Why I Stopped Training the One Arm Handstand

0:00 - My initial journey with the One Arm Handstand (OAHS)
0:18 - I still think handstands are super cool!
0:37 - Why did I stop training the OAHS?
0:52 - This isn't something I've shared publicly before.
1:14 - Time commitment
2:19 - Don't let it consume you
3:22 - The pressure!
3:39 - The BIG change
3:45 - What did I learn today?
4:10 - Make it something that you can control internally
4:40 - Don't take yourself too seriously
5:46 - Recap
6:02 - Go do something you enjoy!

If you just found us, welcome!

GMB is about getting you stronger and removing the physical restrictions that cause pain and injury. We started in 2010, and we've had over 100k clients use our programs, which is just mind-blowingly humbling for us.

Our backgrounds are in various martial arts, gymnastics, yoga, physical therapy, and education, so we focus on sharing detail-oriented tutorials and training in a safe, progressive way that develops your skills systematically over time.

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Hey, if you scrolled this far down, thanks for your attention. I appreciate you, so if there's anything we can do to help, don't be stranger - post a comment, and I'll do my best.

[robertwhite]

Great video Ryan. Really great advice 👍🏻. Especially about reframing what your doing so you can see what you are learning about yourself with each practice

[CharlesEBusa]

This is exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks a lot, Ryan!
I grabbed Rings 1 pretty much when it came out and have been doing this program and others on and off. Life's been happening and I can no longer spend 1 hour in my man cave working on my calisthenics skills. Same with guitar. I can no longer spend 4-5 hours practicing/learning songs/recording every evening. And that was consuming me. The fear of losing whatever you've gained is definitely consuming.

[chanticleer]

I needed this reminder today. Thank you.

[lgardnerrx]

Love this, Ryan. Honest and practical. It’s why I LOVE GMB!

[tomkirbygreen]

Timeless advice, thank you kind sir. 😊

[brucehelppie]

great advice. i'm still trying to attain the basic free standing handstand, along with some other basic skills-the l sit and the muscleup. i've been working on the handstand the longest and can get one occasionally, but not consistently. sometimes it feels like it eats up too much of my training time for what i'm getting out of it, but i'm not quitting. i'm also 68 y/o, and even being a lifetime exercise person i just started doing calisthenics about 3 years ago. sometimes you just have to tell yourself to appreciate what you can do and not focus so much on the end goal.

[BeastSkills]

Love it. It's great to really put in the work and focus on any skill, but we need to understand that it's ok to shift gears and deprioritize things too.

And as for upkeep of skills - it was something that used to bother me. Then I realized that keeping a skill in peak condition wasn't necessary.
Once I've hit a PR on any skill (or lift), nothing can take that PR away from me. And the drive and determination that I have to attain that skill in the first place is still with me.

[Monkey-fvkm]

Again, some more solid advice for life from gmb 👍

[sarascott]

😂😂😂 Andy drinking beer as an example of a hobby

[SkateAs]

Very similar reason to FitnessFAQs. I don't know, I'm currently working towards the one-arm and I'm not putting in as much time as you did. I do half an hour to an hour a day, 5-6 days per week, and yet I'm still progressing. Not zero to hero in 2 months like you did, but after 6 months I can hold quite steadily on a few fingers. I really hope this time committment would still be enough later on..

[Asadc]

One arm handstand is depending on how much volume your build up to is gains with chains if you understand that meaning. Mindful Mover also said it himself

[uberdonkey]

Yeh. Good point. It's nice to set targets, but everything is a compromise. Great athletes make great sacrifices. You can't now tell me that your one armed handstand isn't better than it was. You achieved what you needed and then pulled back when you went to far. Perfect 👍🏽

[Jenesis]

Training to handstand has merits. Wrist, arm, shoulder, back, core, pelvis, quads, ankle all have to be relatively strong or flexible to make it happen. They do get strong during the process of getting into handstand. One arm is the next challenge but unnecessary. There are many things fitness experts teach on line. I can’t do them all so I think long and hard to decide if it’s worth my time and effort. I am not tempted to do pistol squad or pole flag. I’d rather practice front and side split.

[davidpst]

Very glad I do not have kids hence will never stop training my one arm handstand 🤗

[Greg_Chock]

It's a parent's right to post a video of their kids that will embarrass the hell out of them.

[misoginainternalizadaopres]

Not sure why am I watching this I can only do 15 push ups lol

[peacefulbeast]

I'm in prison so I have tons of time to train hard calisthenics skills like OAH. I love training OAH. It's fun. And people be like