DISCLAIMER:

Calisthenics Kingz is not held liable for injuries incurred during your training or use of
these exercises. If injuries are sustained, it is by not fault of Calisthenics Kingz, regardless
of the reason for the injury.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.

II.

III.

Hit Richards..

Page 2

a. Introduction ....

Page 3

Handstand Pushups & Diamond Freestanding Handstand

a. Meanings of Abbreviations & Terms Used.

Page 4

b. Progression of Exercises Used to Master Handstands & HSPU

Page 5

c. Muscles Involved..

Page 9

d. Format of Progression and Methods of Intensification.

Page 10

e. Weekly Schedule...

Page 11

Conclusion.

Page 12

a. Questions & Assistance.

Page 13

Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 1

Hit Richards

Hit Richards is a sought-

after celebrity trainer and
fitness expert with
hometown roots in Bronx,
New York. He is the official
personal trainer for multi-
Grammy-award winning
artist Busta Rhymes and the
go-to guide for thousands of
men and women seeking to
lead healthier, happier
lives.

Richards holds 13
international certifications
for personal training and
has been featured on the
cover of the New York Daily News and Inside Edition for his popular line of DVDs that empower and
inspire thousands of fans around the world.
Richards believes in human potential and the power of sport to change a persons life in a positive
way. He is the founder of Calisthenics Kingz, a New York-based organization comprised of
performance-based training experts who promote fitness through natural body weight exercises
known as calisthenics. Calisthenics is a simple yet powerful tool that develops superior muscle
tone while promoting physical well-being. Richards believes very strongly that calisthenics
exercises promote not only overall body strength and conditioning but inner strength, self-
awareness, self-esteem and mental clarity.
In addition to advising adults, Hit Richards is a vocal advocate in the fight against childhood
obesity and aims to inspire adults and children alike to take more active roles in their physical
fitness. Based in New York City, Richards speaks widely around the world on wellness issues and
can be reached at [email protected].

Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 2

Introduction

In this e-book, I'm going to teach you step-by-step the exercises and balance skills you need in
order to perform handstands and handstand pushups with and without support. As an added
bonus, you will also learn how to do a very elite level handstand, which is the Diamond Handstand
Pushup.
Before you start to learn the Freestanding Handstand, I advise you to be able to do 10 full-range of
motion HeSPU and/or HSPU with the wall.

If you do not know what the HeSPU is, by the end of this book, I will explain everything and you
will know this and much more.

Lets get started!
-HIT

Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 3

A. Meanings of Abbreviations & Terms Used

I will use several terms in this book. To not confuse you, Ive explained them below in detail.

Freestanding
This term refers to practicing the balance without any support at all i.e., no wall, etc.

HeSPU
An HeSPU is a Headstand Pushup. This is similar to a Handstand Pushup, except the range of
motion is not at its maximum. In an HeSPU, your head does not go below the level of your hands.
For example, when your hands are on the ground, your head cannot go lower than your hands.

HSPU
An HSPU is a Handstand Pushup. In an HSPU, your head goes below the level of your hands. You
can do an HSPU with hands on a chair, a pushup bar or when between parallel bars really, any
support that allows you to go below the level of your hands. The full range of motion is maximal.

DIAMOND HS
This stands for Diamond Handstand. This is a very advanced level of handstand, where the
hands are facing one another to form a diamond shape.

Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 4

B. Progression of Exercises Used to Master

Handstands & HSPU

1. HeSPU WITH LEGS AT 90 ON A SUPPORT

Place your feet against the wall or any other support so that your legs form a 90 degree angle with your
upper body. What is important here is the pushing angle. You must be vigilant to push vertically, keeping
the body tight at 90 degrees throughout the entire movement. When pushing from the ground, look
backwards (here, Im looking under the bench). Keep your head in alignment with your arms and go down
until your head touches the ground. (Note: remember to be mindful of the ground while doing the exercise
to avoid injury.)

