Oct/070
Handstands, Wrist Strength and Pain
Another question from a reader. And this isn’t the first time I have seen this problem pop up. Read on and find out what to do about it.
hello Logan,
well i have a question for you,
after a handstand practice i get wrist pain over the back of my wrist and sometimes on the sides the pain shows up while stress the wrist on pushups/ handstand position and sometimes on Ulnar Deviation and Radial Deviation
what can i do about it, maybe there are exercises that can strengthen my wrists and tendon ??
thanks 
haggai D.B.
Let me first start of saying I am not a doctor. That may be obvious but I cannot diagnose what the problem is exactly, especially over the internet.
Hand Balancing takes a large degree of hand, wrist, and finger strength and flexibility. Not everyone has the flexibility to keep their hand back 90 degrees which is necessary to do a handstand.
I should say, not everyone starts of with this flexibility. But it can be gained through persistent effort.
Back in High School I suffered an injury to my right wrist. I would get shocked with pain any time I hit someone with my hands and had to get a special cast device made to help me out. Unfortunately it did affect my playing.
When I first started with handstands about a year after, I could not jump right into a handstand. In fact I still usually don’t. I take the time to stretch my wrists through flexion and extension. This primes them for any handstand work.
Even now my right wrist is less flexible than my right, but it has gotten better by leaps and bounds since then.
If holding a handstand causes to much pain then you will need to start at a manageable level and build from there. Pain is a sign you are pushing past your limits.
Do pushups or the pushup position cause you the same pain?
Wherever you need to start, go from there. It may take time but you will build the strength and flexibility to survive all hand balancing without the slightest discomfort.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
P.S. The results of the survey are still pouring in. If you haven’t taken the time yet to fill it out and get your f.ree report, do so now. I can tell you that the site will be changing for the better and soon because of your response.
Oct/070
Gene Jackson Walking on His Hands down the Railroads
Another amazing hand balancing stunt straight out of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Gene Jackson from New York walking across a single rail of railroad track. You can see more of Gene Jackson’s stunts in The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing on pages 122 and 124
The next time you are by some tracks give it a shot. You will find it is quite a bit more difficult than walking across a flat ground.
The main reason for this is that you will have a narrower base than you usually have when walking. Instead of just falling forward or back, which happens in normal handstands, your body now can fall to the sides as well.
Even if you don’t walk the railways on your hands, by incorporating some kind of narrow base handstand work into your training you will increase your balancing skills even more.
It is also a great way to build up toward a one arm handstand.
Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher
P.S. I am putting together a free gift for you if you are willing to help me out. You’ll hear about it real soon.
Oct/070
Robert Jones Celebrates His 50th Birthday
When I was visiting my brother down near Los Angeles last weekend I noticed one of the books he had on his bookshelf. The name Ripley’s Believe it or Not was displayed on the spine.
Knowing that Bob Jones had been featured by Ripley‘s nine different times, I decided to see if one of his feats made the cut in this book.
I flipped to the index and found his name. He was on page 87. I turned expecting to see his most famous stunt the thumb stand on top of Indian clubs which you can see for yourself here.
I was surprised and elated to see a feat I had neither seen nor read about before.
For his 50th birthday Bob Jones cut his birthday cake while holding a one handed handstand.
Not only is it hard to hold a one hand handstand, but to do it for probably at least a minute while cutting a cake is something else.
It also listed one of his other feats (but had no picture), which was holding a handstand with 200 lbs. tied around his waist! How you even get into the handstand with that kind of weight is beyond me.
If anyone can duplicate these feats let me know.
Good Luck and Good Handbalancing,
Logan Christopher
P.S. There was more than one hand balancer featured in this book. If you own a copy of The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing his name will be familiar to you. You’ll have to wait until next time to see and read about it.
Oct/070
Handstand Hold for Time
Here is a great way to finish off your workouts whether you are doing just hand balancing or anything else by doing a handstand hold.
Its really simple, too.
Just kick up into a handstand against the wall and hold it there for as long as you can. Try to stretch your toes upward and maintain good posture the whole time.
If you want you can even do a couple sets.
This is great because it will build your endurance in your arms, shoulders, back, everywhere.
As you steadily increase the amount of time you can hold a handstand you will find you get less fatigued when you practice your hand balancing.
It will test your mental toughness too. You can always stay up one more second if you really wanted to. A great way to finish off your training is to leave it all behind.
Good Luck and Good Handbalancing,
Logan Christopher
Oct/070
Bridge Gymnastics
Check out this video of some wrestler’s bridge gymnastics.
Here is another video I took while I was at my gymnastics class. Let me start by saying don’t try this at home. It took a lot of effort to work up to this level. I didn’t jump into this on a whim.
It is actually several different feats strung together. Falling into a bridge, kicking over, kicking back, then standing up. Not the most graceful one I have ever pulled off. Still need some work especially on the Standing Up part.
Of course this can be done by with a gymnastic or hand bridge. I can do the gymnastic bridge version a little easier. And this one does not take so long to work up to, as far as neck strength is concerned.
The Wrestler's Bridge
Great for strength and flexibility all up and down the spine and more.
Either way it is a good trick to throw into you hand balancing routine or practice.
Good Luck and Good Bridging,
Logan Christopher
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