Clean Complex

Fitness
15 minutes to work on the complex:
High Hang Power Clean + Mid Hang Power Clean + FSQ
Focus on bringing the bar through the hips

Performance
15 minutes to work up to a 1RM High Hang Clean
Start from a vertical torso with the shoulders behind the bar
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Front Squat

Fitness: 3×3 Across
Heavier than last weeks paused 5 rep sets

Performance: Work up to a Heavy 5
Heavier than last weeks paused 5 rep sets
Only go as heavy as you can maintain a neutral spine and a solid rack.

Post loads to comments.
CLN/FSQ e2/6
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50 Sit Ups
550m Run (1 lap)
50 Sit Ups

Leslie’s Sumo Deadlift High Pulls

• Fight Gone Bad pictures are up! Big thanks to photogs Asta F, Bekka P and Dan R for putting these up. We’ve got almost 500 pictures worth of Fight Gone Goodness for all to see. Check them out on our Flickr page here.

Need a Photographer? Bekka P at your service!

I (Bekka) recently went out on my own as a freelance photographer. I work on a wide varieties of projects from documentary to event to product photography. I work with companies such as Creative Mornings, City of Industry Shop, I Spy DIY and even CrossFit South Brooklyn. I like happy people and honest projects. If you have something that fits email me at hello [at] bekkapalmer [dot] com. You can see my photography portfolio online at photography.bekkapalmer.com

Developing Your Handstand, Part 2

In a previous blog post, I wrote an article called “Developing Your Handstand” which discussed some basic points to consider for developing a hand balancing practice. If you haven’t read it already, or don’t remember it, I suggest reviewing it before getting into this article.

We’ve been seeing plenty of inversion work in our previous and current cycles so many of you are now comfortable kicking up to a wall or spotter and want to take it to the next level. From here there a few different skills you can progress to: unassisted static handstands, handstand walking and handstand push-ups. This article will focus on the former two. My personal opinion is that it’s easier and more productive to work on static and dynamic hand balancing in tandem as opposed to focusing on only one.  I often say that learning to be a good hand balancer mirrors the motor development children go through when first learning how to walk. Initially, you’ll need a little support from the wall or a spotter (cruising) and then it’s a bumpy trial and error journey where you begin to figure out where your body is in space and how to get yourself balanced.  This is a long and tedious process where you’ll spend more time on the floor than anything resembling a handstand. That’s all to be expected, persistence and smart practice are key here.  Below are some tips to get you started in the right direction.

Warm-Up on the wall: 2 Skills
The wall is a great place to work some transitional skills for hand balancing. First, experiment with slowly bringing one foot (foot A) off the wall and then gradually bringing your other foot (foot B) off so that you can get a sense of what it feels like to balance. Foot A should stay off the wall while foot B gently heel taps the wall as needed to keep you inverted. When both feet are off the wall, you’ll need to push your body up towards the ceiling and GRAB the floor with your entire hand. As you’ll come to experience, hand balancing requires the full use of your fingers and palm to adjust how your weight is being distributed.  The other key element here is finding a neutral body position. If you’re globally overextended or closed at the hip you won’t find any success with this drill.  If you’re not sure what position your body is in, have a coach or friend lend an eye and give you some feedback. Expect to be kicking back down and using the wall a lot.

The other drill you can work on at the wall is getting comfortable moving your hands. To balance on the open floor you’ll need the confidence, body awareness and strength to momentarily support yourself on one arm. You can begin to gain some of these elements by simply shuffling one hand at a time while your heels are still on the wall. You don’t need your entire hand to come off the floor initially, simply make tiny adjustments by sliding one hand an inch or two in any direction, alternating between hands. Some people will intuitively know how to take a step with their hands, others will need a little remedial work like this before getting to the open floor.
You can take this drill to the next level by kicking up to the wall about 6-12 inches further away than you’re used to and then walking to the wall. Watch this excellent video to see what I’m talking about.

The Open Floor: Have an exit strategy

Now that you’ve got some confidence moving your hands and have been playing with coming off the wall you can begin to attempt some open floor drills.  The key to safely working without a spotter on the open floor is having a clear, consistent and safe exit strategy.  The easiest way to exit a botched handstand is to take a step (with one hand) in the direction you’re falling and then reaching the same side leg towards the floor. This is essentially a poor man’s pirouette. Mastering this skill will allow you to practice handstands anywhere, on any surface without the fear of falling onto your torso or head. Falling into a backbend or rolling out of the handstand are NOT recommended unless you’ve had individual coaching on the skill or are a 14 year old girl.
The pirouette is your exit strategy when you’re falling over yourself, or off to the side. If you’re falling back in the direction your came up through, simply kick back down.  To gain confidence and familiarity with pirouettes, perform some “half-assed” handstands where you don’t actually get your feet all the way above your body. The idea is to kick up off to one side and pirouette into the direction you’re falling. All you’re doing is teaching your body to react to an imbalance and find the floor with your legs. As you get more comfortable with this you can start kick higher up into more mature handstands and pirouetting out of them.  Chances are you’ll bias one side a bit which is okay. Remember that you’ve only got a split second to move your hand. If your body is falling over and you wait a moment too long you might end up on your butt so don’t stay glued to the floor. Working on the open floor is in large part about moving your hands quickly and intuitively to restack your body. Often you’ll need to move a hand almost immediately after kicking up.  In the beginning, we recommend learning this skill on a gymnastics mat with a coach watching you, also, make sure the area is clear of other people.

Once you can consistently exit a handstand safely, you simply need to start doing handstands All The Time. Like on the wall, the same fundamentals apply. Keep your hollow body position, push the floor away with your shoulders and actively grab the floor with your hands.  At a certain point, you’ll trade off from needing coaching feedback to simply needing more experience. Inversions are uncomfortable and disorienting at first, like a child learning how to walk, you’ll need to practice on a regular basis until the experience becomes more familiar.  If you’re serious about handstands, I recommend kicking up from anywhere from a few attempts to several minutes of practice everyday. Usually there isn’t a day that goes by where I dont’ spend at least a few seconds upside down. Other days I’ll set a clock and dedicate 10 minutes or so to working on inversions. The important part is that it’s become a regular part of my physical vocabulary and something that has gone from strenuous to relatively intuitive.  Also, handstand practice is potent, so go with the mantra that less is more. Dont’ go to failure and learn how to listen to your body. You might only be able to do a few kick ups before your shoulders fatigue to the point that skill work becomes unproductive.

There are many methods and progressions for developing hand balancing skills. Play around with different approaches and see what seems to work best for you. Regardless of the methodology, consistent practice is the most important element to learning how to walk or stand on your hands.
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Learning the Handstand Walk with Dogtown CrossFit
Handstands with Dave Durante
Handstand walk progression part 1 with Carl Paoli