Is the back lever easier than the front lever?

For most people it is, and many reach a full back lever well before a full Front Lever. It is not a requirement, though: you can train the two at the same time, and a Tuck Front Lever pairs well with tuck back lever work.

What should I be able to do before training the back lever?

You should be able to do several strict Pull-Ups, hold a German hang without pain, and control a slow skin the cat in both directions. If the German hang hurts, work on that range first before adding lever holds.

Why do my elbows or biceps hurt during back levers?

The straight-arm position stretches the biceps across the elbow and the shoulder while it helps hold your body up, and the tendons need time to adapt. Shorten your holds or drop back a progression, and see a physical therapist if the pain does not settle within a few days.

When should I move to the next progression?

Move on when you can hold your current version for several seconds over multiple sets with locked elbows, a straight body and no elbow or shoulder pain. If your elbows bend or your hips pike in the harder version, you are not ready for it yet.

How often should I train the back lever?

Two or three short sessions a week, with a rest day between them, suit most people learning it. Several short holds per session build the position with less strain than one long, grinding hold.

Back Lever

What Is the Back Lever?

Back Lever is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and also engages the chest, biceps, lats, lower back and glutes. It is an advanced-level movement in which you hang from a bar face down, with your arms straight behind you and your body held level with the floor in one line from head to toes.

The back lever is a static strength hold from gymnastics and one of the first straight-arm levers most people learn in calisthenics. Because the arms stay locked while the shoulders are opened well behind the body, it builds a kind of strength and tissue tolerance that bent-arm exercises such as the Pull-Up do not, and it prepares the shoulders and elbows for harder skills.

The front of the shoulders, the chest and the biceps do most of the work, holding the shoulders from being pulled further behind the body. The lower back, glutes and hamstrings keep the legs and hips from dropping toward the floor, while the abs stop the lower back from arching. Shorter-lever versions make the hold more manageable: a tuck back lever with the knees pulled to the chest, an advanced tuck with the back flat, and a straddle with the legs spread wide all reduce the load before the full version with the legs together.

The back lever suits people who already have a solid base of strict pull-ups and want to start straight-arm skill work. Before training it, build a comfortable, pain-free German hang and a controlled skin the cat, such as the Ring Skin the Cat, then work through the tuck and straddle progressions. Many people learn it before the Front Lever, and the two are often trained side by side.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Deltoid: Primary
Biceps Brachii: High
Pectoralis Major: High
Erector Spinae: Medium
Gluteus Maximus: Medium
Latissimus Dorsi: Medium
Biceps Femoris: Low
Flexor Carpi Radialis: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Low
Semitendinosus: Low

Instructions

Stand under a sturdy bar that is high enough for you to hang upside down without your head or feet touching the floor, and place a mat below it.
Grip the bar overhand with your hands about shoulder-width apart and hang with your arms straight.
Pull your knees to your chest and roll backward, passing your legs between your arms until your hips are above your head in an inverted hang.
Keeping your elbows locked, slowly lower your hips and legs backward so your shoulders open behind you.
Stop when your body is level with the floor and facing down, then straighten your hips and knees so your body forms one line from head to toes, legs together.
Keep your shoulders pulled down away from your ears, squeeze your glutes and brace your abs so your hips neither pike nor sag.
Keep your head in line with your body, looking at the floor, and breathe steadily as you hold for the target time.
To finish, bend your hips and knees, pull back up to the inverted hang, then roll forward through your arms and lower your feet to the floor under control.

Common Mistakes

Bending the elbows
Bent arms make the hold easier but take the load off the straight-arm strength the back lever is meant to build.
Piking at the hips
Letting the hips bend shortens the lever and turns the hold into an easier position that does not carry over to the full lever.
Arching the lower back
Letting the hips sag toward the floor arches the lower back and adds stress to the spine and the front of the shoulders.
Rushing the progressions
Jumping to the full lever before the tuck and straddle holds are solid overloads the biceps tendons, which adapt more slowly than the muscles.
Dropping into the hold
Falling from the inverted hang to horizontal instead of lowering slowly puts a sudden load on the shoulders and biceps.
Forcing the German hang
Pushing the shoulder stretch past a comfortable range strains the front of the shoulder before the lever work even starts.

Injuries

Back Lever is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The main strain points are the biceps tendons, which are stretched across both the elbow and the front of the shoulder while they help hold the body up, and the front of the shoulder joint, which sits near the end of its range with the arms behind the body. The lower back takes extra stress when the hips sag and the back arches.

Most back lever injuries come from progressing too fast. Tendons adapt more slowly than muscles, so build a pain-free German hang first, warm up the shoulders and elbows before each session, and add hold time gradually through the tuck, advanced tuck and straddle versions. Lower into the position slowly from the inverted hang instead of dropping into it, keep sessions short, and put a mat under the bar in case your grip slips.

If the full hold is too hard, go back to the advanced tuck or tuck, or practice slow lowering with the Ring Skin the Cat to build shoulder range and control. Once the full back lever is steady, longer holds and slow pulls from the lever back up to the inverted hang add difficulty.

Stop the set if you feel sharp or pulling pain at the front of the elbow or shoulder, a pop, or numbness or tingling in the arm. Drop back a progression for the next session, and see a physician or physical therapist if the pain lasts more than a few days.

Overview

Primary Focus: Shoulders
Equipment: Pull-up bar and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Advanced

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the back lever easier than the front lever?: For most people it is, and many reach a full back lever well before a full Front Lever. It is not a requirement, though: you can train the two at the same time, and a Tuck Front Lever pairs well with tuck back lever work.
Q: What should I be able to do before training the back lever?: You should be able to do several strict Pull-Ups, hold a German hang without pain, and control a slow skin the cat in both directions. If the German hang hurts, work on that range first before adding lever holds.
Q: Why do my elbows or biceps hurt during back levers?: The straight-arm position stretches the biceps across the elbow and the shoulder while it helps hold your body up, and the tendons need time to adapt. Shorten your holds or drop back a progression, and see a physical therapist if the pain does not settle within a few days.
Q: When should I move to the next progression?: Move on when you can hold your current version for several seconds over multiple sets with locked elbows, a straight body and no elbow or shoulder pain. If your elbows bend or your hips pike in the harder version, you are not ready for it yet.
Q: How often should I train the back lever?: Two or three short sessions a week, with a rest day between them, suit most people learning it. Several short holds per session build the position with less strain than one long, grinding hold.