Front Lever & Back Lever Question

I have been working the front and back levers now for a couple weeks but I dont know if I am doing them correctly.

In the front lever, should I just be hanging from the rings using my shoulders only for leverage to stay parallel to the ground, or should I also "shrug" my shoulders while I hang - to lift my body up higher so I am not just dangling from the rings? I am wondering the same thing about the back lever?

Thanks,

B

You do not need to activate your shoulders to do both of these moves.

braindx said:

You do not need to activate your shoulders to do both of these moves.

Are there any benefits to doing so, though?

ok. thanks braindx.

Amebix138 said:

braindx said:

You do not need to activate your shoulders to do both of these moves.

Are there any benefits to doing so, though?

Because it's unneccesary and won't help anything.

So you CAN use a downward shrugging motion (in relation to the ground) , but you're not going to move very far. If you want to do that, you need to retract your shoulder blades in the inverted hang, and then lower while maintaining the retraction. This will not help your development of the skill in the slightest, from what everyone is saying (and my own experience) but it will build strength in your upper back.

So from a gymnast's point of view there really isn't any point to shrugging in the front lever, but from a pure strength perspective there is. It won't help you in your progressions, but it will make you strong in different ways. Having said that, using a chest expander will do a bit more for you with less wasted effort. I personally do shrugs in the flat tuck FL as part of my shrugging for shoulder health, but it doesn't impact my ability to do the front lever positively or negatively.

Hello Everyone,

I have some qouestions too.

Back Lever

a, How can I say if I'm paralell to the ground? When I'm doing the flat tuck BL my knees have to hang far below my stomach but it feels like that I'm not parallel even tough when it feels horizontial I suspect I'm over horizontial.

b, I'm doing it on a bar and I my hands are in a chin up grip not a pull up. Is it okay to do so? Isn't it injures the elbow?(My elbow feels stronger but I'm not sure if it's okay to do it on the bar this way)

c, Does the lower back work of the back lever has some carryover to the straight arm press handstands?(well on the lower back part )

Thanks in advance!

norbeex3 said:

Hello Everyone,

I have some qouestions too.

Back Lever

a, How can I say if I'm paralell to the ground? When I'm doing the flat tuck BL my knees have to hang far below my stomach but it feels like that I'm not parallel even tough when it feels horizontial I suspect I'm over horizontial.

b, I'm doing it on a bar and I my hands are in a chin up grip not a pull up. Is it okay to do so? Isn't it injures the elbow?(My elbow feels stronger but I'm not sure if it's okay to do it on the bar this way)

c, Does the lower back work of the back lever has some carryover to the straight arm press handstands?(well on the lower back part )

Thanks in advance!

a. Place the mirror at your side.

b. It must be in chin up position, so when you turn to back lever palms are faced down.

c. Some carryover is, but not as much you want to For strength you should have basic exercises exact as exercise you want to do it. :roll: Coach has posted at basic strength subforum one exercise:

1. where you place your hands close to wall and do presses to the wall only with rising and declineing legs (progression is with ankle weights).

2.easier variation is to do standing pancake close to the "sweedish ladder" and rise your arms backwards and grab "sweedish ladder". Again rising and declinening legs.

Yeah, I tought I can replace presses with back lever but I see now that it is not possible. Thanks for responding.

a) when I do reverse cranks from the basket/invert-pike position, I watch my toes goes out as I extend out and lower to the straight body BL. If you are doing this in a tuck, just watch your hips until it levels out nearly and then make sure to open and not hunch your torso ( I would rather not see an arched BL, but one that is straight versus too rounded or hollow ).

I tought it's better to arch then hollow because when you are in an arched position your legs are higher. Sorry if I misunderstood your response but my conclusion was that a hollow one is better, isn't it?

Hollow is good, pike in hips is not.