Monday Morning Handstand Wamup plus thursday cubes

5DR86F3dAgo

So here's something I'm struggling with. Right around the 15s mark, it looks like you overbalanced quite a bit, and got a decent lean in there, but you corrected it. How did you manage that? Is it just raw strength at that point? Can you explain what happened there?

As I pulled my head back down, I let my feet get too far to the front and had to planche a bit to correct it.

Basically, the stronger you are the easier it will be for you to save a balance that goes awry

To correct large underbalance, you must immediately lower your center of gravity to keep balanced. This can be done by bending either from the shoulders, elbows, hips, or combination of them.

What you do to correct yourself will usually be dictated by where you are strongest: straight arm presses, HSPU, or planche

Interesting. I wonder if training some sort of lowering from HS to planche would be helpful... though I have no idea how to scale that to where it's workable for me (and not just a controlled fall onto my toes)

do stomach to wall handstand and practice leaning forward in the shoulders, then pushing back to open shoulders

Wow really nice Yuri! Quite similar to Ido's video (

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Damn always an inspiration Yuri, I'm just going to train right now!

How can I get cubes like that?

Nice one. I especially liked the drill where you stacked the blocks.

Yes, blocks. Because those are not cubes. The ribs of a cube have to be equal in length.

Yuri is the man!

I know that Ido exposed many people to this, and a few other exercises, which is fantastic, but as I'm sure Yuri would confirm, it's all part of the curriculum of a good hand-balancing class worldwide. However being able to do it is an accomplishment. Last year I took a HB workshop at the local circus school where we tried that with assistance. It was shockingly difficult.

yuri, my traps exploded just watching this. amazing work!

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Thanks alot, Yuri!

Your making that last stack of three just cost me $1. I bet against you making it, but my daughter Nalani had total confidence in you.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Thanks alot, Yuri!

Your making that last stack of three just cost me $1. I bet against you making it, but my daughter Nalani had total confidence in you.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

coach, you bet against me? :shock:

if it makes you feel better, I haven't tried stacking 3 in a few months, and it took me a few tries to get it without falling. even on that one I messed up the stack

+1 to Nalani for believing in me

Nice one. I especially liked the drill where you stacked the blocks.

Yes, blocks. Because those are not cubes. The ribs of a cube have to be equal in length.

Yes, they are not actually cubes but rectangular prisms, the israelis seem to call them cubes so it caught on.

yuri, my traps exploded just watching this. amazing work!

Thanks, my traps exploded doing this. I actually feel it more in my delts though, but it is a brutal shoulder workout. The first day I stacked two pair blocks for an hour, I couldn't even hold a two arm HS later that day

Yuri is the man!

I know that Ido exposed many people to this, and a few other exercises, which is fantastic, but as I'm sure Yuri would confirm, it's all part of the curriculum of a good hand-balancing class worldwide. However being able to do it is an accomplishment. Last year I took a HB workshop at the local circus school where we tried that with assistance. It was shockingly difficult.

Yuval Introduced me to the cubes, I'm fairly sure he introduced Ido as well. I'm guessing Yuval was introduced to them by Claude Victoria. The Russians use these type of exercises fair frequently as well. They are great for developing strength and for repetitions of shifting weight from arm to arm.

The other thing they are great for is balancing through the subconscious. Normally, when you hold OAHS you are thinking about balancing. Now you are thinking about moving the blocks but still have to balance so the balance is more passive, which brings us closer to the goal of balancing without thinking about it.

Damn always an inspiration Yuri, I'm just going to train right now!

How can I get cubes like that?

I got mine from Yuval because I lack the tools, but they are pretty simple to make. You can just make them solid, but have greater control over the dimensions by making them hollow. My cubes are made of 6 panels of plywood glued together

be careful though, my first experiences with the cubes resulted in many numb fingers from gripping too hard, so if you are used to floor balance you have to learn to relax your fingers a bit and put more weight on the palm

Seriously impressive! What size cubes are you using? I saw some that were 4.75in x 6in at 2.5in thick. Your's seem like a much more manageable size. Not that I am remotely close to that lol...

What are the first moves to do on blocks? And when should it start?

Is walking up and down the first thing to do?

Great stuff like always. Getting more and more consistent.

Palmcron: The best is to learn to walk down first so that you can do it starting with both left and right arm. Up is of course a bit harder as you need to push from a disadvantaged position. You can also play with walking across like yuri did there if you have several blocks. When you do all this pay very good attention to your leg/hip positioning. Film yourself if you are uncertain. A very important aspect of block walking is to get a good habit of moving into a good position for 1 arm efficiently every time. Again, look at how yuri places himself with a diagonal leg positon(in straddle) when he moves over.

Yuri,

This was a fantastic and inspirational share; thanks much. I got my first set of cubes from Yuval, and they are an invaluable tool.

I have another friend who trains with Yuri in Montreal --- instead of cubes, he uses blocks, which are rectangular chunks of two-by-fours glued together.

It is always a shock to go from climbing and stacking drills on the cubes to the blocks — the blocks are way heavier and, shall we say, humbling.

thanks again,

j

This makes me want to get cubes for later! It'll motivate me to practice more. You are strong already and getting stronger! Have you started working on one arm presses? Mannas?

