Ever wonder why gymnasts have such incredible abs? Probably because they do movements like Hanging Leg Raises, L sits and of course Front Levers.
The front lever is the absolute pinnacle of core strength! By building up to the front lever you will acquire an incredibly strong and muscular midsection. In addition you will gain amazing lat strength that will enhance your current shoulder to waist ratio.
I was first introduced to this exercise when I was vacationing in Los Angeles. I made a trip down to Santa Monica Beach one day and started working out with a bunch of extremely fit guys.
Santa Monica Beach Workout Club with Tony Horton
That’t actually Tony Horton with the ridiculous hat on in the middle. Every sunday he heads down to Santa Monica Beach and does a gymnastics style bodyweight workout with a group of guys. All of whom are very ripped and muscular. I was fortunate enough to workout with that group of guys on a few occasions.
One of the coolest exercises that they were performing was the front lever. It killed me that I couldn’t do it so I made it my goal to build up to this movement. After several months of training I finally nailed the front lever with ease. Below is a video tutorial I made on the front lever.
In order to perform the front lever you need to pull your body up till parallel with your lats while keeping your entire body completely straight and rigid. If your abs are not strong enough your hips will break and your body will make a ‘V’. Below is the series of progressions to build the core and lat strength to perform the front lever:
1. Bent Leg Raise to Bar
2. Bent Leg Raise to Bar with Straight Leg Negative
3. Straight Leg Hanging Leg Raises to Bar
4. Straight Leg Hanging Leg Raises Parallel to Bar
5. Lever Pulls
6. Partial Front Levers (go as high as possible)
7. Full Front Levers
Why the emphasis on Hanging Leg Raises?
Hanging leg raises are an incredible exercise to build up to the front lever. This is because in order to perform a hanging leg raise all the way up to the bar you need to pull with your lats. This is the same lat strength you need to pull your body into the front lever. When you can perform 5 straight leg parallel to bar leg raises you will have sufficient lat strength to perform the front lever. The front lever pulls will build the core strength to maintain proper positioning. The combination of front lever pulls and hanging leg raises to the bar are the key to working up to the front lever.
Which Progression to start with?
Start with the first progression (bent leg raise to bar). Once you can easily perform 5 reps of the exercise move on to the next progression.
How often should I practice the progression?
Practice training for the front lever 2-3x per week. I have had the best success training it 3x per week on non consecutive days.
Sets, Reps, Rest times?
Perform 3-4 sets of 3-5 reps with 2-3 minutes rest between sets. This is pretty low volume with plenty of rest. This is your best bet for building strength quickly. High reps and short rest periods will offer very little strength benefit and you will make very little progress.
The Front Lever Workout
(perform 2-3x per week before your cardio or strength workout)
Front Lever Pulls: 3 x 3-5 reps (2-3 minutes rest between sets)
Hanging Leg Raise Variation: 3 x 3-5 reps (2-3 minutes rest between sets)
Workout Notes:
This is a great workout to simultaneously build up your core and lat strength to accomplish the front lever. You will start with lever pulls (only go up as high as you can while maintaining proper form) and you will finish off with the hanging leg raise progression you are working on. When you have built up to the last hanging leg raise variation than you can perform partial front levers instead of hanging leg raises.
Advanced Front Lever Workout
(perform 2-3x per week before your cardio or strength workout)
Front Lever Partials: 3 x 3-5 reps (2-3 minutes rest)
Front Lever Pulls: 3 x 3-5 reps (2-3 minutes rest)
Workout Notes:
For the partial front levers you will perform a front lever as high as you can while maintaining strict form. Overtime you will be able to lift your body higher and higher. The key is to push your hips forward to ensure proper form. If your hips dip back than you are cheating. Only perform 3-5 reps per set. If your form starts to decline after 3 reps than stop.
Favorite Workout Song Right Now
On a side note checkout my favourite workout song below. Love jumping rope and hitting abs to this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arARN1U2fCI
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Greg,
What a phenomenal video!
Every since I first saw a YouTube video of someone performing a front lever, it’s been one of those exercises which I’ve targeted as a long-term goal.
There is no doubt the front lever is a tough exercise on the body, but do you think it’s possible to apply Pavel’s “grease the groove” technique in the beginning of learning the exercise?
