How to do a yoga handstand on forearms? (2023)

Why is forearm stand so hard?

Forearm Stand (or Pincha Mayurasana) is inarguably one of the toughest yoga poses to nail. This arm-balancing inversion requires flexibility, strength, alignment and a solid foundation. Without a strong base, we risk compromising the soundness of the pose.

Your biceps and triceps are working to hold the position of your arms and support the weight of your body. WHICH MUSCLES DOES FOREARM BALANCE STRETCH? The lats are getting the most significant stretch of the entire body in this posture. If the lats are tight it's much more likely that your elbows will splay.

Sufficient strength work is needed for the forearm flexor muscles, triceps, deltoid muscles, serratus anterior, trapezius muscles, and core muscles that must be specifically designed for handstand training.

Bend your elbows to bring your forearms and palms flat against the floor. Your upper arms should be perpendicular to the forearms. Your gaze should be should be forward and down. Curl your toes under and lift your hips to come into a Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) position with your legs.

The forearm is a relatively stubborn muscle that demands sufficient effort and consistency to respond. Growing your forearms requires adequate knowledge and the consistent application of the knowledge gained.

“Nothing makes an upper body pop like muscular forearms,” says Travis Pollen, a personal trainer and PhD candidate in Rehabilitation Sciences. “Yet forearms are a notoriously stubborn body part to grow. The simple fact of the matter is that most people don't devote the necessary time to concentrated forearm training.”

In martial arts, it is the unspoken word that strong forearms aid tremendously in punching power. Even though most of your punching power is generated from the legs and the hips, by utilising rotational and linear forces, it is the forearms that act as a strong and stable link during punch impact.

Though a difficult move in its own right, the forearm stand is more accessible than a handstand because you have more points of contact to assist in balancing.

In Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Stand or Elbow Balance), the actions required of the shoulder are confined to a smaller area, which challenges the flexibility and stability of the shoulder girdle directly.

What muscles are used in pincha?

Pincha is renowned for its capabilities of strengthening the shoulders and upper back muscles. You can feel the work happening even as you hold the posture! With the correct alignment and guidance the upper back can become a place of grounded strength and support.

Pincha mayurasana can be a challenging pose for people with restricted shoulder mobility. For this reason the class also includes shoulder opening variations. It also requires a degree of upper body strength.

What often gets over-looked is that arm balances require you to relax deeply and release many of your joints and muscles. You need a lot of suppleness in your groins, hamstrings, hips, knees, and torso just to get into the shape of most of these poses; once you develop this, you won't have to work so hard.

Muscular Tension Build-up. When we lift weights, they put a lot of pressure on the muscles in our forearms. This pressure can cause muscular tension and tightness to build up gradually over time. When our muscles are tense, tight, and overworked, they can cause a variety of different painful sensations.

Why are handstands so hard? Handstands are one of the most difficult bodyweight exercises because they require full-body strength and balance. You need a strong core, lower and upper body, in order to hold the weight for a long while being in a downwards facing position.