Handstands is one of those superhuman stunts performed by gymnasts in Olympics or dancers who perform unbelievable moves on their hands with their legs in the air. The cyberpunk action movie, Alita: Battle Angel, showcased a futuristic cyborg girl standing on just one finger. If you want to be as strong as that, maybe start with a handstand even if you don't stand on a finger you’ll be fitter. After scoring the winner against Chelsea recently, Liverpool’s winger, Mo’ Salah celebrated with a yoga pose, standing on one leg. Handstand, leg--stand, yoga seems to be benefitting the Egyptian international who has had a phenomenal career with the Reds, and this has inspired the article on handstand benefits among other necessities.
What is a Handstand?
Headstand is literarily standing on the hand. It may be quite strange at first, but the act of turning your world – your body upside down is quite a normal act in the world. It is a profound isometric exercise that helps in the consolidation of one’s core strength and helps in proper blood and lymph circulation. Also, the health of the bone, muscles, heart, brain, and lungs are boosted by regular performance of handstand. I recollect watching dance movie where one of the dancers was doing a headstand, but that is not what we are talking about here, some dancers can spin on their heads and hands though, and that can serve as a pleasant sight for viewing.
Top Benefits of Handstands - Is It Helpful To Do Them Daily?
Whether you want to be a successful athlete or human being, exercise is a vital part of leading a healthy life. This is where the age-long secret of handstand comes into play. However, most people are either scared of turning themselves upside down or scared of fracturing their hands. Although, this is not the case as regards to this exercise. Even when your hands are strong enough to carry the entire body, starting gradually against the wall will eventually lead to the required strength desired. Practicing handstand daily eventually improves body strength and mental health. The secret to exercising is repetition and scheduled routine. Letting go and choosing to commit your balance in care of your hands can be slightly scary for beginners, but the end goal is worth it. After mastering the art of balancing your body weight on your hand, it becomes a part of you giving a great sense of balance afterward.
Handstand benefit #1: Less stressful and Happy Life
Exercises are generally therapeutic to the body system especially the brain as it releases hormones like endorphins that baths and refreshes the brain. Endorphins are feel-good hormones that enhance our mood making us happier. Handstand is not an exception, as it ensures increase flow of blood to the brain due to gravity and the heart increasing its output due to the needs of the muscle. Therefore, if you do handstands daily, you can be sure that you are protecting your mind against depression while aiding increase in your immunity at the same time.
Handstand benefit #2: Handstands Lift the Feel-good Hormones
Handstand benefits are vital to the endocrine system, which secretes certain hormones that affect our body. The body produces the stress hormone called Cortisol in adrenal glands, which is released and washes through our body as we go through the hectic hours of the day. However, with routine handstand benefits the adrenal glands as they are perfused and cleansed, and as a result, you enjoy a better mood and anxious moments are limited to the barest minimum. In order to get remarkable results of a calm and relaxed frame of mind, some authorities advise combining with breathing exercises. Such practices have shown to improve people’s mental health and alleviate feelings of worry, fear, and anxiety.
Handstand benefit #3: Increased Strength and Confidence
Nowadays when there are as many female superheroes on screen as much as their male counterparts, being strong is more attractive. This is why more people are seen registering for gyms, taking group Zumba classes, and yoga sessions. However, at the comfort of your home, you can boost your core strength through routine handstands. In addition to the core strength that is being increased, the upper body is also toughened. It is likely that most people have relatively strong legs because we are almost always on our legs. However, the same thing cannot be said about the arms. This article is not trying to encourage us to start walking on our hands, but a daily execution of handstands can significantly boost upper body strength and muscle strength.
Handstand benefit #4: Good Health and Vitality Even at Old Age
Old people of our generation are ravaged with bone fracture as a result of Osteoporosis. This has led to many being wary of growing old, but with handstands being a part of your lifestyle, your bone gets stronger are protected from the pains of Osteoporosis. This is because as soon as you begin to exercise, your bone density and health generally improves as part of your general health and well-being. Since our legs are almost always below the rest of the body, the blood flow needs to exert more pressure to rise back to the lungs and heart for oxygenation and recirculation respectively. This necessity is why allowing the vessels of your legs to flow with gravity rather than against it, is beneficial to the body.
