The 12 Minute Athlete Beginner Handstand Challenge

12 Minute Athlete Beginner Handstand Challenge

The 12 Minute Athlete team is so excited to share our latest community challenge: the 2020 Beginner Handstand Challenge!

We’ve heard from many of you that one of your long-term goals is to crush a freestanding handstand. So we’re dedicating our next month-long community challenge to helping EVERYONE get their handstand practice on.

We’ll break down the steps necessary to work up to a solid handstand, send handstand-themed exercises and tips to help you build up your strength and endurance, and share our favorite ways to add extra challenges to handstand work.

Handstands are one of our favorite skills for so many reasons. Once you get hooked on them, handstands can become part of a lifelong journey.

Let’s get to it!

(Looking for the Week 1 exercises? Click here to visit the Week 1 challenge page. Then download the challenge overview here.)  

Why Handstands Are So Awesome

If you’ve never considered making handstands part of your training, there are plenty of reasons to start. Here are a few that stand out to us:

Handstands are FUN! Yes, they’re challenging in every way. But learning to stand on your hands is a fun way to train underused muscles and helps bring some play into your workouts. It’s hard not to feel like a kid when you’re upside down! Remember, fitness doesn’t have to be serious—make it fun, and you’ll be more committed to staying fit for the long term.

Handstands make you STRONG. Holding a handstand requires a lot of strength, balance, and focus—all skills that are essential to getting and staying fit.

Handstands are a great confidence builder. Seriously, what’s more badass than standing on your hands? When you finally get upside down and manage to hold it, even for a few seconds, you’ll feel empowered.

Handstands offer endless variety. Once you master a standard wall or freestanding handstand, you can experiment with so many different variations to continue to challenge yourself. Ever tried moving your legs while in a handstand? Doing a handstand press? What about a one arm handstand (this is what I’m currently working on!)? The world of hand balancing is full of opportunities to explore and allow you to constantly up the challenge as your skillset improves.

Handstands are a great example of a long-term fitness goal. It’s important to always challenge yourself and set out-of-reach goals in your fitness journey. Once you start to master feet-on-the-ground exercises, adding handstands to your workouts great is a great way to keep stepping outside of your comfort zone.

Getting Started With Handstands

Handstands are complex, and it takes time and practice to really master them (and if you’re anything like me, the higher level you get, the more goals you’ll probably have). That’s why for this month’s challenge, we’ll be breaking down a particular skillset or exercise that’s essential for building a strong handstand each week.

Here’s what you can expect:

12MA Beginner Handstand Challenge Rules

Here’s everything you need to know to take part in the 12 Minute Athlete Beginner Handstand Challenge:

  • The challenge will run for four weeks, from March 2nd to March 27th. 
  • The first week kicks off on Monday, March 2rd.
  • We’ll post the skills video and weekly focus for the upcoming week on the blog each Monday.
  • Aim to complete the recommended exercises three to five times a week.
  • You can take part in the challenge by posting to our Facebook group or by tagging #12MAhandstands and @12minuteathlete on social media.
  • One hard worker will win a copy of my NEW book!

So, are you ready to get started?

Sign up for the challenge here:

Check out these additional resources to learn more about handstands:




















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