UKC

Can anyone manage to do this move with any panache? I bought an interesting book on body weight training a while ago and have been working through it, and have been amazed at how far away I am from managing this move. It seems to be a yard stick for how well you are progressing in calisthenics. Well, i'm a long way from graduating and it's been quite an education and eye opener on my general weakness. Good fun trying to get there though

There are various progressions described online. I suspect that for most climbers there is a link in the chain that lets you down,as it were, but hard to identify which one. Personally I found that when I started doing deadlifts that I could do a front lever.

One trick worth remembering is to throw your head back rather than look at your feet.

There are some good photos in Pat Ament's book Master of Rock of John Gill looking awesome 

Yeah, just looked at those online...impressive strength!

"One trick worth remembering is to throw your head back rather than look at your feet."

Good advice, thx will bear that in mind, re deadlifts...I got into this to get away from weights in the gym but do appreciate that they probably would benefit.

Hi, 

You're probably aware of this, but I'll mention it just in case it helps you or anyone else reading this. The front lever is a great move but don't train it as your only strength goal. As it's an advanced skill for climbers (it's only just beyond beginner level for gymnasts!) if you're not training other shoulder positions which require a similar level of strength, you'll be well on your way to an overuse injury. 

Good luck with the training and have lots of fun!

Mehmet (someone who is a long way from a front level, but slowly making progress...)

p.s. I've found Steven Low's book Overcoming Gravity a great resource. 

I did them with panache for years!  Now that I'm getting on towards 75, I've pretty much backed off to doing the version with one leg stagged, which is just a training stage for you young 'uns.

A few years ago someone from UKC asked me about them and I put some progression videos in a dropbox for them.  I can't say how useful they are; I never heard anything further from the person in question.  But if you send me an email, I'll share the dropbox file with you, for whatever it is worth...

It's a great move to train and has been useful for core tension in my climbing. It also teaches you how to engage your scapula muscles which has improved stability in my climbing a lot.

It's particularly great as there are so many progression steps you can work through if you can't manage the full front lever. I've been doing these on some gymnastic rings (best bit of home training kit bar a full training board imo) which I recommend as it allows you to rotate your wrists in to a natural position and while slightly more difficult, has the benefit of engaging muscles to support for lateral movement.

FWIW I've been training these, following the standard progressions and doing 3 sets of reps after most climbing wall sessions (perhaps twice a week) for about 2 years. I've certainly not been putting a vast amount of effort into them but they've been a fairly consistent part of my non-climbing training alongside press-ups and some stretching and squats.

I'm getting very close but I'm not quite there yet...

I wouldn't be surprised with slow progress if you're just doing them as an add-on to your main climbing training. Definitely not an easy exercise!

Anyway, good luck.

I used to be able to pull a reasonable front lever, not right now though (cough).

Good stuff on this website. http://www.beastskills.com

I'd like to see you do a front lever

Still holding grudges I see Dylan. I’m flattered you care

Yep, learned to the full front lever with strict form and hold it up to around 30 seconds.

Currently trying to complete the “set” of levers: achieved  front, back, flag, and very close to the full planche

this all started from being pissed off by a climbing coach saying tall heavy climbers can’t boulder hard or do levers.

• In reply to Bjartur i Sumarhus:

Sorry forgot to add a couple of key pointers that can really help.

• keep your shoulder blades pulled back and down so you create tension through your shoulders
• make sure that you bend the bar and create a lot of torque through your hands and wrists so your elbow pits are pointing backwards when at the bottom of the hang.
• make sure you set your pelvic tilt (hips tucked under and forward)
• screw your legs into your hips by pointing your toes and turning them out slightly so you bum and pelvic floor muscles are totally locked in.
• keep your arms straight all the time (no mini pull-up lockoffs).
• if you find you can’t keep your arms straight then switch back to weighted pull-ups as it’s your lats that are weak

if it’s your core that’s not there yet then try:

• make sure you can hold a clean “dish” hold on the floor for well over a minute (ideally lots of this)
• make sure you can do “dish rockers easily so your used to different stresses on the core and different times
• if you can do both dish types easily try holding a barbell above your chest whilst in dish then with torquing the hands and shoulders slowly lower the bar behind you then back to hovering near your waist. Try and maintain the holds at the extreme ends of this movement for 10s. This will help both lever and planche. It also helps isolate the coordination of static core and moving lats.

