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Workouts

Build Your Gymnastic Base: Handstands and Roll Variations

This cycle of the gymnastics workout program focuses on more traditional strength-style training.

Chris Lofland

Written by Chris Lofland Last updated on May 5, 2015

Week 1

Day 1

5 sets for quality:

  • Chin up pull over x3
  • Hollow body ring push up x10
  • High box jump x10

Day 2

3 sets of:

  • Bridge up and hold for 3 seconds x5
  • 30seconds left split
  • 30s right split
  • 30s pancake

Day 3

Roll variations, 10-20 minutes:

  • Forward roll
  • Back roll
  • Handstand forward roll
  • Back extension roll

Day 4

3 sets of:

  • Skin the cat x3
  • 30s each leg – hip/quad stretch
  • 30s pike stretch
Skin the Cat

Day 5

Lever variations, 10-20 minutes:

  • Front lever
  • Back lever
  • Planche work
Banded Planche

5 sets for quality:

  • Strict muscle ups x2-5
  • Right leg raises x5
  • Left leg raises x5

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 2

Day 1

3-5 Sets of tap swings on rings x10

5 Sets for quality:

  • Strict chin up x5-10
  • Hollow body ring push up x10
  • Candlestick negatives x5

Day 2

3 Sets of:

  • 3-10seconds wrist support
  • 30s left split
  • 30s right split
  • 30s pancake

Day 3

Press to handstand variations

  • Bent arm
  • Straight arm
  • Tuck, pike, straddle, hollow back
Press Handstand Variations

5 Sets for quality

  • Handstand push up x5-10
  • V-ups x20
  • Candlestick roll to jump x10

Day 4

3 Sets of:

  • Skin the cat x3
  • 30s ankle stretch
  • Roll to pancake x6

Day 5

Lever variations, 10-20 minutes practice:

  • Front lever
  • Back lever
  • Planche work

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 3

Day 1

Handstand balance work, 10-20 minutes

5 Sets for quality:

  • Chin up pull over x3
  • Feet-elevated ring push up x10
  • High box jump x10

Day 2

3 Sets of:

  • 10-20seconds dip stretch
  • 30s left split
  • 30s right split
  • 30s pancake

Day 3

Roll variations:

  • Forward roll
  • Back roll
  • Handstand forward roll
  • Back extension roll

5 Sets for quality

  • Ice cream maker x5
  • Superman rocks x20
  • Knee-down lunge to handstand x10/leg

Day 4

3 sets of:

  • Skin the cat x3
  • 30s each leg – hip/quad stretch
  • 30s pike stretch

Day 5

10-20 minutes:

  • Headstand work
  • Assisted single-arm handstand work

5 Sets for quality:

  • Strict muscle ups x2-5
  • L-hang toes to bar x5-10
  • Lunge to cartwheel x5/leg

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 4

Day 1

10-20 minutes of:

  • Elbow lever skill work
  • Planche variations – tuck, straddle, banded

5 Sets for quality

  • Wide grip behind-the-head pull up x10
  • Weighted dips x6
  • Candle stick pulls x5

Day 2

3 Sets of:

  • 5-10seconds wrist support
  • Grip complex x5
  • 30s middle split

Day 3

Press to handstand variations, 10-20 minutes:

  • Bent arm
  • Straight arm
  • tuck, pike, straddle, hollow back

5 Sets for quality:

  • 1 leg raise + 1 strict pull up x5
  • Strict handstand push up x10

Day 4

3 Sets of:

  • Bridge up and hold for 3s x 5
  • 30s left split
  • 30s right split
  • 30s pancake

Day 5

Lever variations, 10-20 minutes:

  • Front lever
  • Back lever

5 Sets for quality:

  • Wall climb x3
  • Legless piked rope climb
  • High box jump x3

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 5

Day 1

Handstand Walk Complex, 15 minutes:

  • Forward steps x3-5
  • Sideways steps x3-5
  • Backward steps x3-5
  • Sideways steps x3-5
  • Repeat

Day 2

3 Sets of:

  • Skin the cat x3
  • 30seconds per Leg – Hip/Quad Stretch
  • 30s pike stretch

Day 3

10-20 minutes:

  • Ring support ro Forward Roll to Chin Hang x10
  • Back Lever Work

3 sets of:

  • 5 L-Sit press to Straddle L-Sit
  • 10 Wide Grip Behind Neck Pull Up
  • 20 Superman Rock

Day 4

3 Sets of:

  • 5-10 Wrist Push Up
  • 5 Grip Complex
  • 1:00 Middle Split

Day 5

Roll Variations:

  • Forward Roll
  • Back Roll
  • Handstand F. Roll
  • Back Extension Roll

5 Sets of:

  • 10 Elevated Feet Ring Push Up
  • 10 Supine Ring Row
  • 10 Box Jump Over + Stick

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 6

Day 1

10 x 1 chin up pull over + front roll to hang

5 sets of:

  • 30s chin hang
  • 30s L-hang
  • 30s handstand – free standing if possible

Day 2

3 sets of:

  • 10-20s dip stretch
  • 30s left split
  • 30s right split
  • 30s pancake

Day 3

Roll variations:

  • Forward roll
  • Back roll
  • Handstand fprward roll
  • Back extension roll

5 sets of 30-45s each:

  • Front plank
  • Side plank – left
  • Side plank – right
  • Reverse plank

*All planks on hands – not elbows

Day 4

Skin the cat x 3
30s each leg – hip/quad stretch
30s pike stretch

Day 5

Headstand variations:

  • Tripod, tucked, straight

Presses:

  • Tuck, straddle, pike
  • Headstand push up to handstand

2 sets of:

  • 10 muscle up
  • 50 V ups

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 7

Day 1

5-10 x 3 tap swing + muscle up (or front uprise)

10 sets of:

  • 3 chin up
  • 3 left leg raise
  • 3 right leg raise

*Try to complete the set without letting go.