Manna is a no go for me, still working scapular retraction under load. Plus I don't have a good build for mannas

I can one arm press up onto two blocks but it's not really a staple in my program at the moment.

Manna is a no go for me, still working scapular retraction under load. Plus I don't have a good build for mannas

I can one arm press up onto two blocks but it's not really a staple in my program at the moment.

I figured you could. That is awesome. Inspires me to go get to work.

Mannas are seeming to be weird for me too but more fun to be had with them.

Can't wait to see the next video!

Could one start the block un stacking work against the wall? I am still at the stage where I have a decent enough handstand (straddle and full lay) on the blocks where I feel like I could do it but the un stacking (just one block) is driving me nuts When I work it I feel like its a combination of feel (which would come with practice) but also strength when transitioning weight on to one arm that I am having problems with, and I think working that weight shift against the wall would allow me to up my time on my hands and would help build the strength needed to do it freestanding. When I say 'use the wall' I mean use the wall as an assistance when I start falling out of balance and help alignment wise if I twist any when I transition weight over on one arm. I dont mean lean against the wall like if I were doing stomach to wall endurance holds. More along the lines of the straighten into line drill, use the wall to get into position and then disengage from the wall for the rep, tap the wall if needed. One arm stomach to wall holds are not a problem for me, same thing with back to wall. The freestanding aspect seems to be a totally different animal strength wise!

Man handbalancing work is fun, frustrating at times but fun 8)

Yuri,

Awesome stuff as always! I have a couple of questions. I have recently started working on jumping to a tuck handstand instead of kicking up with straight legs. I really like doing it this way; however, I am having a really hard time contracting my glutes and lower body when kicking up and achieve balance in a tuck HS. I am able to stack much quicker and more controlled, which is why I like it but I don't achieve tension in my lower body until I reach the HS, which is difficult because I am losing balance before reaching it (due to no glute contraction).

1. When you jump to tuck like 1:00 of the first video on this thread are you squeezing your glutes?

2.Some time ago you gave me the advice to point the shins to ceiling when extending to the HS. When you jump to tuck are your shins pointing to the ceiling or are they horizontal like 0:36 of the first video and then you point them up when you extend to the HS?

Could one start the block un stacking work against the wall? I am still at the stage where I have a decent enough handstand (straddle and full lay) on the blocks where I feel like I could do it but the un stacking (just one block) is driving me nuts When I work it I feel like its a combination of feel (which would come with practice) but also strength when transitioning weight on to one arm that I am having problems with, and I think working that weight shift against the wall would allow me to up my time on my hands and would help build the strength needed to do it freestanding. When I say 'use the wall' I mean use the wall as an assistance when I start falling out of balance and help alignment wise if I twist any when I transition weight over on one arm. I dont mean lean against the wall like if I were doing stomach to wall endurance holds. More along the lines of the straighten into line drill, use the wall to get into position and then disengage from the wall for the rep, tap the wall if needed. One arm stomach to wall holds are not a problem for me, same thing with back to wall. The freestanding aspect seems to be a totally different animal strength wise!

Man handbalancing work is fun, frustrating at times but fun 8)

You can absolutely do this. It's about as close as you can get to someone spotting you while still training on your own. I know personally I had to learn to keep more weight on the palm of the hand and less on the fingers when learning to balance on blocks, maybe this will help you. otherwise, post a video and i can help you out.

Yuri,

Awesome stuff as always! I have a couple of questions. I have recently started working on jumping to a tuck handstand instead of kicking up with straight legs. I really like doing it this way; however, I am having a really hard time contracting my glutes and lower body when kicking up and achieve balance in a tuck HS. I am able to stack much quicker and more controlled, which is why I like it but I don't achieve tension in my lower body until I reach the HS, which is difficult because I am losing balance before reaching it (due to no glute contraction).

One thing you can try to do is to not hold the tuck position so long but just pass through it going all the way to straight body so you can engage.

What helps me in holding the tuck HS is to actively bring my knees to my chest and my heels to my glutes.

One other problem people have with the tuck is not keeping their legs together though, which causes problems with body tension.

1. When you jump to tuck like 1:00 of the first video on this thread are you squeezing your glutes?

Nope. I stay pretty relaxed in general when balancing though

2.Some time ago you gave me the advice to point the shins to ceiling when extending to the HS. When you jump to tuck are your shins pointing to the ceiling or are they horizontal like 0:36 of the first video and then you point them up when you extend to the HS?

in :36 I am just holding the tuck for aesthetic value, I do not pass through quite the same position when jumping up to straight HS. I am also looking up for enhanced proprioception.

When just holding the tuck HS, it will depend on your active flexibility. I am a bit lacking, if I could fully compress my knees to my chest my shins would end up more vertical.

On the way up to straight body or down however, it is beneficial to keep the shins vertical to maintain the line. Otherwise the chance of arching over are very high.

When I jump to the tuck at 1:00 my shins remain more or less vertical

What helps me in holding the tuck HS is to actively bring my knees to my chest and my heels to my glutes.

Do you know a way to build up *this* compression ability? I always find my lower legs to be a bit floppy when playing with tuck HSes