Kipping Handstand Push-Up
What Is the Kipping Handstand Push-Up?
Kipping Handstand Push-Up is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the triceps, upper back, core and hips. It is an advanced-level movement performed upside down with the back to a wall: the athlete lowers the head to the floor, tucks the knees toward the chest, then kicks the legs back up the wall while pressing to straight arms.
The kip is a CrossFit staple. Hip extension carries the body through the hardest part of the press, the bottom, so athletes can string together far more reps than they could strictly and keep moving in high-volume conditioning workouts. In CrossFit, a rep generally counts when the head touches the floor or a set target and the athlete finishes with the arms locked and the heels back on the wall.
The shoulders and triceps still finish every rep, but the kick does much of the work the strict Handstand Push-Up asks of them, so the kipping version builds conditioning and skill rather than pressing strength. Placing the hands slightly farther from the wall than for a strict rep leaves room for the hips to fold during the tuck. Raising the hands on plates or parallettes creates a deficit, letting the head pass below the hands and adding range of motion once the standard version is solid.
This variation is for athletes who already own strict handstand push-ups and can lower themselves under control. CrossFit's coaching guidance recommends mastering the strict movement first, because without that strength the descent can put excessive stress on the neck. A sensible path is Pike Push-Up, Feet-Elevated Pike Push-Up, Wall Walk and Wall Handstand Hold, then slow negatives and strict reps before adding the kip.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- Medium
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
- Upper Trapezius
- Medium
Instructions
- Place your hands on the floor about shoulder width apart, a short distance from the wall, with your fingers spread and pointing away from it.
- Kick up into a handstand with your back to the wall, heels resting on the wall, arms locked and body straight.
- Bend your elbows and lower yourself under control until the top of your head lightly touches the floor, forming a triangle with your hands.
- Keep your neck neutral and pull your knees toward your chest, letting your hips rest against the wall.
- Drive your hips open and kick your legs up toward the wall.
- As your legs straighten, push hard through your hands and press to straight arms.
- Finish with your arms locked, heels against the wall and body straight, then lower into the next rep.
- At the end of the set, come down from the wall one leg at a time.
Common Mistakes
Dropping onto the head
Falling the last few inches instead of lowering under control slams the head into the floor and loads the neck hard.
Kipping before strict strength
Learning the kip before you can do strict handstand push-ups leaves you unable to control the descent, so the neck takes the load your arms should.
Bending the neck back
Looking at the floor and touching down on the forehead extends the neck under load; land on the top of the head with the neck neutral.
Pressing late
Kicking the legs up without pushing hard through the hands at the same moment wastes the kip and leaves you stuck at the bottom.
Hands too close to the wall
Setting up as close as for a strict rep leaves no room for the hips during the tuck, so the kick pushes you off balance.
Arching the lower back
Finishing with the ribs flared and the back arched wastes the kick and strains the lumbar spine.
Injuries
Kipping Handstand Push-Up is a high risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Every rep puts body weight through the top of the head, and the kip drives the head into the floor at the bottom, so the neck carries more load here than in almost any other bodyweight exercise. The shoulders and wrists also take repeated overhead loading, especially in high-rep workouts.
The neck is the main strain point. Dropping fast into the bottom, landing on the forehead with the neck bent back, or resting the full body weight on the head before the kick all load the cervical spine hard. The shoulders can get irritated when the rotator cuff fatigues under high volume, the wrists sit in full extension under body weight, and an arched lower back at the top strains the lumbar spine.
Lower under control so the head only taps the floor, land on the top of the head with the neck neutral, and form a balanced triangle between the head and hands. A folded mat under the head softens each touchdown. Keep sets short enough that the descent stays controlled, and switch to a scaled version as soon as fatigue makes you drop instead of lower. If the kip feels unmanageable, go back to the strict Handstand Push-Up, Pike Push-Up or Feet-Elevated Pike Push-Up; once the standard version is solid, a deficit adds range of motion.
Stop right away if you feel neck pain, a headache, or numbness or tingling down an arm, and get it checked before trying again. Anyone with a history of neck injury should stick to strict or pike variations unless a clinician clears the movement.
- Primary Focus
- Shoulders
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is the kipping handstand push-up easier than the strict version?
Yes, for most people, because the kick carries the body through the bottom of the press and leaves the shoulders and triceps to finish it. That is why athletes can usually do more kipping reps than strict Handstand Push-Up reps, and also why the kip builds less pressing strength.
- Q: How many strict handstand push-ups should I be able to do before kipping?
There is no official number. CrossFit's coaching guidance asks athletes to show they can do strict handstand push-ups and lower themselves under control first, and many coaches look for several clean strict reps before teaching the kip.
- Q: Should I put a mat under my head?
A folded mat or abdominal mat softens each touchdown and is common in CrossFit gyms. It also shortens the range of motion, so keep the same thickness from session to session, and check the standard if a workout sets a specific head target.
- Q: What should I do if I can't do a kipping handstand push-up yet?
Build up through Pike Push-Up, Feet-Elevated Pike Push-Up, Wall Walk and Wall Handstand Hold, then add slow negatives and strict Handstand Push-Up reps before learning the kip.
- Q: Is the kipping handstand push-up bad for your neck?
It loads the neck more than a strict rep, because the kip drives the head into the floor. Lowering under control and keeping the neck neutral keep that load manageable, but anyone with a history of neck problems should stick to strict or pike variations unless a clinician clears it.