Struggling with pushing up from bent arms in a handstand after a 90-degree hold

[lase3]

Hi,

I've been doing calisthenics for over one and a half years. Height: 177 cm, weight: 71 kg.

A few months ago, I started working towards a 90-degree pushup. One of the exercises I do is a push into a handstand from a 90-degree hold (or its easier progression). I can't figure out what the weak point is and what I should focus on.

You can see the level I was at the beginning of June (weight 68 kg):

As you can see, I am struggling to push up once I'm in the vertical position.

Three months forward (71 kg):

That's basically the same thing as in June. It seems like I haven't made any progress towards this move.

I'm struggling to pinpoint the weak point. I can do HSPU relatively easily: 4-6 reps by the wall. I even did 3 free-standing HSPU in July:

Could it be my form or that the scapulars are not in the right position after moving from the horizontal position? Could it be that my core is not correctly engaged? Or am I just too exhausted and have no energy in my muscles to perform the rest of the movement?

What is your opinion?

Thanks!

Edit:

As per suggestions, I tried to do the movement faster and more fluently and succeeded:

Now, I just have to work on my form.

 

[jun_za]

@lase3 Yeah it's just exhaustion. There's no glaring weak point holding you back, nothing weird is happening with your scaps, your form is perfectly fine.

In the 90* attempt, by the time you're in pressing position you've been holding a mega-intense isometric for several long seconds, so it's no wonder your performance is shot. With the 3-rep HSPU you not only aren't dealing with that pre-exhaustion, but you also have the advantage of stored tension in the eccentric turnaround.

Speed up the transition in the 90* and you'll probably get it pretty soon. You can even 'cheat' a little bit by using the rotational momentum of the transition to assist a bit out of the hole. Over time you can slow it down and get it super clean and strict. Try not to sink too deep during the transition.

Meanwhile, just keep HSPU 'in the oven', increase and solidify your reps and you'll have the surplus strength to muscle through that 90* transition. I personally got a ton of mileage out of highish-volume PPPU when I was working on presses like these. I always benefited from high assistance volume with pressing, it seemed like there was no such thing as too much work, but when I got greedy with the top-end max effort skill attempts I hit a brick wall real quick.

 

[lase3]

@jun_za Thanks for your input. The momentum is definitely a good idea. I was able to push a bit higher in a single attempt back in June, and that was most certainly because of the momentum.

The stored tension during HSPU sounds like a good explanation of what the difference is between the two movements. This sounds like something I can overcome only with more strength and stamina.

I will keep on doing HSPU at a high volume with a full ROM and see where it gets me. Negatives are probably also a good idea.

 

[lase3]

@jun_za I did as you suggested and did the movement faster and more fluently. I was able to push myself up. Now, I just need to work on my form. Thanks a lot!

 

[jth5]

@lase3 Your hspu never goes below 90 degrees.

You need more reps, maybe negatives that move through that range of motion to build strength there.

 

[jermyn]

@lase3 I'd try to increase the ROM of those HSPUs so that it's easier to get out of the bottom. In additon to that, I'd suggest working on the Planche Pushup which will give you MORE than enough strength to get out of the bottom. If you train both of those, you can actually get the 90 Degree Pushup for free.

 

[lase3]

@jermyn Thanks. That's actually what I do. I do pseudo-planche pushups and wall-assisted HSPU every workout, which are the base of my pushing strength. That's why I am a bit puzzled about not making much progress in that specific movement since the beginning of June.

You can notice that I can get from the lower position of the HSPU to about 90 degrees and then struggle to get out of that position. That's why I'm not really sure whether the lack of ROM is the problem.

In any case, I will do full ROM HSPU from now on, just to be sure.