Handstand benefit #5: Handstands Is Advantageous to the Whole Body
Some other parts of the body also enjoy a rush of perfusion during handstands which makes oxygenated blood more available for the tissues in the body. Several other diseases affect the eye and the scalp of the head like macular degeneration and loss of hair in balding. However, handstand benefits these structures by regularly providing your head with increased blood flow delivering nutrients and oxygen to your eye and hair follicles abundantly making the likelihood of vision loss and hair loss less likely to occur.
Handstand benefit #6: Optimization of Nutrient Absorption
Enough about the elderly folks, or about what we need to do to prevent certain ailments when we get old. There are common medical issues that affect the health of young people as well. Abdominal issues affecting the gastrointestinal system are great examples of such health problems. However, handstands are effective in dealing with such issues even before they surface.
When everything including your bowels is turned upside down, handstand aids in the release of stuck substances and increase blood flow to some areas typically subjected to pressure and gravity. The key to the digestive system is blood flow among other things, there are muscles, structures, and glands that require blood flow. Once there is adequate blood flow referred to as perfusion is excellent, absorption of nutrients is also optimal. When this exercise is done alongside abdominal breathing, handstand benefits are doubled. Handstand benefits also include efficient in cleansing cells of the body from toxins through the stimulation of the lymphatic system.
Handstand benefit #7:An Escape from Sedentary Lifestyle
Technology has made life much better through the ease things are done. Transportation used to be more hectic, but tech has made something has exerting as climbing stairs simpler through lifts and escalators. When we go shopping all we need to do is push our heavy loads in carts. All these innovations have reduced the way our muscles are worked. This is not to say innovations are detrimental to our health because technology has also made it possible to visit your well-conditioned gym and conquer some difficult by running on treadmills. The only challenge is that comfort is addictive and we’ll rather sit on the couch instead of doing couch exercises or even being faithful to our gym memberships even after subscribing monthly.
Handstand benefit #8: Worry No More about Gym Subscriptions
The good thing about handstands is that no gym equipment is needed, and the only thing required is your body. This makes it free, you don’t have to travel any distance to do it, and all you need is yourself and space. One of the most common excuses that prevent people from being fit is money. While waiting for the right time and the required funds, the zeal to still do it may have waned. However, with handstands, you don’t have to worry about that, and you’ll still be doing your mind and body many advantages. As much as handstand benefits your purse, you can economically include push-up handstand bars or parallettes to protect your wrists for a neutral grip.
The Most Effective Method to Complete a Handstand
If you are down to start doing your handstands, this will be of great help. Make sure to enjoy yourself doing it.
For beginners: Handstand facing the wall
- You face away from the wall, place your palms on the ground slightly spaced
- Move your feet up the wall gradually till you are entirely upright
- Then, move your palms closer to the wall
- Hold your position for 5-10 seconds for five sets or for as much as you can do for a start
- If it is difficult, walk up and down the wall till you get strong enough
If you’re Feeling Confident: Handstand with your face away from the wall
- Put your palms on the floor facing the wall make sure they’re slightly spaced
- Then hop up into a handstand
- Try holding the handstand for 60 seconds
- With each attempt, try to stand independent of the wall
Your Handstand Objective And Goal: The unsupported handstand
- Try to do it with control and balance in a free space
- It might be helpful to do it around a pillow or ab mat as a precaution
Conclusion
Handstands are cool and great for one’s well-being. You’ll be doing yourself a great deal of help to make this a part of your routine if you’re already doing some exercises. However, if this is your first shot at resuming or starting exercises, then this could well mean a fun start for you.
Do you want to practice your handstand game and also protect your wrists with a neutral grip? Then we recommend you our Parallettes or handstand push-up bars!
Do you want to also train other exercises with Parallettes or handstand bars? If so, then download now our FREE eBook with 37 Parallettes exercises.
Recommended articles:
The Top 10 Parallettes Exercises for Beginners
The top 10 gymnastic rings exercises
