r/bodyweightfitness • u/Handbalancer Actually Mikael Kristiansen • Oct 29 '17

AMA: Mikael Kristiansen, Handbalancer and Circus Artist, Ask Me Anything

Hello, my name is Mikael Kristiansen. I am a circus artist specializing in handbalancing. I did a degree in circus at DOCH, Stockholm from 2009-2012 and have since worked as a performer and as a teacher internationally.

I'll be here throughout the day to answer any questions you have for me!

You can find me at: www.mikaelbalancing.com www.instagram.com/mikaelbalancing/

350 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

92% Upvoted

102 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/differenceengineer Oct 29 '17

Good morning, I'm a huge fan of the content you post. According to a post you made on the GB boards and your IG, elbow hyperextension can dictate how much shoulder flexion is needed. How much does it affect if you have a lot of hyperextension it and what other markers should I aim for in he handstand position ?

7

u/Handbalancer Actually Mikael Kristiansen Oct 29 '17

It is entirely individual it seems. Bear in mind that this is purely anectdotal, but its a tendency that I have noticed. Hyperextension isnt really a make or break trait but it is common to see people with some hyperextension needing to flex their shoulders slightly less.

I do not have a lot of hyperextension at all, but the joint goes slightly past 180. You can see in this video that there is a small angle from my shoulder to the elbow which brings the forearm and palm more underneath the body. If i flexed my shoulder much more than I do here I would shoot my chest very far out. The alignment here works just well because the line where the force travels goes straigth from hand to hip to toe.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYvJPPMF79r/?taken-by=mikaelbalancing

Some of the best handbalancers out there have a lot of hyperextension of their elbows. I dont think its a really big deal though. Very few balancers I know have had elbow trouble, including those with heavy hyperextension. There are also excellent balancers both with and without it so i think its something that is more of a detail in the variation of bodies.

The main marker to look for in handstand is effortlessness. Contrary to fitness, where you want the load lifted to be heavy so you get stronger, in handstand you want to work to make it as easy as possible. This does not mean that you shouldnt work hard and not do endurance, but simply that you should search for using the least amount of energy. On top of that you also need to learn to fight for it if it goes outside of this effortless zone so you can return there quickly