MONS Athletics
Kettlebell exercises

Pike Hold: Feet on a Chair, Weight on Your Hands

Put your feet on a chair and walk your hands in until your hips are over your shoulders. Lock your arms, push the floor away and hold for 20 seconds. It strengthens the shoulders overhead.

Strength · Shoulders · 2 min read

Why it works: Chapter 13, Why stretching your hamstrings will not loosen them

How to do it

  1. 1

    Feet on a chair

    Kneel with your back to a sturdy chair or sofa. Put your hands on the floor and your feet on the seat behind you, like the top of a push-up.

  2. 2

    Walk your hands in

    Walk your hands towards the chair and lift your hips until they are over your shoulders. Your body makes an upside-down L.

  3. 3

    Lock and push

    Arms straight and locked. Push the floor away so your shoulders lift towards your ears. Head between your arms.

  4. 4

    Hold

    Hold still for 20 seconds, breathing. Then walk your hands back out and come down.

  5. 5

    The test

    Your arms stay locked and your hips stay over your shoulders for the whole hold. When your arms bend or your hips drift back, the set is over.

Watch for

  • Bent arms. Lock them; the hold is in the shoulders, not the elbows.
  • Sinking into the shoulders. Keep pushing the floor away.
  • A wobbly chair. Use something that won't slide.

Questions

Is a pike hold a beginner handstand?

Yes. It puts most of your weight on your hands with your hips overhead, but your feet stay on the chair. When it is easy, the step up is the wall handstand hold.

What does it work?

The shoulders, holding your body weight overhead with the arms straight, and the upper back and trunk keeping you in one line.