What do you think about the Handstand Push-up exercise?
Is it a good exercise for vertical press?
I think the handstand push-up is challenging for most people to perform in any fashion, much less load and progress. In other words, I don’t think it’s a great option for strength training unless the goal/test is a handstand push-up. If someone is proficient at them and wants to do them however, that’s fine with me. I’ve done a lot of them over the years, but as a conditioning exercise, not for strength.
I think the range of motion, loading, and fatigue limitations make it a poor choice for muscular size too compared to other available options.
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Does the Handstand Push-up have any advantages compared to a regular barbell shoulder press?
Maybe it’s healthy to stand on your head?
Maybe it trains stability in a good way?
I don’t think there are any unique benefits to handstand pushups or barbell OHP from a health perspective. They’re both tools to train a particular group of muscles.
I do not think HSPU train stability in a highly generalizable way (e.g. outside of the HSPU) and I do not think it’s healthy to stand on your head. I also don’t think it’s unhealthy to do so.
If you want to train the HSPU, that’s fine with me…but I don’t think it’s great for strength or hypertrophy. I would recommend choosing the appropriate tools (exercises) for the job (goals).
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