Wall Walk
What Is the Wall Walk?
Wall Walk is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the triceps, upper back, chest, and core. It is an intermediate-level movement in which you start lying face down with your feet at the base of a wall, press up, and walk your feet up the wall while your hands walk back toward it until you are close to a chest-to-wall handstand, then reverse the path back to the floor.
The wall walk is a CrossFit staple. It made its CrossFit Open debut in workout 21.1, paired with double-unders, and has returned in later Opens, so many athletes meet it first in a conditioning workout. Outside competition it is a common bridge to handstand training: it builds strength and endurance with the arms fully overhead, teaches the shoulders to hold the body's weight in that position, and gets people comfortable being upside down with the wall as a guide.
The front and side deltoids carry most of the work as your weight shifts from your feet onto your hands, and the triceps keep the elbows locked under that load. The serratus anterior and trapezius rotate the shoulder blades upward so the arms can reach a full overhead position, while the abdominals and obliques stop the hips from sagging in the plank phase and the lower back from arching once you are inverted. Stopping partway up keeps more of your weight on your feet, which is the standard way to scale the movement, while walking the hands closer to the wall stacks more of your weight over your hands and raises the balance demand.
Wall walks suit CrossFit athletes, gymnasts in training, and anyone working toward a Handstand Hold or Handstand Walk. Before attempting the full range you should be able to hold a solid Plank and do strict Pike Push-Ups. If the top position is still out of reach, climb only as far as you can control, or build shoulder and core endurance with the Bear Crawl first.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Rectus Abdominis
- High
- Upper Trapezius
- High
- External Oblique
- Medium
- Lower Trapezius
- Medium
- Pectoralis Major
- Medium
Instructions
- Lie face down with your feet against the base of a wall and your hands flat on the floor beside your chest, about shoulder-width apart.
- Brace your core and press up into a high plank with your arms straight.
- Keeping your hands where they are, step one foot and then the other onto the wall, lifting your hips as you go.
- Once both feet are on the wall, walk your hands back toward it in small steps while your feet keep climbing higher.
- Keep your arms locked, push the floor away, squeeze your glutes, and pull your ribs down so your body moves toward a straight line.
- Stop when your hands are as close to the wall as you can control and your body is nearly vertical with your chest facing the wall.
- Reverse the movement by walking your hands away from the wall while your feet step down it.
- When your hands are back at the start and your feet reach the floor, lower your chest to the floor with control, then repeat.
Common Mistakes
Moving the hands too early
Walking the hands toward the wall before both feet are on it shifts your weight onto the shoulders abruptly and throws off the climb.
Bending the arms
Letting the elbows bend turns every step into a press, tires the shoulders quickly and makes a collapse near the top more likely.
Arching the lower back
Flaring the ribs and letting the spine bow toward the wall at the top moves the strain from the shoulders to the lower back.
Sagging hips in the plank
Letting the hips drop as you press up and start climbing loses the tight body line you need once you are inverted.
Crashing on the way down
Letting the feet fall off the wall before the hands have walked back out jolts the wrists and shoulders and drops the chest hard to the floor.
Taking big, rushed steps
Reaching the top in two or three large steps lets the torso twist and trades control for speed.
Injuries
Wall Walk is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The shoulders and wrists take most of the strain: the shoulders hold close to your full body weight at the end of their overhead range, and the wrists bear that weight while bent back. The lower back is the other common complaint, usually from letting the ribs flare and the spine arch once you are upside down, and fatigue raises the risk of the arms buckling near the top.
Warm up the wrists and shoulders before your first rep, keep the arms locked and the body tight through the whole climb, and walk only as high as you can control. Take small steps with the hands and feet, and come down the same way you went up rather than dropping off the wall. If you need to come down quickly, walk the hands away from the wall and step one foot down at a time. Stop each set while your form is still clean, since wall walks tire the shoulders faster than they tire your breathing.
To regress, climb only partway up the wall, or build strength with the Plank, Pike Push-Up and Bear Crawl. To progress, pause at the top in a Wall Handstand Hold before walking down, then move on to the Handstand Push-Up or a freestanding Handstand Hold.
Stop if you feel sharp pain in the wrist, elbow, or shoulder, numbness or tingling in the hands, or dizziness or a pounding headache while inverted. If you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, glaucoma, or a recent shoulder, neck, or spine injury, get clearance from a health professional before training upside down.
- Primary Focus
- Shoulders
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Are wall walks good for beginners?
Not as a first exercise. They require a strong plank and enough shoulder strength to support most of your body weight overhead, so beginners usually start with partial wall walks that stop partway up the wall, alongside the Plank and Pike Push-Up.
- Q: How close to the wall should my hands get?
As close as you can while keeping your arms locked and your body straight. Experienced athletes finish within a hand's width or so of the wall, and the 2021 CrossFit Open standard required both hands to touch a line 10 inches from the wall before coming down.
- Q: How many wall walks should I do?
Treat them as strength and skill work: a few sets of 3 to 5 controlled reps with full rest suit most people. In conditioning workouts, break the reps up before your shoulders give out, because tired arms are what cause falls.
- Q: Should I lower myself slowly on the way down?
Come down the same way you went up, walking the hands out before the feet leave the wall. There is no need for a slow negative, but the descent should be a controlled return to the floor rather than a drop.
- Q: What is the difference between a wall walk and a wall handstand hold?
A wall walk is the dynamic climb up the wall and back down, while a Wall Handstand Hold is a static hold in the top position. Many athletes combine them by pausing at the top of each wall walk.