A Primer, Bodyweight Basics

PIKE PRESS UPS
The pike position is a great way of building flexibility, as well as
building strong shoulders and triceps with a pressing motion. It
also gets us used to being inverted so we're not so scared when
it comes to handstands. It may seem daunting at first but if you
progress in the right way, you should feel confident being upside
down in no time!
From a push up position walk your feet towards your hands. As we are working towards
handstand pushups, where we are vertical, we are trying to press as much of our bodyweight
VERTICALLY as possible.
From this position, lower your head down, in front of your hands focusing on a forward
lean. The further forward you lean, the more workload put on the shoulders (which is what
we are trying to work). Come back up, at the top of the motion, fully extend your arms and
then elevate the scapula (shoulders up towards ears) as if you were starting a handstand.
This is a rep.
The elevated pike pushup is the next step as more weight is stacked on the shoulders. The
higher you raise your feet, the harder it will be. Eventually you will feel your feet floating!
Repeat the same procedure as the normal pike press ups, focus on getting your head as far in
front of your hands as you can, and fully extend at the top like a handstand.
The more weight vertically
over your shoulders, the
harder and better it will be.
BODYWEIGHT 39