Charlotte Robertson says Handstands make you happy!

Hot on the heels of winning the win professional category at this years UKPPC finals we caught up with the lovely Charlotte Robertson for her tips on handstands and how they should be part of your pole dancing training to make you fitter and happier...

Photo credit: Simon Hutchinson

Handstands make you happy…..
Ok, so this is a pretty dramatic statement but hear me out. Handstands are probably one of the most effective body weight exercises you can do making your stronger, more stable & better coordinated, while the commitment and sense of achievement will make you overall much happier ☺ It’s also a great pre pole full body warm up exercise & not to mention the wide variety of handstands we can now apply to our pole training! It will also make all the sad things fall out resulting in immediate happiness. Results may vary on this ;)

What's the secret?
Often I am asked “What’s the secret to learning handstands?” This is pretty simple: “To get good at handstands, you do handstands.” There is no other weighted exercise that will make you better at handstands – you just need to put in the time to practice the handstand-specific progressions and conditioning exercises. It IS skill specific training.

So where do we start?
I always advise my students to start with the wall handstand, this means you can begin to focus of technique rather than getting frustrated with kicking up and coming straight back down!

1. We start by having our front, not back, facing the wall. We do this to avoid having ‘bad posture’ or ‘arched back’ before we have even begun.

2. To safely transition up into the handstand, start by facing away from the wall. Place your hands on the floor shoulder width apart. Place your feet on the wall & begin to walk them up until your in a sort of plank position. Walk your hands towards the wall until they are directly under your shoulders. Make sure your toes are pointed (we are pole dancers afterall!!!) & your feet are flat to the wall.

3. Once we get here we think technique!!!! - Fingers are spead wide so you can grip the floor with your finger tips. - Arms are straight, imagine pushing the floor away from your head.

- SQUEEZE YOUR BUTT!!!!
-Try to tilt the pelvis under think about drawing your pubic bone to your belly button.
- eyes looking down between your hands

We are aiming to have a straight line from wrists to shoulders, shoulders to hips, hips to toes!

4. Now BREATHE!

5. Once in this position gently try taking one foot off the wall, keeping it inline with your body. Try the other foot. Then try moving one and then the other to join it.

*TOP TIP* If you’re not used to twisting or summersaulting out of a handstand, be sure to leave enough strength to get back DOWN the wall!

To find out more about Charlotte and book one of her amazing 'Everything Handstands Workshops' check out her Facebook Page. here: https://www.facebook.com/charlotterobertsonpole

Watch Charlottes handstand tips video here: