The
handstand push-up is a tough exercise...and very
few people have the strength and balance needed
to perform full range reps with it. Yet in my
experience, NOTHING will build your shoulders
faster than handstand push-ups.
The
problem is, because they're so hard, it means
they're not available to most people as a practical
bodyweight exercise for shoulder development.
The
Solution: Shifting-Grip Pike Handstand Push-Ups
An
alternative is the Pike Handstand Push-Up...a
variation where you have your feet resting on
a bench or chair with your body in a pike position.
This
is a GREAT exercise that basically removes
a portion of your bodyweight, making the exercise
more manageable and still just as effective for
shoulder development. You get the same benefits
as the full Handstand Push-Up...just with less
resistance, so it's doable.
Now
here's something to make this exercise even MORE
effective...the shifting grip.
As
you're doing the exercise, on every rep you're
going to be shifting your grip outwards...just
a little on every rep until you get as far out
as you can while still performing reps. When you
hit this widest point, you'll then start moving
your hands back inwards (until you get to the
point where it's almost a close-grip push-up,
then go back outwards again).
This
shifting grip will target slightly different push-up
movement patterns on every rep, which targets
different delt fibers. The deltoid muscle heads
are all fan-shaped and require a variety of training
angles to fully stimulate.
Start
by setting up a flat bench or chair. Set your
hands on the ground a few feet in front of it.
Get
yourself into a pike position...you don't necessarily
have to have a vertical upper body for this to
be effective, but the more vertical, the better,
as that will more evenly distribute the tension
over all three heads of the deltoid complex.
Lower
yourself to the ground until your head touches
(you may want to set a towel on the ground here,
depending on where you're training).
While
taking up some of your bodyweight on your head,
rotate your hands and slide them outwards on the
floor.
Now
press back up into the handstand.
Lower
back down then slide your hands out again. Keep
repeating this process until your hands are as
far out as you can comfortably place them and
still get decent range of motion.
At
this furthest point, reverse it and slide your
hands IN on every rep (I won't show that here
in pictures as it's basically the exact same sequence
of photos in reverse!). Bring your hands in as
close as you like (or are able to). The closer
in you get, the more your triceps will be involved.
Continue
moving inwards and outwards until you can't perform
any more reps.
The Bottom Line:
This
is a GREAT variation of the Handstand Push-Up
that allows you to use reduced bodyweight resistance,
making it a much more accessible exercise than
the full Handstand Push-Up. As well, the constantly
shifting grip covers a multitude of angles on
the delt complex, maximizing shoulder development
and strength.
