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Front Lever Reps

A gymnastic strength movement raising the body from a hang into a horizontal front lever, building extreme lat and core strength.

BackBodyweightStraight-arm pull
GoLightWeight mediafront-lever-reps

Demonstration coming soon

Primary

Latissimus dorsiCore

Secondary

Rear deltoidsSpinal erectorsForearms

Equipment

Bodyweight

Pattern

Straight-arm pull

Setup

  1. 01Hang from a pull-up bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip.
  2. 02Lock the elbows straight and depress the shoulder blades.
  3. 03Set a hollow body position: ribs down, glutes tight, legs together.
  4. 04Start from a still dead hang with zero swing.

Execution

  1. 01Pull down through straight arms to raise the body as one rigid unit.
  2. 02Rotate up until the body is horizontal, face toward the ceiling.
  3. 03Hold the horizontal line briefly with the bar over the hips.
  4. 04Lower back to the hang with the same straight-body control.

Checkpoints

  • -Elbows stay completely locked throughout.
  • -Body stays in one line; hips do not sag or pike.
  • -Shoulder blades stay depressed and engaged.
  • -The lowering phase is as controlled as the raise.

Common mistakes

  • -Bending the elbows to cheat the leverage.
  • -Piking at the hips to hide a weak core.
  • -Kipping into the horizontal position.
  • -Attempting full reps before owning a tuck lever.

Programming notes

  • -Use 3 to 5 sets of 2 to 5 reps, stopping well before form breaks.
  • -Progress through tuck, advanced tuck, and one-leg levers before full reps.
  • -Train it fresh at the start of a pulling session; quality drops fast with fatigue.

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