9 Basic Front Lever Progressions
You don’t have to be a gymnast to master your own body weight, especially when it comes to doing exercises like the front lever. All you really need is a strong core and upper body.
A front lever is a gymnastics exercise where you keep your body parallel to the ground as you assume a static hold from a pull-up bar or gymnastic rings. Of course, this is much easier said than done, and can take a lot of time and practice to master.
If you can’t get it right away, there’s no need to get frustrated. Most gymnast spend years trying to build up the strength to do this particular movement.
The front lever is important in gymnastics because it is a prerequisite to many other skills and advanced exercises like the front lever to muscle up and the straddle front lever.
To master the front lever, you will need to develop shoulder, back and core strength. Before jumping straight into the skill, we need to go through the proper progressions. After all, you need to crawl before you walk and walk before you run.
In this article, we’ll be running you through 9 basic front lever progressions that will help you master the front lever efficiently and safely.
Ready to release your inner gymnast? Let’s get moving!
1. Pulling Prep
The pulling prep will get you acquainted with the bar or rings and set the tone for all the succeeding exercises.
Mastering this is crucial because this is the foundation of the front lever. Through this exercise, you will be able to build the requisite shoulder and back strength to pull off a proper front lever.
How To Do It:
Grab the bar or rings from above you with a pronated grip (palms facing away).
Slowly relax and extend your elbows as you hang. Make sure that your arms are straight. This will put more emphasis on your back and shoulders away from your biceps--we need to make sure that you’re using the right muscles and using them efficiently
Keep your body vertical and perpendicular to the ground the entire time.This emphasizes scapular and is very important for developing and progressing through the next set of strength skills.
Hag for your desired time.
Other benefits of the pulling prep include: increased shoulder mobility, flexibility, and strength; enhanced grip strength; and proper alignment and decompression of the spine. You can also do this to fix your shoulders, similar to the dead hang.
2. Pulling Prep With Chest Pull
Once you’re proficient with the pulling prep, you are now one step closer to mastering the front lever. Now lets engage more of your upper body!
How To Do It:
Start in the pulling prep position. Remember to keep your arms straight and your body perpendicular to the ground.
Pull your chest up while actively pulling down on the rings.
Your shoulder blades should be retracted back and almost touching.
Hold this position for your desired time. You should feel the burn on your rhomboids and forearms the longer you hold this position.
This progression is important because lifting up your chest, pulling on the bar, and engaging your core all contribute to strengthening your lumbar spine. Practice this in repetitions to build shoulder and back strength.
All of these drills are 30% more effective at getting you to front lever faster when you utilise my most used bit of training equipment: Resistance Bands.
3. Pulling Prep With Knees Up
This step consists of more moving parts. Apart from using your arms and shoulders, you’ll be engaging your core and hip flexors to get your lower body up through your arms. Let me be honest, this is probably one of the most difficult parts of the progression.
Not only will this require mastery of the previous two exercises, but you will also need a strong and stable core to pull it off.
All that said, don’t let the challenge discourage you. Remember, progress over perfection. Doing things the right way takes time.
How To Do It:
Start from the pulling prep position.
Pull your chest toward the rings while retracting your shoulder blades.
Engage your core while flexing your knees 90 degrees. Your arms should remain straight.
This progression greatly strengthens your core and prepares your body fundamentally for the final step: the front lever itself. But there are a few more steps to accomplish before you finally get there.
4. Front Tuck
The front tuck is a prerequisite for many moves like the German Hang and Skin The Cat. Unlike those exercises, the tuck is used to ease the core into the front lever.
How To Do It:
Start in pulling prep position.
Pull your chest up while retracting your shoulder blades.
Engage your core and flex your knees. It’s best to get it as close to your core as possible.
Pull the bar down and pull your knees to your chest until you are in an inverted hang (back parallel to the ground). To feel a deeper burn, lower your butt! This will put more weight on the lower half of your body by engaging more of your core.
Hold for your desired time.
To lower yourself, reverse the steps and until you are back to the pulling prep position. Go slowly because sudden movements will increase the chances of shoulder injuries.
