The Band-Resisted Overhead Stick Press is one of the most important staples I used in accessory work for handstand pushup. I’m pretty sure this exercise is original to me, as I’ve never seen anyone else use it. There are three key reason I see it as a high priority. These are in no particular order.
It has a high degree of specificity. If you follow the techniques in the video, the pattern is very, very similar to a freestanding HSPU.
There intensity is easily scaled. First, you can control the intensity/difficulty of the movement by choosing the thickness of the bands and the distance between their anchor points. Second, you can control intensity by choosing the weight of the object you’re lifting. Example, start with a broomstick, then try something heavier, and eventually progress to a barbell or even a loaded barbell.
The external torque pattern (hugging the elbows in toward the midline, preventing them from flaring out and thus extreme internal rotation of the humerus) is weak for most people. Now add the intensity and complexity of having all your weight on your hands in a balanced position: you have a recipe for shoulder pain. Having a strong capacity for external torque (effort toward external rotation, which is different from external rotation itself or an externally rotated position) in my experience greatly reduces the risk of shoulder pain (what most call rotator cuff injuries).
The problem with labeling these “rotator cuff’ injuries, is that the rotator cuff is comprised of a complex of many tissues and nerves working dynamically in unison. And even with an MRI it’s very difficult to know what’s ‘causing’ the pain, as often tissue damage in the shoulder which would be indicated in an MRI isn’t correlated with pain symptoms. In this case, many people experience anterior should pain, which could be associated with a number of structures. For example: the subacromial bursa, the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT), the supaspinatus and its tendon, the infraspinatus and its tendon, or pain deferred by the cervical nerve root shared by the infraspinatus and LHBT. SLAP tears (tears of the superior labrum, anterior to posterior) would be an exception here.
Yes, it’s complicated. But luckily we can avoid a great number of these aggravations when engaging in overhead pressing work by simply convincing our nervous system the shoulder is stable in overhead pressing. And one of the best ways to do that is to practice generating force toward external rotation (torque) in these pushing patterns. This insight comes from both personal experience overcoming multiple complicated shoulder injuries and having helped many individuals do the same.
This patterning exercise will help you gradually develop capacity to apply external torque and effort toward scapular protraction specific to handstand pushup, while easily adjusting the complexity and intensity of the movement. It’s one of my best kept secrets that has helped a lot of students completely transform their HSPU technique.
If you don’t have two anchor points like this, don’t sweat it. You can easily use one anchor point and the band tension on only one elbow. Just avoid rotating the torso. And do half the reps on the left arm, half the reps on the right. Examples of good anchor points are door handles, bed posts, stair railings, narrow pillars or poles, or your partner’s teeth.
I use this in two places in my programing.
As a warmup/activation exercise for HSPU, prior to working sets. In this case, do enough so you feel the activation of the pattern and some shift in awareness, but do not go to the point of struggle or fatigue. 1-2 sets of 4-7 slow reps [at waaaaay sub-maximal effort] is plenty.
As an accessory/patterning exercise, post working sets—usually after all other accessory work. I would place this last in a workout. In this case you can do a bit more, but there’s still no need to kill yourself with it. Try starting with 3 sets of 5 slow and controlled reps. Concentric is also slow, as we’re looking for weak spots in the strength curve where we lose that external torque.
if you try this out, feel free to share your experience with it. I don’t recommend doing this exercise if you currently have acute and severe shoulder pain which is directly aggravated by the movement. Other protocols (like strengthening related patterns and muscle groups, and avoiding any direct aggravation for 1-3 months, depending on severity) would take priority first before beginning direct work on this pattern.
Devin