10 Best Handstand Alternatives for Shoulder Strength
If you can’t do a handstand, use vertical-press variations that load the shoulders and triceps. Try pike push-ups, elevated pike push-ups, wall walks, bench or parallel-bar dips, and incline handstand negatives. Cue: tuck your hips, drive through the triceps, and maintain scapular protraction to mimic the handstand loading pattern.
Original Exercise: Handstand
How to Perform Handstand
- Find an open space with enough room to perform a handstand.
- Place your hands on the ground shoulder-width apart, fingers pointing forward.
- Kick your legs up towards the wall, using your core and shoulders to maintain balance.
- Once in a handstand position, engage your triceps to support your body weight.
- Hold the handstand for as long as you can maintain balance.
- To come down, slowly lower your legs back to the ground.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Best Handstand Alternatives
1. Exercise Ball Pike Push Up
75.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start in a push-up position with your hands on the floor and your shins resting on the stability ball.
- Engage your core and lift your hips up towards the ceiling, rolling the ball towards your hands.
- Keep your legs straight and your body in a pike position, forming an inverted V shape.
- Bend your elbows and lower your upper body towards the floor, keeping your head in line with your hands.
- Push through your hands and extend your arms to return to the starting position.
2. Dips - Triceps Version
70.3% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- To get into the starting position, hold your body at arm's length with your arms nearly locked above the bars.
- Now, inhale and slowly lower yourself downward. Your torso should remain upright and your elbows should stay close to your body. This helps to better focus on tricep involvement. Lower yourself until there is a 90 degree angle formed between the upper arm and forearm.
- Then, exhale and push your torso back up using your triceps to bring your body back to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
3. Elbow Dips
68.2% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your hands gripping the edge next to your hips.
- Slide your hips forward off the bench and straighten your legs, keeping your heels on the ground.
- Bend your elbows and lower your body towards the ground, keeping your back close to the bench.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your hands to straighten your arms and lift your body back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
4. Dumbbell One Arm French Press On Exercise Ball
64.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on an exercise ball with your feet flat on the ground and your back straight.
- Hold a dumbbell in one hand with your palm facing up and your elbow bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Extend your arm straight up towards the ceiling, keeping your elbow stationary.
- Slowly lower the dumbbell back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch arms.
5. Exercise Ball Dip
62.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on the stability ball with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Place your hands on the ball beside your hips, fingers pointing forward.
- Engage your triceps and push through your hands to lift your body off the ball, straightening your arms.
- Lower your body back down by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
6. Bench Dip (knees Bent)
59.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your hands gripping the edge next to your hips.
- Slide your butt off the bench and straighten your legs in front of you, keeping your heels on the ground.
- Bend your elbows and lower your body towards the ground, keeping your back close to the bench.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push yourself back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
7. Close-Grip Push-Up Off Of A Dumbbell
59.4% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Lie on the floor and place your hands on an upright dumbbell. Supporting your weight on your toes and hands, keep your torso rigid and your elbows in with your arms straight. This will be your starting position.
- Lower your body, allowing the elbows to flex while you inhale. Keep your body straight, not allowing your hips to rise or sag.
- Press yourself back up to the starting position by extending the elbows. Breathe out as you perform this step.
- After a pause at the contracted position, repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.
8. Bench Dip On Floor
58.9% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Sit on the edge of a bench or chair with your hands gripping the edge, fingers pointing forward.
- Slide your butt off the bench, supporting your weight with your hands.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
- Push yourself back up to the starting position by straightening your arms.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
9. Body-up
58.7% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Start by placing your hands on a raised surface, such as a bench or parallel bars, with your palms facing down and fingers pointing forward.
- Extend your legs out in front of you, keeping your heels on the ground and your body straight.
- Lower your body by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides, until your upper arms are parallel to the ground.
- Pause for a moment, then push through your palms to straighten your arms and lift your body back up to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
10. Bodyweight Kneeling Triceps Extension
57.1% MatchHow to perform this exercise
- Kneel down on the ground with your knees hip-width apart.
- Place your hands on the ground in front of you, shoulder-width apart, fingers pointing forward.
- Extend your legs straight behind you, balancing on your toes and hands, forming a straight line from head to heels.
- Bend your elbows and lower your upper body towards the ground, keeping your elbows close to your sides.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom, then push through your hands to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
Why You Might Need a Handstand Alternative
You may substitute the handstand for several practical reasons: wrist or cervical issues, lack of a safe progressions path, limited balance, or access to a support surface. Alternatives let you train the same shoulder abduction and elbow extension demanded by handstands while reducing axial compression and balance stresses. For example, pike push-ups reproduce shoulder flexion and triceps-driven elbow extension without full inversion; keep your elbows slightly tucked and lead with the forehead to emphasize the deltoids. Dips place more absolute load on elbow extensors and allow safer progressive overload via added reps or weighted belts. Choose a variation that preserves vertical pressing biomechanics while addressing your limiting factor.
How to Choose the Right Substitute
Select a substitute by matching the primary demands of the handstand: vertical shoulder load, triceps-driven elbow extension, and scapular stability. If balance or inversion is the limiter, prioritize pike or elevated pike push-ups and practice scapular elevation: press the shoulders up into the ears briefly at lockout. If wrist pain limits you, choose parallel-bar dips or incline presses to keep the wrist neutral. For strength progression choose variations that allow increased load or tempo control—add eccentric emphasis (3–5 second lower) to the decline pike or use feet elevation to increase shoulder moment arm. Always assess range of motion, joint tolerance, and ability to maintain scapular control before progressing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles does Handstand work?
A handstand primarily targets the deltoids (especially anterior/medial heads) and triceps, while recruiting the serratus anterior and upper trapezius for scapular stability. The core and glutes engage isometrically to maintain a straight body line under vertical load.
What is the best bodyweight alternative to Handstand?
The pike push-up is the best bodyweight substitute because it reproduces shoulder flexion and triceps-driven pressing under a verticalized torso. Progress by elevating your feet or performing slow eccentrics and cue: drive the crown of your head to the floor and press through the triceps at lockout.
Can I build muscle without doing Handstand?
Yes. You can develop shoulder and triceps mass with progressive overload using dips, pike variations, and elevated or deficit push-ups. Prioritize controlled tempo, increasing volume or added resistance, and ensure you maintain full range of motion and scapular control for maximal hypertrophy.
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