Front Lever Progressions

Progressions

1. 01

   Tuck Candle Hang

   • Grip the bar at shoulder width and hang with fully locked-out arms before initiating the movement

   • Pull your knees tightly to your chest, then rotate your hips upward until your body is fully inverted and vertical

   • Actively depress your shoulder blades by pulling them down away from your ears throughout the entire hold

   • Keep your hips stacked directly above your shoulders so your torso forms a straight vertical line

   • Point your toes toward the ceiling and keep your knees pulled in tight to reduce the lever length

   • Engage your core by maintaining a slight posterior pelvic tilt, preventing your lower back from arching

   • Focus on pulling the bar toward your hips rather than just hanging passively to build lat engagement

   • Breathe steadily and avoid holding your breath; use short controlled breaths to maintain tension

2. 02

   Tuck Front Lever

   • Grip the bar at shoulder width and begin from a dead hang with fully locked-out elbows

   • Pull your knees tightly into your chest so your thighs press against your torso, making the tuck as compact as possible

   • Using your lats and core, rotate your body backward until your back is parallel to the ground and horizontal

   • Actively depress and retract your shoulder blades, pulling them down and together to create a stable shoulder position

   • Keep your arms completely straight throughout; any elbow bend shifts the load away from the target muscles

   • Maintain a posterior pelvic tilt by squeezing your glutes and engaging your abs to prevent your lower back from arching

   • Think about pulling the bar toward your hips to maximize lat engagement rather than just hanging

   • Breathe in short controlled breaths; avoid holding your breath which causes early fatigue and loss of tension

3. 03

   Half Tuck Front Lever

   • Grip the bar at shoulder width and hang with fully locked-out arms in a dead hang position

   • Rotate your body backward and open your hips until your knees are approximately at elbow level, creating a wider angle than the basic tuck

   • Keep your back parallel to the ground; your torso from shoulders to hips should form a straight horizontal line

   • Actively depress and retract your shoulder blades, pulling them firmly down and together throughout the hold

   • Maintain completely straight arms with no bend in the elbows; focus on pulling the bar toward your waist using your lats

   • Engage a posterior pelvic tilt by squeezing glutes and tightening abs to prevent the lower back from arching

   • Keep your shins roughly vertical, hanging straight down from your knees, to maintain consistent lever length

   • Breathe in short controlled breaths and maintain full body tension; do not let the hips sag below the shoulder line

4. 04

   Adv. Tuck Front Lever

   • Grip the bar at shoulder width and start from a dead hang with arms fully locked out

   • Rotate your body into the advanced tuck position where your hips are open to roughly 90 degrees or less, with knees bent but thighs extending well away from your chest

   • Your back must be completely horizontal and parallel to the ground; if your hips drop, the progression is too advanced

   • Depress and retract your shoulder blades firmly, pulling them down and together to engage your lats and create a solid base

   • Keep your arms completely straight and think about pulling the bar toward your waist to maximize lat activation

   • Maintain a posterior pelvic tilt by engaging your abs and squeezing your glutes; avoid any lower back arch

   • The further you extend your knees from your chest, the harder this becomes; find the angle where you can maintain perfect form for your target hold time

   • Breathe in short controlled breaths while keeping full body tension; do not allow the hips to sag or the body to rotate

5. 05

   One Leg Front Lever

   • Grip the bar at shoulder width and start from a dead hang with fully locked-out arms

   • Extend one leg fully straight and in line with your torso while keeping the other leg tucked tightly to your chest

   • Your extended leg, hips, and torso should form one straight horizontal line parallel to the ground

   • Depress and retract your shoulder blades firmly throughout the hold, pulling them down and together

   • Keep both arms completely straight; do not bend the elbows to compensate for the asymmetric load

   • Actively resist body rotation by engaging your obliques; the asymmetric weight distribution will try to twist your body

   • Maintain a posterior pelvic tilt with engaged abs and glutes to keep a hollow body position and prevent lower back arching

   • Alternate which leg is extended between sets to develop balanced strength on both sides

6. 06

   One Leg Advanced Front Lever

   • Grip the bar at shoulder width and start from a dead hang with fully locked-out arms

   • Extend one leg completely straight in line with your torso while keeping the other leg only slightly bent at the knee, almost fully extended

   • The slight bend in the secondary leg is the only difference from a full front lever; keep both legs as close to straight as possible

   • Your entire body from shoulders through hips to the extended foot should form one straight horizontal line parallel to the ground

   • Depress and retract your shoulder blades firmly, pulling them down and together to create maximum lat engagement

   • Keep both arms completely locked out; actively pull the bar toward your waist to maintain the horizontal position

   • Engage your obliques strongly to resist the body rotation caused by the asymmetric leg position

   • Maintain a posterior pelvic tilt with glutes and abs engaged; alternate the bent leg between sets for balanced development

7. 07

   Almost Full Front Lever

   • Grip the bar at shoulder width and start from a dead hang with fully locked-out arms

   • Bring both legs together and raise your body to a horizontal position; keep the legs only slightly bent at the knees as a small concession

   • The goal is to be as close to a full front lever as possible; minimize the knee bend and work toward straightening the legs over time

   • Your body from shoulders through hips should be perfectly horizontal and parallel to the ground

   • Depress and retract your shoulder blades firmly, pulling them down and together for maximum lat and upper back engagement

   • Keep arms completely locked out and actively pull the bar toward your waist using your lats to maintain the horizontal position

   • Maintain a strong posterior pelvic tilt by squeezing your glutes and engaging your abs; keep a hollow body position throughout

   • Breathe in short controlled breaths while maintaining full body tension; point your toes and squeeze your legs together tightly

8. 08

   Straddle Front Lever

   • Grip the bar at shoulder width and start from a dead hang with fully locked-out arms

   • Spread your legs into a wide straddle position and raise your body to horizontal; the wider the straddle, the shorter the lever and the easier the hold

   • Keep both legs completely straight with toes pointed; any knee bend significantly reduces the effectiveness of this progression

   • Your hips and torso should form a perfectly horizontal line parallel to the ground; do not let the hips drop below shoulder level

   • Depress and retract your shoulder blades firmly, pulling them down and together for maximum lat engagement

   • Keep arms completely locked out and actively pull the bar toward your waist; think of it as a straight-arm pulldown

   • Maintain a posterior pelvic tilt by squeezing your glutes and engaging your abs to hold a hollow body position

   • As you get stronger, gradually narrow your straddle to increase the lever length and progress toward the full front lever

9. 09

   Front Lever

   • Grip the bar at shoulder width and start from a dead hang with fully locked-out arms

   • Raise your entire body to a perfectly horizontal position with legs completely straight, together, and toes pointed

   • Your body should form one rigid straight line from your shoulders through your hips to your toes, perfectly parallel to the ground

   • Depress and retract your shoulder blades as firmly as possible, pulling them down and together; this is the primary driver of the hold

   • Keep arms completely locked out with zero bend in the elbows; actively pull the bar toward your waist as if doing a straight-arm pulldown

   • Maintain a strong posterior pelvic tilt by squeezing your glutes hard and bracing your abs; adopt a hollow body position to prevent any lower back arch

   • Squeeze your legs together tightly with pointed toes; any separation or sagging of the legs increases the difficulty and indicates loss of tension

   • Breathe in short controlled breaths while maintaining maximum full-body tension from fingertips to toes throughout the entire hold

Common mistakes

• Hips dropping below horizontal
• Bending the arms instead of maintaining lockout
• Not depressing the shoulder blades
• Arching the lower back
• Losing full body tension