Day 2

3 sets of:

  • 1:00 ankle stretch
  • 1:00 pike stretch
  • 1:00 pancake stretch

Day 3

Press to handstand variations:

  • Bent arm
  • Straight arm
  • Tuck
  • Pike
  • Straddle
  • Hollow Back

10-20 L-sit rope climbs

Day 4

3 sets of:

  • 10-30s wrist support
  • 5 bridge up and hold 5s
  • 30s each ankle stretch
  • 10 pass through

?

Day 5

Handstand balance ork
Cartwheel or arial work
10 x pull over to front roll to hang

5 sets of:

  • 10-15 ring push ups
  • 10-15 supine ring row
  • 5 high box jump

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 8

Day 1

3 sets of:

  • 10 low casts
  • 10 tap swings on bar

5 sets of:

  • 2 chin up to pull over
  • 3 quick kip (bar muscle up)

Day 2

3 Sets of:

  • 5 skin the cat
  • 30s dip stretch
  • 30s pike strech
  • wrist and ankle rolls 10s

Day 3

Roll Variations:

  • forward roll
  • back roll
  • handstand forward roll
  • back extension roll

5 Sets of:

  • 5-10 wide grip behind-the-neck pull up
  • 20 V up
  • 30 superman

Day 4

3 sets of:

  • 1:00 left split
  • 1:00 right split
  • 1:00 pancake

Day 5

Press to handstand variations

  • bent arm
  • straight arm

Tuck, pike, straddle, hollow back

20 strict muscle up

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 9

Day 1

3 sets of:

  • 5-10 tap swings on rings
  • 1-3 chin up pull over on bar

3 sets of:

  • 5-10 parallette handstand push up
  • 25 V up
  • 20 jumping lunges

Day 2

10 x grip complex

3 Sets of:

  • 10-15s wrist support
  • 5-10 ankle stretch
  • 10 bridge up

Day 3

10 x 1 pull over/back roll on rings
*Use a band if necessary

5 sets of:

  • 10-20ft handstand walk forward
  • 10 leg raise piked
  • 20 superman rock

Day 4

3 sets of:

  • 1:00 left split
  • 1:00 right split
  • 1:00 middle split

Day 5

Roll variations:

  • forward roll
  • back roll
  • handstand forward roll
  • back extension roll

3 sets of:

  • 10-15 feet elevated push up
  • 10-15 supine ring row
  • 10 candlestick to jump

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 10

Day 1

3 sets of:

  • 3 low cast to undershoot + dismount
  • 3 pull over

3 sets of:

  • 5 banded planche slow
  • 5-10 ice cream makers

100 hollow rocks

Day 2

4 Sets of:

  • 10-20s dip stretch
  • 30s left split
  • 30s right split
  • 30s pancake

Day 3

10 X 3 tap swing + pull over on rings, use band if needed

10-20 push up + press to headstand + HSPU

Day 4

3 sets of:

  • Skin the cat x 3
  • 30s each leg – hip/quad stretch
  • 30s pike stretch

Day 5

Press to Handstand variations:

  • Bent arm
  • Straight arm
  • Tuck, pike, straddle, hollow back

3 X max distance handstand walk

3 sets of:

  • 5-10 strict muscle ups
  • full recovery

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 11

Day 1

Work on cast to back hip circle. If you can do that, follow through with undershoot + dismount.

5 sets of:

  • 5 wall climb
  • 2 legless piked rope climb

Day 2

3 sets of:

  • Skin the cat x 3
  • 30s ankle stretch
  • Roll to pancake x 6

Day 3

Work on swing to pull over on rings

5 sets of:

  • 10 elevated feet push up
  • 10 chin up in L hang

Day 4

3 sets of:

  • 5 bridge up and hold 3s
  • 1:00 left leg split
  • 1:00 right leg split

Day 5

Roll variations:

  • forward roll
  • back roll
  • handstand forward roll
  • back extension roll

3 sets of:

  • 10 parallette handstand push up
  • 10 parallette shoot through
  • 30s parallette L- or V-sit

?

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 12

Day 1

Forward and backward roll work on rings

3 sets of:

  • 5-10 muscle up
  • 10 high box jump

Day 2

3 sets of:

  • 5 wrist push up
  • 5 grip complex
  • 3 skin the cat and hold 3s

Day 3

Back hip circle + undershoot + dismount work

100 hollow rocks
100 superman rocks

Day 4

3 sets of:

  • 1:00 left split
  • 1:00 right split
  • 1:00 middle split

Day 5

1. Put 5-10 skills together into a routine (complex)

2. Practice it.

Chris Lofland

About Chris Lofland

Chris Lofland coached and competed in the sport of gymnastics for over a decade. In 2007 he became a CrossFit coach and began coaching the CrossFit Gymnastics certifications. Since then, Chris has started his own seminar series covering gymnastics, weightlifting, and general movement. In 2016, he opened up BlueWave Fitness in Fort Worth, TX, where he coaches general fitness, performance fitness, weightlifting, and competitive Crossfit athletes.

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