The Tulum Handstand Progression...or What I Did on my Summer Vacation

I've been...intrigued...for some time by the handstand. A friend here is big on Crossfit, and one of the things they've been working on since the beginning of the year is handstands. Jealous, I decided that I, too, wanted to be able to do a handstand.

After a few half-hearted attempts at home, I decided that I would attack the challenge every day of my recent vacation. I had the perfect handstand-learning medium (sand) and nothing but time. So I vowed to give it a go. I wasn't under the illusion that I could master it in 9 days' time, just that I could progress beyond thinking about it.

So I started the first full day of our vacation. I didn't get to the "balance point" until probably day 3 or 4. Note that I still have a wicked non-beach tan and that I'm barely holding it together:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1...lumBS054-1.jpg

This same day, my friend and I were walking on the beach and we came upon a local doing...handstands. We spoke with him for a while and learned that he practices 3 times a week and has been doing so for a year. He was quite talented.

As the vacation progressed, my handstands and tan (in spite of SPF 50) progressed in a manner that surprised and delighted me. By day 7 I was holding at least 2 seconds and by the end of the trip, on day 9, I was able to hold it for maybe 5 seconds (4.89725 seconds). My spouse, usually not so supportive of my crazy fitness "ideas", enjoyed sitting in a chair or in the water watching his crazy wife get inverted over and over and over.

Here is the final day. I am motivated to keep it up. I figure it's a good substitute for push ups since I've been slacking on those for quite some time.

The starting position:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1...Tulum01138.jpg

The plant:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1...Tulum01143.jpg

And the STAND!!

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1...Tulum01144.jpg

Doing handstands has a funny effect on others. Any time I was out practicing, kids and adults both would try it out.

:D

P.S. This is the first time I've worn a bikini in over 20 years. I have to say it was quite....liberating, for some odd reason.

Applause!! great tan and great handstand. I never did get past the 2 second mark.

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Originally Posted by yellow

P.S. This is the first time I've worn a bikini in over 20 years. I have to say it was quite....liberating, for some odd reason.

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Well, of course it is when you have the figure for it. :rolleyes:

The inner child comes out once again.

My Gawd you look hot in that bikini! :D Can we do a brain transplant?

V.

I should add...

In the "starting position" picture, behind me is the track of a green sea turtle that laid eggs the night before. There were hundreds of nests all along this beach.

Also, V, most of the time the top was not even on. However, it should be noted that the top is size XS AND has padding. My damn rib cage is bigger around than most of the rest of me. :rolleyes:

How cool (about the handstand)!

You look like the "after" picture in some weight loss / muscle building ad - IOW, great! :)

You know how the grass is always greener...

I'd take reduced boobage to have great legs and a flat tummy. :D Boobs get droopy eventually. Great legs are forever. :D

V.

I am so doomed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

I am so doomed.

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LOL!!!! I just spit a mouthfull of water at my computer!

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Originally Posted by aka_kim

How cool (about the handstand)!

You look like the "after" picture in some weight loss / muscle building ad - IOW, great! :)

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Seriously. What's your secret? I'm signing up for whatever it is.

You look marvelous!

I could do a handstand back in the day. May have to try it again.

Karen

Notice most of us are VERY envious -- and not of being able to do the handstand!

Yes, the frist thing I noticed and how great you looked in that little bikini and if I looked like that I would post pictures of myself doing handstands (or anything). Right now I prefer NOT to even LOOK at my reflection in the glass door when I am in my swimsuit!:eek:

Serious abs! What's the secret? With a tummy like that, why hide in a one-piece?

I was wondering what made that track in the sand. How cool that it was turtles!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yellow

Doing handstands has a funny effect on others. Any time I was out practicing, kids and adults both would try it out.

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You're right...I'm ready to try!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yellow

My spouse, usually not so supportive of my crazy fitness "ideas", enjoyed sitting in a chair or in the water watching his crazy wife get inverted over and over and over.

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I know how he feels:rolleyes::p:D...but despite that, Silver has abs like yours!

I'm impressed!!!

(And I, too have the rib cage bigger than other parts thing going on. Oh well. :rolleyes: )

Compliment a woman on her body... surely she'll find something to talk it down a little. This being said, I like the idea of a Big Ribcage Club...

You look wonderful yellow, your quads and biceps are spectacular, and you are really cool, standing on your hands. It is indeed contagious!!!

I've never even been able to stand on my head.

And I wish I looked half that good upside down or right ways up :rolleyes:

Yellow, you rock! :D

Secret? Some of it is genetics (I'm a pear, and I have never carried weight around my middle), a lot of it is high mileage trail running with lots of steep downhills (hence the giant quads), but I think the primary thing that has "helped" me over the years is something an old whitewater kayaking friend hammered in to my head: put your "stress" in your core...not your neck, not your shoulders, not your jaw...your core. It was very helpful to ground myself using my abs and glutes when I was boating. And I think since then I've always carried "stress" in my abs (I don't boat any more...got too old and scared, but I loved it when I did it). I suck at all of the trendy core exercises. I'm not that strong right now, due to several months of general slacking.

OK, but seriously, this is about HANDSTANDS, ladies. :cool: I never realized it required so much finesse. It's pretty magical when you hit that balance point and can stay there.

