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Exercise library · Shoulders

Handstand push-up

Vertical press for the shoulders with your bodyweight.

How to do it

1 of 3

Hands shoulder-width, heels on the wall

  1. Starting position

    Hold a handstand against a wall with hands shoulder-width apart, arms straight, body braced and heels on the wall.

  2. The movement

    Bend your elbows and lower your head toward the floor with control, then press up until your arms are straight.

Most common mistake

Don't drop your head quickly toward the floor, control the full descent and keep your body braced against the wall.

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Muscle group
Shoulders
Equipment
Bodyweight
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Reps

Muscles worked

The handstand push-up is one of the hardest bodyweight presses, as almost all your weight rests on your arms. Your shoulders and triceps do most of the work, and your shoulder blades rotate upwards and outwards so your arms can lock out. Your abs, glutes and legs keep your body long, and your wrists carry the whole load.

Common mistakes

  • Hands too far from the wall. Your body leans more, your back arches and you lose power. Move your hands in until your body is almost straight with your heels on the wall.
  • Kicking up with full force. A hard kick slams your heels into the wall and can shift your hands. Kick up one leg at a time at moderate speed, and practise it until it is the same every time.
  • No target for your head. Without one, depth varies and your head can hit the floor. A folded mat or cushion under your head gives every rep the same depth and a soft landing.

Variations and alternatives

  • The wall handstand hold builds strength and comfort on your hands before you start bending your arms.
  • The elevated pike push-up is the step before: the same press, with your feet on a bench taking some of the weight.
  • The wall walk trains your shoulders and trunk near vertical, facing the wall, at your own pace.

Sets and reps

Keep the reps low: three to five sets of 1 to 6, with two to three minutes' rest. Stop each set with a rep or two in hand, see reps in reserve, since failing upside down is unpleasant and unsafe. A common benchmark before you start is a steady 20 to 30 second hold against the wall. The basics are in the guide to sets and reps.

If a full rep is beyond you, do the lowering only: three to five seconds down, then come out of the handstand and start again. Or stack cushions under your head and remove one at a time as you get stronger. Both are progressive overload without weights. If you feel pain in your neck, shoulders or wrists, rather than just effort, stop the exercise and have it looked at by a doctor or physiotherapist.

Also called

  • handstand push up
  • hspu

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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