Front Lever

Prerequisites

Before you're ready to take on the front lever progressions, Durante says that you'll need to have
three prerequisites down.

The first is a positional component, the hollow body position. You need to be able to hold the
position for up to a minute on the ground to be able to try the lever on the rings.

Hollow Body Hold

Hold for 30 to 60 seconds

Second component: Inverted hang. This means you're upside down on the rings, essentially
performing a handstand.

Inverted Hang

Get upside down on the rings

Third component: Strength. You'll need major lat strength to pull off the front lever. If you can't
rep out 10 to 15 strict form pullups in one go, you're not ready to move on.

Strict Pullups

10 to 15 reps

Warmups

If you can meet all these prerequisites, you're ready for the warmup exercises.

Warmup 1

Weighted Pullbacks

7 to 10 reps of 5 second holds

Warmup 2

Banded Lying Straight-Arm Pulldown

2 to 3 sets of 5 reps with a 3-second hold

Warmup 3
Lying Victorian Raise

10 reps with a 2-second pause

Progressions

Once you're warmed up, you're ready for the progressions. Remember, you'll need a set of rings
and plenty of room to maneuver to pull this off, so only attempt the front lever if you have access
to a good facility.

Progression 1

Tuck Front Lever

3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 second holds

Progression 2

Tuck Front Lever Descent

3 sets of 3 reps of 5-second descents

Progression 3

Single-Leg Extension Front Lever

5 sets of 5 second holds

Progression 4

Single-Leg Extension Front Lever Descent

5 sets of 5-second holds for each leg

Progression 5

Front Lever Descent

7 to 10 sets of 5 to 10 second descents

Progression 6

Front Lever Drawbridge

5 sets of 3 to 5 second holds at various angles

.

Once you've mastered each of these progressions, you'll be ready for the real thing.
Option 2
Front Lever Progressions

Many front lever programs and tutorials say to “start with the front tuck lever”, which seems
reasonable as it is a way for you to decrease the leverage disadvantage while still being close to
what the front lever looks like

But there are a couple of details and exercises that you should familiarize yourself with first.

1. Pulling Prep

The first progression is the “Pulling Prep,” which

is an exercise we emphasize a lot in the GMB Method. The pulling prep highlights scapular
strength in a straight arm position. It can be a very difficult movement for those unused to this
motion, but it is so incredibly important for progressing in all sorts of strength skills.

For the front lever, the goal will be a straight arm pulling motion, keeping your body horizontal,
but it is still quite helpful to do the standard vertical pull as well. We recommend incorporating
both into your practice.

2. Pulling Prep with Chest Pull

Once you’ve got the hang of the straight arm pulling motion, you’ll work on pulling the chest up
toward the rings. The key point in this exercise is to lead with the chest up, while actively pulling
down into the rings and bracing the core to compress and bring your entire body up in one solid
piece.

This action of keeping everything braced together is so important, and will jump start you toward
the front lever.
3. Pulling Prep with Knees Up

After that, you’ll work on pulling your knees up

while strongly pulling your shoulders and elbows down and back. This is as strong a core
movement as it gets before the rest of the front lever progressions.

These moves are the fundamental exercises to master BEFORE the front tuck lever. Get these
down pat and you are more than ready to go on to the tuck.

4. Front Tuck

For this next progression, you’ll use the pulling prep with knees up to bring you into an inverted
hang, with your knees still bent.

From the tucked position, perform the pulling prep again, then lower your butt, so you’re in a
front tuck lever.

Hold the front tuck lever if possible, then lower fully to the ground. If you can’t hold it, that’s
fine, work your repetitions then try again the next time.

You’ll have to be patient, this is not an easy skill, even at this progression.

5. Open Front Tuck

 Next up is the “open tuck”, and this is a stage
where you can practice for a long time and receive a tremendous amount of benefit. This is
because you can make so many adjustments from a tight tuck, to a looser, more open tuck, and
then back again.

This is another key point that I stress, you can start at a harder level, then adjust on the fly and
then take it down a notch to continue on in your workout. For example, you may start with as
open a tuck as you can, and when your form deteriorates, then start pulling knees in closer for a
tighter tuck.

You’ll then work on more repetitions or a greater hold time in that set. In this way you can make
all the adjustments you need based on how you are performing that day and get a lot of good
quality reps in.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with intensities, hold times, and rep counts. This kind of auto-
regulation is crucial for long term consistency and progress.

6. Tuck Repeats

With the tuck repeats, you’ll move between an inverted hang and the tucked position for
repetitions. Focus on where your shoulders are, so that you’re keeping them pulled back as you
pull down into the rings.

This progression will solidify the front tuck, and the lowering necessary for the front lever.

7. Tuck with Leg Extension (AKA “Can Opener”)

 This next exercise is a great one for beginning
that fully straight leg position for the front lever.

Just as for the front tuck levers, you begin in an inverted hang. Keep one leg straight and the
other bent, and lower slowly and hold in position. You’ll likely need to start the holding position
at a higher angle and then you’ll be able to lower as you improve. Go back to the inverted hang
and switch bent and straight legs.

Alternate at each successive repetition. Play with hold times and angles, but get those good
quality repetitions in. That’s how you’ll get stronger.

8. Full Front Lever

This is the final step, but it doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to bust this out and hold for a solid 5
seconds right away! Though you’ve developed a good amount of strength through the previous
progressions, the body positioning and leverage of this skill takes some practice on its own.

Remember to emphasize quality form and technique versus how many repetitions or how long
you can hold. It’s better to do less but keep your technique level high, this will protect you from
overstrain and ingraining bad habits.