They have a handstand pushup video on the Crossfit website. :eek: Whoa. This is the handstand video that I've been studying most. I still have too much of a "bend" in my spine.

Who went out and did a handstand today?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yellow

Who went out and did a handstand today?

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With my wrists? Not gonna happen! :o

Where were you vacationing?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yellow

Who went out and did a handstand today?

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Rephrase: Who went out and got a bump on their head trying a handstand today?:p:D

Crossfit is pretty "fun" :D

I plan on starting it up once I hit the racing off-season (I "discovered" it back in February, but didn't have a chance to really get into it before I had to start spending 200+ miles a week on my bike).

Congrats on the rockin' bod and the handstands!

I'm just impressed that somebody can afford a vacation.

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Originally Posted by snapdragen

With my wrists? Not gonna happen! :o

Where were you vacationing?

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Tulum, a small community about two hours south of Cancun,just south of Playa del Carmen, on the Yucatan Peninsula. The whole coast three is lined with little beach places just like the one pictured. We spent part of our honeymoon there.

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Originally Posted by Irulan

Tulum, a small community about two hours south of Cancun, just south of Playa del Carmen, on the Yucatan Peninsula.

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Exactally. It's on the edge of the Caribbean. The beach places in Tulum do not have electricity; most use solar and a few operate with generators. Once Tulum beach gets power, it'll probably be doomed to looking like Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

Zen, this is the first vacation longer than a week that we've been on in the 16 years we've been married (we were out 10 days total). Long overdue. Mexico (and places like Belize, which is about 150 miles to the south) is incredibly cheap compared to traveling to, say, Europe (where we originally were going to go until we decided the whole Euro-USD business made it infeasible). We saved for a long time and used points from our Am Ex for airfare. The whole trip cost less than my last mountain biking trip with someone whose initials are SK (although I believe a large portion of the cost for THAT trip was Chimay Grande Reserve :p ).

Here you go, Snap:

Mayan ruins on the beach

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1...Tulum01059.jpg

And here's one for MP:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1...Tulum01072.jpg

That is way cool. I'm inspired.
But I think I'm going to need a wall, cuz I'm scared of the dread "aaaach-ovah."
I just don't bend that way too well.

So did you go inland to the ruins at Coba? They are really, really cool. We rented beater mountain bikes for a couple of pesos and rode all around the site.

We spent two weeks down there last time - Tulum, Valladolid ( inland) and a week on Cozumel diving.

I've been working on handstands in yoga. My biggest issue is mental, not physical. I can do a headstand with no problem, but handstands mess with my head. I'd really like to take an arm balancing workshop one of these days
so that I can, hopefully, get over my fears.

In any event, great job Yellow!

Next step = walking on your hands. :) talk about an arm workout!

I was a gymnast in a former life (not with the current body, that's for sure), but I've never lost my handstand abilities. Now my flips and handsprings, well that is another story. I'll have to do some on the beach when I go next month, though there is a 'no cameras allowed' rule when I'm near a beach.

Thanks for the sign!! :D

Ha! I have trouble standing on my feet some days- let alone upside down on my hands. You rock, yellow!!!

And yes, I was checking out your bod along with your handstand technique. I'm very impressed with both. I've got nice calves and a nice head. It's the part in between that requires lots of clothing coverage. :p

And I won't be trying one anytime soon. My bones are far too breakable to be trying shenannigans like that nowadays.

Ha! Here I was admiring your legs...not your abs. I'm also a pear and can easily have abs. Nice legs, not so much! I've noticed that women tend to admire on others exactly what they don't have themselves...

Anyway, I am impressed with your drive to learn to handstand! As a kid and teenager, I was constantly doing handstands. No idea why. Now that I see this post, I've got the urge to try again. I wonder how much my balance will be out of whack with this extra 25 lbs on my frame? Should be an interesting endeavor. Yellow, you've inspired me!

(and can I also say how impressed I am with your tan progression in just 10 days? Good job! ;))

Side bar here...So I "googled" crossfit and found the web site. I think I need more time "navigating" it to understand.

So how does one or can one work this into a biking and running routine. (and 1/2 marathon training plan).

Guess this should be a new thread--huh!
Just very impressed w/ body and handstand!

Wow! Good job with the handstand.

I was going to ask where you were, but read the other posts. I just knew it wasn't in Utah :D

Glad you had a nice, long vacation. (My friend defines a vacation as an outing where one gets to spend lots of time reading a book. A trip is an outing where a book doesn't get opened.)

Hats off to you! Technique, strength and a great body.

Tulum is beautiful.

Were there naked people swimming there? There were when I went.

Irulan, yes, we went to Coba and loved it. We got dumped on and drenched but still enjoyed walking around (it was really too wet to ride; think rivers flowing down the roads). Thankfully we were able to climb the pyramid before the rainstorm; I can't imagine trying to come down those steps when they are wet!!

katluvr, my friend that is into Crossfit actually has a Crossfit coach. She has 3 sessions with him each week (I think they are an hour) and she sends her a daily exercise every morning. She is an ultra runner, and was in really incredible shape before she started Crossfit, but still claims that it's taken her to a new level as far as muscle endurance is concerned. There are certified Crossfit coaches all over; I suspect they have programs for specific goals like you mention.

LG, I read two books in their entirety and almost finished a third! :)

SBS, clothing definitely optional, but not too many naked folks. Mostly just topless women.