We haven't featured abs for a while. Some exercise suggestions appear lower down (but many, many more in previous "workout" posts).   Well, everyone (every cat?) to their own taste... meanwhile, you might want to toughen 'em up a bit... On with the show:   Now let's put the work in: Bear in mind, that's only a couple of exercises illustrated - just what we happened to have to hand. Previous posts offer loads more ideas and we encourage you to explore them. A few more inspirational pix to finish off this post.  Ready to get to work?    

Supporting your weight on your hands is easy: manipulating your body into the various positions (handstand, planche, one-arm etc) however needs a great deal of practice, with advice from those who have already achieved it... and it also needs good core strength to hold decent shapes, and reasonable shoulder and upper-body strength.  There is one 'core' principle: in any hand balance, your centre of gravity has to be directly above the supporting hand(s). You may well need help from your coaches or friends to get the 'feel' of that, and to keep it steady (that's where the core strength comes in). Expect many failed attempts. So: some examples to enthuse you. Some drills demonstrated by young gymnasts: (Moral: if at first you don't succeed... ... have another go!) Back with the young gymnasts:    ...and don't let the weather get in the way of your training... The crucial points for perfect handstand shape (on two hands) are 'open' shoulders, tight glut...