10 Wrist Stretches to Warm Up for Handstand
The smallest things can often make the biggest impact, so when it comes to practicing Handstands, don’t forget to add a wrist warm-up and wrist stretches to your inversion practice. Think about how often you stand on your feet — you’re used to putting weight on your feet all the time, so it feels natural to hop out of bed and go on with your day without a second thought. But it’s not often that you spend time putting all of your weight onto your hands. To avoid wrist injury and keep your wrists healthy when practicing Handstands, you must stretch your wrists as part of a Handstand warm-up every time. After all, your hands and wrists are the very foundation of your inversions.
Here are 10 wrist stretches and wrist strength exercises from Alo Moves yoga instructors Patrick Beach and Carling Harps, all designed to warm up your wrists and lay the groundwork for a solid Handstand practice. Practice these stretches before every session where you plan to go upside down and bear weight on your hands, or practice them every day to keep your wrists mobile. Soon, it will feel just as natural to be on your hands as it is to be on your feet!
(Want a more in-depth guide to learning how to Handstand? Check out the Journey to Handstand series on Alo Moves free with a 14-day trial.
10 Wrist Stretches to Warm Up for Handstand
Figure 8 Wrist Stretch
Interlace your fingers.
Roll your wrists in a figure 8 shape.
Reverse the movement, drawing figure 8 in the other direction.
2. Wrist Flicking
Shake out your wrists like your flicking water off of your hands.
3. Tabletop Wrist Stretches
Come to your hands and knees in Tabletop Pose, aligning your wrists underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips.
Take a few circles clockwise and counterclockwise. Notice where the weight is in your hands.
Claw the mat with your fingertips to wake up your hands. Press down through your index finger knuckle and base of your thumb.
4. Tabletop Wrist Rocks
From Tabletop Pose, point your hands out to the sides and shift your body side to side.
Find your edge — it’s not necessary to make huge, grand movements.
5. Backwards Wrist Stretch
From Tabletop Pose, flip your fingertips to face your knees.
Lean back just enough to get a stretch in the top of your forearms.
6. Wrist Opening and Closing
Sit back on your heels and reach your arms up to the sky.
Open and close your hands a few times to activate your hands. Aim for 20 repetitions.
7. Fingertip Pushups
Come to Tabletop Pose. Keep your arms active and straight.
Press into the tips of your fingertips to lift your upper body off the mat, then lower back down.
Make this move harder by bringing your knees back and keeping your shoulders above your wrists. Aim for 10 repetitions.
8. Backwards Wrist and Calf Stretch
From Tabletop Pose, flip your hands so your fingertips face your knees.
Keep your left knee down, stretch your right leg back, and press your right toes down.
Hold and switch sides.
9. Backwards Wrist Plank
From Tabletop Pose, flip your hands so your fingertips face your knees.
Step both legs back, maintaining a micro-bend in your elbows.
Keep your arms shoulder-distance apart for stability.
10. Fist Rolls
Sit back on your heels.
Make a fist in each hand and roll your wrists in each direction.
Want to practice along with the full class? Check out the Wrists, Hands, and Planks class on Alo Moves free with a 14-day trial.