Paul Berry

🎈 1️⃣ 🎈 Celebrating the best little guy with the best little gang ❤️💛🧡🩷💚🩵💜💙

Couldn’t resist the pool press . 💦 Every hand balancers obligation on holiday ! #handstand #handstandpractice #poolpress #onearmhandstand #fitness #flexibility #flex #flexibile #holiday

Extract from: From Hangovers to Handstands: “Handstands were my ‘Why’ to change my life”⁠ ⁠ Words: Paul Berry (@from_hangovers_to_handstands ),⁠ Photo: Paul’s Personal Collection.⁠ ⁠ HSP: Are you drawing a clear parallel between the beginning of your handstand practice and the end of your drinking?⁠ ⁠ PB: I wouldn’t say a completely clear parallel between the two; I wouldn’t like to give the impression that my issues were overcome by starting to do handstands! In the period leading up to discovering handstands I was working very hard on myself, but I didn’t really have a passion. ⁠ As I said, I’ve always been sporty but I was never prepared to work hard, as many things came naturally to me. At some point, I started thinking about who I was and who I wasn’t. As I was working on changing the parts of myself I did not like, I discovered handstands.⁠ ⁠ There is no quick path in this discipline, and I discovered that quickly. ⁠ The frustration was driving me mad. But I had been learning enough about myself [to understand that this was exactly what I needed.] You have to show up, even knowing that you will suck at it most of the time. So while I wouldn’t say that handstands resolved my issues around alcohol, I found it the perfect way to put into practice all the traits I was working hard on developing within myself.⁠ ⁠ The article “From Hangovers to Handstands” Belongs to the chapter Weight Shift of Issue 06 - Growing Pains.⁠ This chapter showcases handbalancers and their career paths, following their transition from amateur to professional, from performer to coach.⁠ ⁠ Order your copy of Issue 06 through the link in our Bio!🔗⁠ Support the Handstand Press Magazine by sharing our content ♥️​​​​

Small progress with this #mexicanhandstand #handstand #onearmhandstand #flexibility #flexibile #flex #fitness #mobility #mobilitytraining #backbend #wheelpose

Been rehabbing the shoulder now for several months and still experiencing quite a bit of pain but been trying to work within what’s tolerable . Very frustrating at times and still along way to go but couldn’t do this a few months ago so got to celebrate small wins . @yogicphysio has been helping me in my recovery . #handstand #mobility #flexibility #flexibile #yoga #rehab #backbend #fitness #physio

Real highlight today being able to touch the floor in chest stand . This has felt impossible previously and in general has been a roller coaster of emotions wanting to give up many times on this one . Very glad I kept going as this really got in my head and felt such an ask to persist with . Don’t even care that I have a lazy foot /side that needs to be worked on to get both feet to touch . Thank you to @zhiqian.tay who has been helping me with this and is a real inspiration As usual keep grinding #cheststand #cheststands #cheststandpractice #chinstand #mobility #flexibility #flexibile #flex #contortion #fitness #mobilitytraining

Just some more of the usual grinding away #mexicanhandstand #handstands #handstand #flexibility #flex #flexible #mobility #fitness #wheelpose #bridge #yoga

I find flagging difficult to grasp this was one of the less shite attempts #onearm #onearmhandstand #onearmflag #handstand #handstandpractice #flexible #flexibility #fitness

Just a few thoughts on this sort of training from my perspective. When I say this type of training, I’m talking about getting more mobile/flexible or whatever you want to call it, I just see it as another type of physical practice. Just for context, I started this type of training couple of years back at the age of 40. I never did gymnastics or anything similar as a child however I always enjoyed sports and was very active. Having said that however, to ask something entirely new of your body as an adult is going to be very challenging to say the least and the longer you leave it as an adult the more difficult it will become. I watched people online doing cool things like the splits and other cool feats of flexibility and wondered was I too old but decided to give it a go. I discovered very quickly this type of work was painfully agonising. I found to improve you have to be pretty relentless and as a lot of people say in this culture “embrace the suck”which means expect a lot of discomfort to improve. The level of discomfort will vary from person to person. It also depends a lot on your goals, if you want 180 degrees side splits I’d say expect a lot of pain. I know the mobility police will say you should never be in pain and that is somewhat true but for me I would certainly call it pain, or at best very uncomfortable. Doing the splits is also pretty pointless unless your a dancer, gymnast etc so if your goal is to just want to move a bit better expect a lot less discomfort as your goals will be a lot less extreme and less demanding. A lot of people you see on social media doing pretty impressive movements making it look so effortless will have been doing this as kids and kept right through to adulthood. I say this to keep expectations realistic. Most people will struggle, there will always be those who make very fast progress. Stay away from people or systems promising you results in days as opposed to months and years. There’s no hacking, however you can definitely get to where you want to be quicker by using the most appropriate methods. This is where getting a coach comes in and I stress again not the get your splits in 30 days type. Contd below

@thekosherstogie reminded me how good the blood sport music was featuring Van Damme. It fits perfectly as he was the king of the suspended splits,i remember watching as a kid in awe . Every 80s kid wanted to be like Van Damme #vandammesplit #middlesplits #middlesplit #sidesplit #sidesplits #vandamme #flexible #flexibility #mobile #mobility #flex #bloodsport

This little guy Lochlann Gordon Berry is one week old today . This has been the most amazing week of my life full of poops ,pees ,cuddles and love ❤️ Lochlann meaning “land of lakes” was born in the water so we think it suits him perfectly . Can’t describe how proud and unbelievably impressed I am by how my wife @fflinn handled the entire experience ❤️ Sleep is over rated anyway

#middlesplits #splits #vandammesplit #flexibility #flexible #mobilitytraining #mobility #fitness #workput #fitnessmotivation