2. NEGATIVE HeSPU WITH WALL

Start in a handstand position with your back against the wall and go down as slowly as possible until you
have your nose near the ground. Then, lower your feet to the ground. Get back up into the handstand
position against the wall and continue the exercise for the necessary number of repetitions. You only do the
negative part of the exercise; it is too difficult to do the positive at this point. You have to stay straight; do
not arch the back. For this, you should place your hands about 4-6 inches from the wall.

Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 5

3. HeSPU WITH WALL

This is the same as a negative HeSPU with wall shown in Step 2. However, with an HeSPU with wall, you are
doing the exercise completely with both the negative and positive phase. The ultimate goal is to touch the
nose or head on the ground. Keep in mind that an HeSPU is identical to a HSPU, the only difference being
that in an HeSPU, you will reach further and lightly touch your nose or head closely to the ground.

4. FROG SITS

Frog sits are a great way to start when learning the balance needed for a Freestanding Handstand. The best
way to do this is to start by placing palms face down on the ground, shoulder width apart, looking down at
the ground and then placing knees against elbows. Lean forward about 45 degrees, lift feet off of ground
balancing knees slightly on the edge of elbows and just hold this position for 20-30 seconds. Then, return to
starting position. As you become more comfortable with this through each repetition, try lifting knees off of
elbows.

Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 6

5. FROG SITS TO FREESTANDING HANDSTAND

To transition from a Frog Sit to a freestanding handstand, proceed in the same way you would in a normal
frog sit but now, transition from the 45 degree angle lean to a 90 degree angle lean. While maintaining
your balance, lift knees off of elbows, keep your feet together and push your legs straight up. Keep your
body aligned and as straight as possible until the body is fully straight.

6. FREE HeSPU

Proceed as in Step 2 with the negative HeSPU with wall, but now you have no support for your feet. You're
free. This step of course requires the ability to hold the free handstand. As explained in the introduction,
once youve mastered 10 repetitions of an HeSPU or HSPU with the wall, you can start to learn the free
handstand.

Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 7

7. NEGATIVE FREE HSPU

Proceed as explained in Step 6 except your head does not exceed past the level of your palms. You can do
this exercise literally anywhere with a chair, bench or parallel/dip bar. There are no photos for this step
as it closely resembles the process of Step 6.

8. FREE HSPU

Do the same as explained with the frog sit in Step 5 except now you are proceeding to perform a pushup.
This can be practiced anywhere -- outside on a bench, steps, on a parallel/dip bar, etc.

9. DIAMOND HANDSTAND PUSHUP

Once youve mastered HeSPU, Frog Sits and Freestanding Handstand Pushups, you can try moving on to
one of the most advanced hand-balancing movements there is which is the Diamond Freestanding
Handstand. It is performed with hands being positioned inward as to form a diamond. It is considered a
unilateral type of handstand and requires extremely powerful tendons, especially in the forearms, elbows
and wrists.




Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 8

To master this move over time, as you do Freestanding Handstand Pushups, try and bring the hands closer
together maybe 2 inches -- each time, until the hands actually form a diamond. Once youve mastered the
Freestanding Diamond Handstand, you can move on to doing the actual pushups which promise to be even
more difficult but with continuous practice, will be mastered!!

C. Muscles Involved

HeSPU and HSPU involve the same muscles but different perspective. It is obvious that the strength
required to do a HSPU is much greater than for a HeSPU. When you do it without support (freestanding),
your core abs/lower back is engaged much more because at this point your legs are no longer supported by
anything. Your lower back and abdominal muscles must work much harder to support the weight of your
legs. Your legs, thighs and calves are also isolated. You must contract the legs to keep them outstretched,
pointing your toes toward the sky.

Main muscles involved:
Deltoids
Triceps
Trapezius
Lower back
Abdominals




Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 9

D. Format of Progression and Methods of

Intensification
1. System of Progression
For each exercise, from Step 1 to 8, you will use this system of progression:

Once you master 10 repetitions in Step 1, you move on to Step 2.
Once you master 10 repetitions in Step 2, you move on to Step 3.
Once you master 10 repetitions in Step 3, you move on to Step 4.

