Handstand Walks - Phases 1-3

Anna Wish

Gymnastics
Coach
Anna Wishnowsky

I don't promise that you'll be walking on your hands in 12 weeks.

I do promise that this program will be different to any other handstand walk program you've ever seen. And that you'll (handstand?) walk away from this program understanding the movement more so than other programs. And that you'll see improvements week to week.

In this program, we start by building the basics of straight arm strength, awareness of the stacked positions, and knowing where your upside down positions truly are. We move on to building the capacity to shift onto one hand at a time, controlling the overbalance and beginning to step. We finish by hammering the ability to step smoothly from one hand to another and drilling the walk in several different ways.

Give it a crack. You'll get better. I promise.

Time commitment 3x a week for ~15 minutes, plus a few minutes of unstructured practice on your own. Plus weekly informational videos to watch ahead of time (2-3 minutes each).

Prerequisites -Kick up to handstand on wall -Wall walk or partial wall walk -Happy, injury-free (or ready to return from injury) shoulders, wrists, and elbows.

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Learn what upside down feels like
Crossfit does a bad job of explaining this most of the time. I'll help you stop flying blind.
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Learn to kick up properly
Leave the guesswork at the door. Learn how much juice a kick up requires so you're not sandbagging the start (or yeeting yourself over the top).
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Learn to find balance
With drills that help you slow down and discover your stacked position.
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Phases available
Don't want to commit to the full 12 weeks? Think you're too good to start from square one? Check out my TrainHeroic profile to purchase each phase of the program, sold separately.
Features
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Programming 3 days per week
15-25 minutes (counting warmup and some practice time). I've aimed for each workout to take 15 minutes and suggested time caps to keep you on pace.
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Exercise Video Guidance
Instructional videos to guide your practice and make execution easy
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Delivered through TrainHeroic
All in one convenient app with video demos that keep you in the app. Because PDF programs are a massive pain in the ass.
Equipment
Required
Box - standard crossfit size is ideal (20" x 24" x 30") // Wall space // Floor space // Bumper plates (5kg and 10-20kg) - size more important than weigh
Recommended
Resistance bands - heavy and light // Power rack or rig
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Sample Week
Week 1 of 12-week program
Sunday
Intro to HSW Phase 1

A

HSW Phase 1 Intro video

B

HSW Phase 1 Week 1

Sunday
General Handstand Warmup

A

General wrist warmup

1 x 1

B

Wrist push ups for HS

2 x 12

C

Handstand wall pull-aways

1 x 5

D

Closed chain wrist twisties

1 x 20

E

General shoulder warmup with resistance band

1 x 10

F

Waiter's Press

3 x 10

G

Alternating banded scap push

H

Banded wrist distraction with isometric

I

Shoulder ER+FLX on bench with dowel

J

Capsular stretch - GH

1 x 2:00

Monday
Week 1 Day 2

A

Cartwheel

5 x 1

B

COGS

2 x 30

C

Pike on box with alternating leg raise

5 x 1

D

Plank on box with alternating leg raise

3 x 20

Wednesday
Week 1 Day 4

A

Cartwheel off box

5 x 1

B

Box "wall walks" to pike on box

4 x 3

C

Plank walk around two boxes

3 x 1

D

Dead bug with lumbar band

2 x 30

Friday
Week 1 Day 6

A

WF HS to lateral cartwheel exit

5 x 1

B

WF HS Hold

3 x 0:40

C

Plank pogos/up-downs on plate

4 x 6

Coach
coach-avatar Anna Wishnowsky

Former gymnast, current crossfit coach, trainer and sports nutritionist. I like to lift and flip: weightlifting and gymnastics are my jam.

Handstand Walks - Phases 1-3