Handstand Push Ups

Muscles worked by the Handstand Push Ups

Primary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidTricepsTriceps Brachii

Secondary

Side DeltsLateral DeltoidAbsRectus AbdominisTrapsTrapezius

Also called: front deltoid, anterior delt, front delt, anterior deltoid, tricep, triceps.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Handstand Push Ups

1. Kick up into a handstand against a wall with hands shoulder-width apart.
2. Brace your core and keep your body straight.
3. Lower your head toward the floor by bending your elbows.
4. Stop just before your head touches the ground.
5. Press through your hands to return to full handstand.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Keep your elbows at roughly 45 degrees rather than flared wide.
• Brace your core so your back does not arch away from the wall.
• Build up through pike push-ups and partial ranges first.

At a glance

Handstand Push Ups in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Archer Push Ups
• Clap Push-Ups
• Close Grip Push Ups
• Decline Push-Up
• Deficit Push Ups
• Diamond Push Ups
• Incline Push-Up
• Knee Push Ups

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "handstand-push-ups",
  "name_en": "Handstand Push Ups",
  "name_de": "Handstand Push-Ups",
  "name_es": "Flexiones en Pino",
  "description_en": "An inverted press against a wall, lowering the head to the floor and pressing back up to a full handstand.",
  "description_de": "Ein Drücken über Kopf im Handstand an der Wand: Der Kopf wird zum Boden abgesenkt und der Körper zurück in den vollen Handstand gedrückt.",
  "description_es": "Un empuje invertido contra la pared, bajando la cabeza hacia el suelo y empujando de vuelta hasta el pino completo.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "advanced",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "lateral_deltoid",
    "rectus_abdominis",
    "trapezius"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "no_axial_load"
  ],
  "variation_group": "push-up",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Kick up into a handstand against a wall with hands shoulder-width apart.",
    "Brace your core and keep your body straight.",
    "Lower your head toward the floor by bending your elbows.",
    "Stop just before your head touches the ground.",
    "Press through your hands to return to full handstand.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Schwinge dich in einen Handstand an der Wand, Hände schulterbreit.",
    "Spanne den Rumpf an und halte den Körper gerade.",
    "Senke den Kopf durch Beugen der Ellbogen zum Boden.",
    "Stoppe kurz vor dem Bodenkontakt des Kopfes.",
    "Drücke durch die Hände zurück in den vollen Handstand.",
    "Für die gewünschte Wiederholungszahl wiederholen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Sube a un pino contra la pared con las manos a la anchura de los hombros.",
    "Contrae el core y mantén el cuerpo recto.",
    "Baja la cabeza hacia el suelo flexionando los codos.",
    "Detente justo antes de que la cabeza toque el suelo.",
    "Empuja con las manos para volver al pino completo.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Keep your elbows at roughly 45 degrees rather than flared wide.",
    "Brace your core so your back does not arch away from the wall.",
    "Build up through pike push-ups and partial ranges first."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Halte die Ellbogen in etwa 45 Grad, statt sie weit nach außen zu drehen.",
    "Spanne den Rumpf an, damit dein Rücken nicht von der Wand weg ins Hohlkreuz fällt.",
    "Baue dich über Pike-Liegestütze und Teilwiederholungen auf."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Mantén los codos a unos 45 grados en lugar de abrirlos por completo.",
    "Contrae el core para que la espalda no se arquee alejándose de la pared.",
    "Progresa primero con flexiones pike y rangos parciales."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/handstand-push-ups-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/handstand-push-ups-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "handstand-push-ups");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.