Start learning the elbow stand on a carpeted floor, or outside on grass. This will give you a softer surface to work with until your forearms are conditioned to the strain of the technique, and it will hurt less if you fall.
The forearms are used as the base for the elbow stand. They should be roughly 10-12 inches apart to provide maximum stability and put them in the best position to make balance adjustments. [2] X Research source It’s important to be low enough in your starting position to be able to get both forearms on the ground in front of you without the need to contort uncomfortably.
Learn to get a feel for how hard to kick up with your first leg. Not kicking hard enough will cause you to fall right back down into your starting position, while kicking up with too much force might make you to overshoot your balance point and can potentially lead to shoulder injuries if the arms are wrenched behind you. [5] X Research source Keeping the body perfectly aligned from head to toe will make balancing easier by preventing any awkward displacements of weight from pulling you down.
If your body is leaning too far forward, press with the palms to counter the movement; If you find yourself falling backwards, tense the core by squeezing the abdominal muscles and thrust your elbows into the floor while extending your shoulders. The straighter you can keep your body, the more effortless balancing will be.
Bridge the gap between the headstand and elbow stand by doing yoga headstands, in which the forearms are also used for base stability and balance. [8] X Research source
You can also perform elbow stands against the wall to build up the amount of time you’re able to spend inverted under tension. This will take the balance aspect out of the movement and allow you to focus on building up the shoulder and core strength necessary to hold the elbow stand for longer. [10] X Research source
Stretch the shoulders and neck independently by putting them through their maximal range of motion, or by transitioning through a sequence of other yoga postures.
Pike and Hindu push ups approximate the positioning of the body during the elbow stand particularly well. [13] X Research source Holding handstands against a wall will also be useful for building the necessary supporting strength in the arms and shoulders.
To perform static core exercises, begin the exercise normally and then hold it in the hardest portion of the movement (for crunches, this will be in a full crunch; for V-sits and leg lifts, the legs should be kept at about a 45 degree angle to the body, etc. ) Incorporate core strength exercises into your weekly training following your regular workouts.
The pike shifts emphasis to the frontal abdominals, meaning that your core muscles need to be quite well-developed.
It may be helpful to “catch” your weight with your hands before resting the forearms on the ground in order to compensate for the added distance between your body and the floor.
Staying upright will be made much more complicated, as the legs now must move independently to offset one another’s weight.
To successfully perform a scorpion, the neck, back, hip flexors and quadriceps must be warmed up and limber. Make sure you’re on an intensive stretching regimen to build up flexibility before attempting the scorpion. [18] X Research source This technique places the neck and back in an awkward position, making falls potentially dangerous. If you find yourself falling, always come out of the posture by gradually straightening the back and bringing the hips down until your feet rest on the ground beneath you.