And, so on. Once you get to Step 9, which is the very advanced level Diamond Handstand Pushup, you may
be ready for other advanced handstands, which I will teach in future eBooks.

For now, continue to progress from Steps 1-8. To challenge yourself or ensure mastery at each level, I invite
you to employ the three methods of intensification listed below. These methods are increasingly difficult,
with the Combo Method being the most challenging of all. Once you can successfully do an exercise 10
times in a row with a combination of both weight and slow speed, you are ready to move on to the next
level.

2. Methods of intensification
1. Slow Performance (Slow Work)
Do the exercise as slowly as possible (without any specific tempo). That is to say, the movement is
continuous with no difference between descent and ascent while you perform reps slowly.

2. Weighted Work
Feel free to challenge yourself once youre comfortable with these exercises by performing the exercise
with a weighted vest or ankle weight.

3. Combo Methods
You may also combine these methods of intensification. Such as: weighted slow, more weight, and so on.

Depending on how much you want to challenge yourself, you may be able to move to the next step (manage
to do your first half range of motion HeSPU or HSPU) when you arrive at one of these three steps.

Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 10

Regarding the number of sets and repetitions, proceed as described below:

Start by doing 3 sets of 3 repetitions (3x3) until you are able to increase to 5 sets of 3 repetitions
(5x3). Throughout all of your sets, remember to keep a steady tempo to help support superior
muscle development.

Next, move to 3x5 until you are capable of increasing to 5x5, then 3 sets of 6-8 repetitions, then 2
sets of 10-12+.

Take 3-5 minutes of rest between sets. Then, decrease the rest time throughout your progress. For
instance, when you arrive at 3 sets of 6-8 and 2 sets of 10-12 +, take 1.30-3 min rest.

Once you've begun the methods of intensification, you follow the format of progression of sets until
5x5. For example, you start Exercise 1 with the slow work. You will begin with 3x3 until you can do
5x5 as explained above.

Regarding the negative, just descend as slowly as possible. Once you are able to do a negative with
over 15 seconds, add weight if you can. Otherwise, continue to increase the time.

WARNING: Please do not become over-confident before truly achieving mastery. Do not jump
from a slow set of 3x3 to 3x6, or 5x5 to 5x7 if you have not even comfortably mastered 3x3.
You should only proceed to higher, more intense reps once you are performing your current
rep level with ease.

E. Weekly Schedule

The number of sessions will depend of the other skills you are working on or fitness program youre
involved in. I personally recommend, if possible, including this into your current fitness program. That way,
its much easier and faster for you to learn and master the skill. When I first started, I worked on
handstands at a minimum of four times per week.

For example:

Work Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday with Wednesday as the day of rest between these four
days of training. You choose which days are actually best for you depending on your availability to
create your weekly schedule.

You could also do Tuesday-Wednesday-Friday-Saturday with Thursday as the day of rest in
between.

Or, Saturday-Sunday-Tuesday-Wednesday with Monday as the day of rest in between, etc.

The best is to work your HSPU each of the four days of training until you have it mastered.

If you just want to follow the progression of HSPU, practice them over the course of those four days.

But as said above, it depends on your goals and everything that you work in parallel.

Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 11

Conclusion

Now that you are a master of HSPU & Diamond HSPU, you will likely want to go even further. What to do?

Well, you can have fun with these exercises anywhere outside on many supports that range in difficulty.
You can also have fun doing them as often as possible, which will increase your skill level and your strength
and build up strength in other areas as well.

There are other alternatives, too, such as Freestanding Handstand Clap Pushups, which are like Clap
Pushups but in a handstand. You could even do the Tigerbend Pushups (which will be my next e-book!).

There are many options. Continue to explore the world of hand balancing be safe, and have fun!

Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 12

Questions & Assistance

FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT OR ASSISTANCE IN YOUR TRAINING PROGRAM, EMAIL ME:

[email protected]

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Hit Richards | Official Guide | Mastering Handstands 13