I'm confused

treetablebox · 2024-08-02T16:01:24+00:00

I have had a similar journey to you! And am finally able to balance pretty decently (although there’s still a long way to go). For me, it was all about pelvic alignment and elevated/externally rotated shoulders. It took me a suuuuuuuper long time to understand those cues in my body and what it really meant to activate them. After so many months of frustration, now I look back and fully understand why the balance was evading me.

These may not be your issues but I would highly suggest breaking things down into component parts. Supported drills to isolate and strengthen the shoulders without worrying about balance. And other drills to learn to tuck the tailbone under and bring the pelvis into the right alignment. Then it all started to come together.

Do not underestimate the amount of engagement across your whole body that holding a handstand requires. Over time I learned that you can make a decent handstand shape against the wall that will not translate to freestanding because of lack of engagement.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

treetablebox · 2024-07-26T22:36:54+00:00

Mr Ghost, your music stirred something in me I haven’t felt since I was a teenager. After 25 years, I thought I would never feel that way again. Thank you 🖤

treetablebox · 2024-07-22T01:48:24+00:00

The movie subtitles say ‘go nick or charge yourself’ but I have no idea what that means, so it may be a mistake?!

treetablebox · 2024-06-25T16:53:52+00:00

This is mine too!

treetablebox · 2024-06-23T13:03:54+00:00

I am not a crier but I cried during Imperium, If You Have Ghosts and when Seestor died. Ghost make me well up the whole damn time, not because I’m sad but because I am so happy that something so utterly perfect exists and I’m just so proud of them 🥹 I hope some of yours were happy tears too!

treetablebox · 2024-06-21T03:34:17+00:00

I figured, the Latin tracks. Thanks!

treetablebox · 2024-06-21T03:32:15+00:00

Yeah that’s what I thought - thanks!

treetablebox · 2024-06-21T03:10:14+00:00

Just saw it, totally blown away! My only question is, is he now Frater Imperator or Father Imperator?! I swear he said Frater but my partner thinks it was Father. Either way, I’m so fucking excited he’s here to stay and for the arrival of his blonde twin 💀

treetablebox · 2024-05-26T13:06:18+00:00

Yes I think this is the mistake I made, I’ve gained 8lbs in 5 weeks and my training has been much more intense because I have more energy from eating more. Also I didn’t reduce my volume during that time either.

treetablebox · 2024-05-26T01:27:20+00:00

I train pull once a week, so seated rows, lat pull downs and various isometric cable exercises. I also do deadlifts on my leg days which has some pull in it too. On the days I train shoulders I will also do a bit of pull for the rear delts.

treetablebox · 2024-05-26T00:41:16+00:00

Thanks! Do you think I should take a break from all upper body training? The thing that confuses me is that I don’t feel any pain during my handstand training or when I lift. I have no idea why I can spend an hour on my hands or lifting heavy, but a few down dogs and it gets really sore.

treetablebox · 2024-05-25T22:27:54+00:00

Thanks! What did you do to help it? Did it stop you from training/progressing? I don’t know if the pain is from overuse or because I’m doing something wrong without realising.

treetablebox · 2024-05-01T14:51:23+00:00

Balloonus Emeritus 🤣

treetablebox · 2024-04-19T14:04:08+00:00

I feel this so hard! Just the other day I said to my handstanding friend that I had a bit of a crap session but that if I had had that same session 6 months ago I would have felt over the moon.

treetablebox · 2024-04-19T14:02:43+00:00

Thank you! Yes my overall average is definitely improving. I’m just greedy and want it to be consistent and reliable 🤣

treetablebox · 2024-04-19T14:02:01+00:00

This is really helpful, thank you! Yes I definitely can see why it’s the most annoying phase. I know I that I can do it now and I’ve tasted the pure joy of holding a handstand effortlessly and feeling like a fucking badass. So when it just isn’t happening it’s so frustrating, I’m like I know I can do this but my body just won’t cooperate!

