Kyle Weiger
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One of the most common questions I get from handstand students is whether spreading their hands wider might help them hold longer or feel more stable. It’s an understandable instinct—wider feels more stable when you’re first learning, right?
But here’s the thing: it depends entirely on what outcome you’re going for.
What Most Students Actually Want
Most of the students I work with share three core goals:
- More stability in their holds
- A straighter, more elegant line
- Longer endurance times (especially hitting that magic 1-minute mark)
If any of these sound like you, then we need to talk about efficiency—specifically, how to use less muscle to hold your handstand.
The Physics of Hand Placement
When your hands are directly under your shoulders, you create optimal skeletal stacking. Your bones align vertically, which means they can do what they do best: bear weight without fatiguing.
Compare this to a wide grip, where your shoulders, arms, and core have to work significantly harder to maintain position. You’re essentially forcing your muscles to compensate for suboptimal structure.
The simple truth: muscles fatigue, bones don’t.
By stacking your bones efficiently, you’re getting more mileage out of your existing strength. It’s not about building more muscle—it’s about using what you have more intelligently.
When Wide Grip Actually Makes Sense
Don’t get me wrong—a wide grip absolutely has its place in training. I use wide grip holds regularly, but as a preparatory exercise, not as the end goal.
For example, on days when I’m working on side-to-side handstand walking or one-arm shifts, I’ll start with wide grip holds as a warm-up. They’re excellent for priming the specific muscles and movement patterns I’ll need later in the session.
The same goes for bent-arm variations. These aren’t wrong—they’re just tools for specific training outcomes.
The Bottom Line
If you’re working toward a standard two-arm static handstand with better endurance and a cleaner line, hands directly under shoulders is your best bet. It gives you structural efficiency that no amount of muscular compensation can match.
Save the wide grip for what it does best: warming up for dynamic movements and building specific strength qualities. But for that rock-solid, efficient hold? Stack those bones and let physics do the heavy lifting.
Want to learn more about efficient handstand technique and systematic progression? Check out my my free email series on the foundational habits that make handstands – CLICK HERE