This way your body gets a better mind-to-body link and you are able to “practice” the exercise on a more frequent basis.
Robert King recently posted..90-Day Case Study: Phase I, Day I
@Robert
Thanks man! I have never had success with grease the groove for pure strength movements. I really don’t think that progress can be accelerated from training the movement more than 3x per week. The lats are a huge factor in performing a front lever and they do need their rest. Patience is a virtue. Practice the movement 3x per week consistently (ideally when as fresh as possible) and over several months your form will improve.
If you do wish to train the movement more often than it’s important to eliminate fatigue by performing no more than 3 reps per set. Good luck on your front lever
Great post Greg. Like I mentioned in a private convo with you, I saw Dr Dre doing this in the I Need A Doctor video and peaked my curiosity. At the moment I can do partials but will be heeding your progression advice and trying them out. I will let you know how the progress goes.
Michael McIntyre @somebodylied.com recently posted..Perfect Body Measurements For Women
Greg,
Great video, man! This looks like a very challenging exercise, but I’m a big fan of any type of hanging leg raise type exercise because it is an amazing core workout. I’m going to have to give this one a shot!
Alykhan
Alykhan – The Magic Trio recently posted..The Lean Gains Protocol: An Advanced Intermittent Fasting Diet
Hey Greg
I plan on starting a get shredded workout. i dont have access to a bench as im working out at home. Would doing a few sets of one handed pushups in place of bench press be enough to maintain muscle mass in your chest?
@Mark
Yes. One arm push ups should do the trick. You can also raise your feet on a bench to make them even harder.
hey buddy thnx for this video…its amaizing and you are a superman…what do you think about an exercise done by bruce lee “dragon flags” ?? i find them very dificult… and please post some pushups tips to build a lean defined and masculine chest…thanx very much for everything and good luck :)
@Admir
Thanks admir. The dragon flag is a very challenging exercise that does a great job at building and strengthening the abs. It can put a lot of stress on the neck so keep that in mind.
I need to start adding this into my strength training sessions! Great video and this is extremely impressive. My business partner does gymnastics to stay in shape and he does the front lever. Have you tried gymnastics at all for conditioning?
Paul recently posted..Reader Question
Really Great Vid! It s on thing seeing the street workout world championship and thinking, damn, I ll never be able to do that! But thanks to your vid there s actually a chance!!!
How long did it take you to achieve a
full front lever after you started training for it?
@Benhamin
It’s a pretty long road. 6 months to a year to achieve perfect form. The good new is that on the road to the front lever your abs will improve considerably.
Awesome article/video Greg! That really is an impressive looking exercise. I’ve honestly never tried it … so … gonna have to head to the gym (or next horizontal bar I can find) and give ‘em a shot.
-Kevin
Kevin McMillian recently posted..Visual Impact Cardio Review And What You NEED To Know
Great article and video Greg! I have been working out in gym, but recently I am planning to buy some equipment at home so I don’t have to drive all the way to gym. Budget is not a problem, any suggestion?
@Mike
My advice would be to get a power rack (one with a good pull up bar), bench, barbell and weight plates. This will give you freedom to do many different barbell exercises. Bench Press, Incline Press, Barbell Curls, Shoulder Press…..
As well I would recommend a dip stand. After that you could get dumbbells ranging from 10-30 lbs. These could just be used for isolation movements (lateral raises, rear delts, curls)…
Thanks a lot for the suggestion Greg! There are a few more question I have here:
1. Do you have any brand/website suggestion?
2. Are 30lbs for dumbbells enough? I can do inclined curls for 25lbs with ease now.
@Mike
1. So many brands out there. You will have to use your own judgement
2. Up to 40-50 lbs would be ideal but that can get very expensive.
Hey Greg, any tips to get past a sticking point? I can do full feet to bar leg raises, but having them stop on the way down to halfway and then go back up is pretty difficult at the moment. Thanks!
@Darryl
Do the full leg raises slower. Try and stop half way on the way down and hold it for a few seconds before going all the way down.
hey gregg, little bit out of topic, but i’m curious where did you get the ice pack?
thx btw
I got mine at a store called winners. I’m sure you could find it at a Walmart or Target.