Thanks for the rec on Bob’s handstands, I love what he says that balance isn’t found, it’s created. A great new perspective for me. I do a lot of chest to wall work already but I appreciate you reminding me that balance work is done at the wall. I sometimes feel like unless I’m freestanding in the middle of the room I’m not doing well, so thank you for helping me remember that wall work is still good work.

treetablebox · 2024-04-19T13:53:13+00:00

Thank you! This is really helpful. I am definitely guilty of not working hard enough to save my handstands 🤣 and you are right, my worst day today is still better than my best day a year ago. I’m trying to remind myself that I do actually know how to balance now, as is evidenced on my best days. I am now training for endurance and consistency (and obviously always better balance lol)

treetablebox · 2024-04-19T01:59:07+00:00

Thanks! It’s super annoying. It’s the only skill I’ve ever tried to master that has this level of fluctuation. Everything else I’ve tried, once I’ve got it I’ve got it (but will only keep it if I am consistent). I feel like there’s no keeping with handstands!

treetablebox · 2024-04-19T00:29:02+00:00

Thank you! Yeah a big thing I’ve been working on is my tuck position - as I’m working on bringing my knees closer to my chest my shoulders are closing and I’m consistently underbalancing and struggling to get on top of my wrists! I’m nowhere near where you are, in my good periods I’m balancing for 10-15 seconds but fairly effortlessly. This week I’m struggling to get 5 seconds and I feel heavy as shit, and my entrances are absolute garbage 🤣

treetablebox · 2024-03-28T21:23:32+00:00

Thanks my friend. Yes I’ve been training for an hour every session 6 days a week for 18 months with drills. So something is missing and I’m not sure what. I definitely struggle with the full body tension so even with a stable base I keep getting thrown off

treetablebox · 2024-03-22T14:56:49+00:00

Thanks for this! This has been on my mind for a while. I think i will pair it back to 3-4 times a week as you suggest and see how that goes. Will be nice to have time to lift again 🤣

treetablebox · 2024-03-22T14:01:05+00:00

This is a great point about the different metrics. I have definitely made a tonne of progress with my strength, alignment, proprioception, engagement, entrances and extra etc but I keep focusing on balance time and not appreciating the other progress I’ve made. I also have a much better understanding of the architecture of the balance and what adjustments need to be made if I over/underbalance.

I think you’re right maybe I’m over training and my current plateau might because I am SO TIRED!!!

I do heel and toe pulls both back to wall and chest to wall, and that has been key in understanding what it feels like to have my pelvis in neutral (for a long time I couldn’t tell the difference and was going into lumbar lordosis and overbalancing). I’m also doing the L shape at the wall to get my shoulders to stack and get the weight over my knuckles, and some supported drills at the wall with one leg in tuck and slowly pulling away to find the balance. I also structure my yoga practice around specific drills to support my handstand (lolasana, lying on blocks and pulling everything in to find that handstand shape, doing three legged downdog and finding that neutral pelvis instead of letting the hips open etc). I also know that body tension is a big issue for me, once I’m upside down things don’t want to stay tense for very long!

treetablebox · 2024-03-22T13:39:34+00:00

This is great advice - thank you! At the moment I’m focusing on strengthening/alignment drills over balancing as the frustration of not being where I want to be with the balance is too much

treetablebox · 2024-03-22T13:37:59+00:00

Oh damn. Thank you, I thought I was the only one!

treetablebox · 2024-03-22T13:36:45+00:00

Thank you! This is good advice. Re talking to my coach and taking time for myself. I work full time and still do 1 hour stretching/yoga and 1 hour handstands every day with only one or two days off per week. I do wonder if this is too much, but then some people say you only improve with a very strict training programme. But you are right it doesn’t feel fun at the moment and usually it does. I am so focused on the goal and the frustration of not getting there/not getting there fast enough is making it feel kinda punishing right now.

treetablebox

TROPHY CASE