Which book is it, I'm interested in any bodyweight training book.

I can do a passable lever for about 10 seconds, I don't do any specific training for it currently but may go back to it.

I'm short, (5'7"on a good day), and have an 'every day is an upper body day' physique, ie; fairly top heavy, so I find holding on to the bar with my body already straight, then pulling up into the lever more easy than pulling into a bent lever then straightening out, if that makes sense.

The action used seems more relevant to me when bouldering or climbing than a muscle up for example.

Grudge? Why would I have a grudge with you?

I'd honestly put it more as a "neutral head position" rather than over extending and throwing back. Most people would lose all sense of a strong line when over extending back and for some it will "tweak stuff". I get your point though as many will slump when looking down towards their feet.

The DL to frontlever crossover is totally valid. The contributing factor is that to DL correctly at loads significantly over body-weight the lifter is required to use their lats to pull the bar over the feet rather than it drifting out. This is the key "hard bit" of a front lever.

Only you can answer that. 

You’re obviously confused between a grudge and calling out your bullsh1t. 

This sounds like the sort of thing that can only be fixed by a dance off.

Something slow? A light rhumba beat?

nah man, aggressive back spins in Sergio Tacchini trackies and Kangol hats

You can only break it down like that when everyone knows it is all good in the hood at the third act stage. (The subtext being "dem b*tches still can't pull a front lever, yo") /spikelee

Maybe more like New Order True Faith? The music video seems apt.

youtube.com/watch?v=mfI1S0PKJR8&

Thanks for lightening the mood and sorry for taking it off topic but he has a long history of unpleasantness on ukb.

what else is worth doing?

Wow that’s a bold unwarranted statement. 

Do you have some proof of these levers or am I talking rubbish?

Back on topic I found that once you have the correct body position bicycling your feet helps build to a full lever. Slowing down that motion until both legs are straight. Having tiny legs and a strong lower back helps!

Yes you are talking rubbish much like the time you accused me of not topping out on West Side.

Back under the bridge

It's this book. It's really simple to follow with great pictures to assist. I'm sure there are others but pleased with this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1905367546/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s0...

Great info! thanks for that

I’ve never accused you of not topping out WSS. Sorry if you think that was the case.

As you put it - bullsh1t. And about time someone called you out on all your rancorous and negative posting.

Rather typical that you relish in dishing it out but taken aback to receive it.

This thread is a good example of why I've decided to step back not only from UKC but all social media. There are knowledgeable people out there to meet and good stuff to learn/discover, but you're never far from bathos.

That Complete Calisthenics book is great for beginners who have not even begin to touch free online resources yet. Those people after anything but the utter basics such as understanding torquing the shoulders or breaking through sticking points will feel like they wasted their money.

The website Gwod is absolutely first rate: http://gymnasticswod.com/content/front-lever

YouTube channel Calisthenics Movement is excellent

There’s a deadlift variant on the pull-up bar for progressing into front lever. “Upside down” deadlift

• neutral hang on the bar
• lock shoulder blades back and down
• tuck hips under,point toes and screw your legs into your hips by slightly twisting your feet out
• keep all this engaged and legs straight go up into L-sit
• rotate around shoulders in L-sit until your back is parallel with the floor (upside down L-sit)
• now straighten out so you are completely upside down with your hips against the bar toes pointed straight up. Keeping your arms straight at all times
• drop back into the upside down L-sit
• repeat the straighten and lower  for reps.

I have to agree, I wasn't expecting a fight to break out on this thread. I didn't mention BREXIT or Trump....not sure what happened?

This social media diet sounds like your caveman one Chris 

The diet you're now following!

Hmm.  I learned totally solid front levers by...working on front levers!  Just go through the progressions, tucked, stagged, staddle, full.  A big help for the last stage from straddle to full is to use a stretchy band (with a foot loop) to allow for correct body position but less body weight.  The commercial bands are not as good as latex surgical tubing in my experience.

I think it is better to do levers as a range-of-motion exercise rather than as static holds.  Start from an inverted hang, lower to FL position, hold for 3 seconds, and pull back to an inverted hang for one rep.  For training purposes, the stagged position is excellent for these.

BITD, gyms where gymnasts were working had mirrors so that you could see if your body position was correct.  Those are long gone, but a friend with a cellphone camera can provide the same information.