Fast Fitness - Handstand Dips

Friday, July 25, 2008

Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM

Here is Friday Fast Fitness - Dips upside down holding a handstand, for shoulder and arm strength, balance, agility, and fun.

Readers Dave, Nine-Volt Terry, and others asked about dips. You don't need weights and equipment to increase strength. Body weight can be used in many fun ways. Fitness Fixer has shown how to do an easy handstand, then last Friday featured a short movie to learn a regular handstand - Fast Fitness - Step Up To Handstand.

This week - use the handstand for more:

1. Hold a handstand the way you are safe and comfortable.
2. Bend your elbows to lower toward the floor like a pushup, then push to straighten.
3. Increase how deep you can dip and how many you can do and push back up again.

These dips are safer for the anterior (front) shoulder than conventional dips which are done by leaning or hanging on hands while upright, and bending elbows behind you to lower and raise. They can work like a Safer Overhead Military Press. Make sure you don't have glaucoma or uncontrolled high blood pressure before doing these. Breathe and stay relaxed instead of tightening.

To increase skills, work until you can do handstand dips without a wall.

Cat photo by polandeze
Photo by Perfecto Insecto

Labels: arm, fast fitness, handstand, shoulder, strength

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