If you feel you’re not ready for the front tuck, you can strengthen your lower core by doing hanging knee tucks (Step #3) in repetitions. Overtime, your core should get used to the movement until it becomes second nature.
5. Advanced Tuck Front Lever
Ready to challenge yourself even further? Ready for your core to feel the burn? This movement will really take your front tuck to the next level.
How To Do It:
By now you should already know to get to the tuck position so we should start from there. Remember to keep your knees tight to your chest, your back parallel to the ground, and your arms straight.
Slightly lower your butt and slowly bring down your knees. Open your torso by extending your hips. Your knees will no longer be touching your chest and your abdomen should be exposed to the ceiling. You will be slightly longer meaning you will have more leverage.
Hold this position for your desired time.
6. Straddle Front Lever
It’s a fact that buildings with narrower bases are less stable than those with wider bases. The same goes for your body. You are much les stable with a narrower stance than a wider one, not to mention a narrow stance requires more energy to keep you balanced.
That principle is exactly what drives the straddle front lever (i.e. the front lever where your legs are together).
How To Do It:
Start from the tuck position.
Open your hips and extend your knees. To avoid going straight into the front lever right away, extend your knees while spreading your legs (abduction). Remember to keep your back straight while doing all this.
Hold this position for your desired time.
Shift your balance by opening your legs and subsequently shortening your lever. This particular move is just slightly easier than a full front lever.
To keep improving make sure you stretch regularly, expanding your hips and lower back as you work towards a front lever.
For added difficulty, perform front lever to straddle front lever repetitions. A way to do this is by holding a straddle front lever for a short period then switching to a front lever to work your core more.
7. Can Opener
The can opener has been used in many ways outside the field of gymnastics and without the use of rings or bars. People have been using it for static holds in a supinated position for core exercises or off diving boards for an impressive party trick. Whichever the purpose, the can opener has very basic mechanics. In this case, we will do it to work towards a proper front lever.
How To Do It:
Start from the tuck position.
Extend one leg while keeping the other leg bent at the knees.
Lower the extended leg slowly and hold the position, though at the beginning you may have to hold a higher position to keep yourself steady. As you progress, your back should become more and more aligned with the extended leg for proper core activation.
Return to the tuck position
Switch your bent and straight legs. Make sure you vary hold times and angles as you alternate with each successive repetition.
8. Tuck Repeats
By now, you’re probably much stronger and far more adept at performing isometric (read: static) contractions.
Quick aside: An isometric contraction means that your muscles neither lengthen nor shorten throughout the exercise. The opposite of that is an isotonic workout, where moving parts are involved (think bicep curls or bench presses). As you integrate both isometric and isotonic exercises into your workout routine, you should feel yourself getting stronger and ultimately more prepared for a front lever.
How To Do It:
Hang onto the bar with your arms straight.
Pull your chest up while retracting your shoulder blades.
Engage your core and flex your hips as you pull down on the bar and rings to get into an inverted hang position. Your back should now be parallel to the ground.
Get into the tuck position by driving both knees to your chest.
Move between inverted hang and tucked position for your desired repetitions.
Protract shoulder blades and engage your core as you slowly bring your legs down once you’ve finished a set.
If you’re swinging throughout the exercise, know that is perfectly normal. However, you should swing as minimally as possible, especially as you lower yourself to the floor.
9. Front Lever
Although you may have already perfected the previous progressions, the actual front lever is another challenge altogether. Don’t expect things to go smoothly right off the bat. Though the previous exercises build your strength and skill, perfecting your leverage and body positioning is a whole different beast.
How To Do It:
Get into a hanging tuck position.
Slowly extend your legs and hips, keeping your core engaged the entire time to establish stability.
Fully extend your legs until they are fully aligned with your back. Your body should be completely parallel with the ground.
Hold this position for your desired time.
Remember when doing the front lever, that it’s not about how long or how many repetitions you do. As always, focus on quality over quantity. Put more emphasis on your form and technique and you’ll eventually develop enough strength to pull off a proper front lever.
Truth is, there is no shortcut to mastering the front lever. It really takes a lot of work and dedication. Set concrete goals for yourself, working on each progression with intention and intensity!
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