it’s a good idea to work on the most stable inversion first: headstand. In general, training inversions such as headstand and forearm stand are helpful for learning “where your vertical is,” Gray says.

(Note: Because there’s so much pressure put on your neck during headstands, it’s a good idea to consult with your doctor or yoga practitioner before trying them. Jade Esmeralda, health and fitness staff writer at PS, tried a contortion class which included a similar inversion drill incorporating a headstand from a back bridge position.)

After mastering a headstand, a forearm stand is the next hardest inversion, but not as hard as handstand. Since you’re resting on your forearms, there’s more surface area to balance on. Be sure to do this move in front of a wall at first to prevent falling. Then move to the middle of the room, on a soft surface.

Now you’re ready to try your first handstand — with support from the wall, of course. Start by “facing away from a wall, squatting, placing your hands down, and walking your feet up the wall,” Gray says. The walking part is very important. Do not kick up to a handstand. Doing so when facing away from the wall (which is your starting position for this move) can lead you to build bad habits of arching your back and overshooting vertical, Gray says.

“Practice working your way up to holding a handstand for one minute to build strength,” Gray says. You can also pause in an L-stand if you want to get comfortable with being upside down and build strength before extending your legs vertically.

The next step in learning how to do handstands freely is to practice them near a wall, but facing the other way. You’ll need to practice kicking up, so start with “dinosaur kicks,” where you lever (think: single-leg deadlift) into a handstand that doesn’t go fully to vertical, Gray explains. “Practice different ways to bail and fall so that fear of overkicking or side bending doesn’t scare you,” she says.

When you’re kicking up in front of a wall, “it’s important that you don’t overly rely on the wall by leaning the majority of your weight and legs into the wall, but instead use it as a tool to build trust in yourself and your capabilities,” Fobbs adds. Here’s how.

Although the goal of handstand in yoga is to be able to hold your body in one straight line, it can be difficult to find that balance at first. For some people, doing a handstand with your legs in a split position is much easier. You can try it in front of a wall with your toes tapping the wall for support and, eventually, move away when you master the balance.

After mastering handstand against the wall, you’re ready to move to an open area to work on balancing without any help. Kick up with control into handstand split, and slowly scissor your legs together — or, if you want to skip the split, kick up straight into handstand. Concentrate on holding your gaze at one point on the floor below you, keeping your hips stacked over your shoulders, fingers spread wide. Hold for as long as you can, but don’t forget to breathe.

Lauren Mazzo was the senior fitness editor at PS. She is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist through the American Council on Exercise. Prior to joining PS, she worked for six years as a writer and editor for Shape Magazine covering health, fitness, nutrition, mental health, sex and relationships, beauty, and astrology.

Jenny Sugar is a former PS staff writer. She reports on all things fitness, but especially loves CrossFit and yoga.

Jade Esmeralda (she/her), MS, CSCS, is a health and fitness staff writer and a strength and conditioning specialist. A lifelong martial artist and dancer, Jade has a strong passion for strength and conditioning, sports science, and human performance. She graduated with a Master of Science degree in exercise science and strength and conditioning from George Washington University.