Before attempting this exercise you'll want to be comfortable with the regular pike handstand push-up done with your hands on the floor.
This version of the handstand push-up takes about half of the load off the regular handstand push-up exercise. It's a great exercise to develop the strength necessary to perform the full version of the handstand push-up and to use for higher rep training of the movement pattern.
The purpose of the elevated version of the exercise is to substantially increase the range of motion of the movement (pretty much doubling it) for greater strength building and muscle development.
How To Do Elevated Pike Handstand Push-Ups...
To perform the elevated version of the pike handstand push-up, you'll need a flat bench and something to hook your feet over that's a few feet higher than the bench. In my case, I'm using a bar set on the rails of the power rack, pulled up against the uprights.
You can also use a Smith machine bar or pretty much anything of an appropriate height (a bar setup will be best because you can hook your toes around the bar for stabilization).
Set your flat bench about 3 feet away from the bar...you'll need to experiment a bit with distance. You want to get your body as vertical as you can while maintaining balance on the bench. For me, this ended up being a bit short of vertical.
Being 100% vertical is not fully necessary for this exercise to be effective. It's the pattern of the press that's important.
Set your hands on the front edge of the bench, gripping your fingers around the edge to get a solid foundation.
Now get up into the pike position.
Lower yourself to the bottom position, until your upper chest contacts the bench.
You can actually fully rest your upper chest on the bench, if you like, in order to get a "bottom start" effect without help from elastic tension in the muscles. This is a great way to develop power in the shoulders.
You'll notice that your body does lose the pike position as you come down into the bottom. This is normal and perfectly fine. In order to not have this happen, you'd need to move the bench in towards the bar a fair bit closer, which would unbalance you at the top of the exercise.
This position is similar to a very high incline press or military press.
Now push back up.
As you move towards the top position, try to push your head towards your feet, similar to how when you do a shoulder press, you shift your body forward under the bar to get the bar directly overhead. This brings the rear delts more into play in the exercise.
Repeat for as many reps as you can do with good form.
Safety Considerations for the Elevated Pike Handstand Push-Up...
Now, even though your hands are elevated on the bench, I found this exercise to be completely safe as long as you maintain control of the movement and you're strong enough to actually perform the movement properly.
Grip solidly onto the edge of the bench and be sure hands aren't sweaty and slippery.
As well, don't move the bench in too close towards your feet. The circular arc of the movement is more pronounced when you're using a fuller range of motion than the floor version, meaning it's easier to go straight up and down with a shorter range of motion.
This is NOT a beginner exercise and you should absolutely be comfortable with the pike handstand push-up on the floor (able to get 10-15+ reps with it) before attempting this one.
Overall, it's an incredibly effective bodyweight exercise for the shoulders, delivering great stimulation for the delts for strength, while allowing you to be able to get enough reps for hypertrophy as well.
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