Approximate strength required to do 1 HSPU

[Roy]

Hey, I know the answer to this varies from person to person depending on how they are built, but about how good do one's other conventional lifts have to be to be within striking distance of doing 1 HSPU (against a wall)?
For example do you have to have pretty close to a BW 1RM Press, or like a fairly high number of BW dips?

 

[Big H]

im nowhere close to a BW strict overhead press, but i can do around 5 handstand press ups against a wall @ 186lbs ish

if ur unable to do one, do around 5-10 with an extremely small range of motion and go lower and lower. after a week or 2 u should be able to do one

 

[CrazyNutz]

Hey, I know the answer to this varies from person to person depending on how they are built, but about how good do one's other conventional lifts have to be to be within striking distance of doing 1 HSPU (against a wall)?
For example do you have to have pretty close to a BW 1RM Press, or like a fairly high number of BW dips?

Think the closest transfer would be a military press, since the whole lift is pure shoulders, arms and chest for a handstand pushup. Good way to work up to it is to do negatives, kick your feet up against a wall and do the lowering portion and repeat. Once you can do 1 HSPU, your pretty much on your way to being able to do a flag pose on a pole.

 

[Bright5086200]

i doubt you can do a flag pole on a wall. that has core, shoulders, traps, chest, back, legs, everything. It is crazy if you can do a flagpole thing.

 

[CrazyNutz]

i doubt you can do a flag pole on a wall. that has core, shoulders, traps, chest, back, legs, everything. It is crazy if you can do a flagpole thing.

Beastskills would disagree, "Such shoulder strengthening exercises could include working on/towards handstand pushups, with focus on strengthening your shoulder extension. If you can do several full range handstand pushups against the wall, then you're well on your way to getting the flag."

The Flag

 

[DEVILsSON]

If you are talking about the supported version against the wall then something very close to a strict bw press(possibly quite a bit less due to restricted ROM in HSPU), if you mean unsupported then it's more strongly related to core strength and balance although excess strength will help(such as bw press or 1.1-1.25 bw).

 

[Roy]

If you are talking about the supported version against the wall then something very close to a strict bw press(possibly quite a bit less due to restricted ROM in HSPU), if you mean unsupported then it's more strongly related to core strength and balance although excess strength will help(such as bw press or 1.1-1.25 bw).

I'm talking about/only interested in the supported version just because I doubt i'll ever have the balance to do an unsupported HSPU--though that would be dope. I feel like you probably need to be somewhat of a gymnast to do an unsupported HSPU. You bring up a good point that the RoM in a HSPU is about half of what it would be with a press inasmuch as you cannot descend past your head (unless you were doing it on parallel bars), so it's essentially a lockout.

 

[elevate]

When I first started lifting again a couple of years ago, I could do 5-7 reps. I'm only now getting close to a BW strict OHP. At one point when I was doing handstand push ups more regularly I could manage an unsupported rep or two--and I was nowhere nearly as strong as I am now. The ROM from shoulders to the top of my head makes a huge difference.

 

[turbozed]

The limited ROM makes them much easier to do as many have stated. OHP should start from around rack position. The furthest you could go with a hand stand pushup is, of course, the top of your head. It's like the equivalent of half-squatting.

Another thing to factor in is that when you're supported by a wall, some of your weight is transferred to the wall decreasing your resistance.