Back lever in comparison to front lever

[Gonn]

I have read both in Coach Sommer's book and as well in other sources over the web, that the back lever is the basic and easiest static hold in comparison to the front lever and the planche. It seems that there is a consensus that the hierarchy is as follows: Back Lever --> Front Lever --> Planche.

While I can see why the Back Lever is easier than the planche, I cannot understand why it is easier than the front lever. The same bodyweight is used in both holds at the same lever. The difference lies only in the working muscle groups: in the front lever it's the shoulder extensors, while in the back lever it's the shoulder flexors. The shoulder extensors are a far stronger group of muscles than the shoulder flexors. Therefore, the logical conclusion will be that the front lever should be the easier hold. So what is it exactly that makes the back lever the easier one?

The only thing that I can come up with, is that the difficuly in the levers lies not in the active muscles of the shoulder joint, but in the core and hip muscles which function as stabilizers. In the back lever these will be the erectors and the hip extensors, compared to the front lever where these will be the abdominal muscles and the hip flexors. Perhaps this is what makes it easier. Any thoughts on the matter?

[Timy7]

Well when you hit the back lever your shoulders are starting to hit the end of there range of motion, not quite the end but definitely an area that is gonna tighten up naturally.

Front lever you stop almost 90 degrees before your shoulders would hit resistance.

Thats my theory of why back is easier than front lever.

[Ian Legrow]

quite honestly I have been wondering this myself. I always seemed to have a much harder time with my back lever then with my front lever. I always thought it was becasue my abs were stronger then my lower back, but the shoudler excuse seems to be more logical

[Marlon]

I would have to disagree with you, and suggest that your premise is off base. For most people, their shoulders flexors are by far the stronger muscle group. The majority of people who are unfamiliar with gymnastics training definitely put much more work into their bench press than pull-ups or rows.

Beyond that, shoulder flexibility is definitely part of it, for a lot of people the back lever position does start getting close to the limit of their shoulder flexibility, while the front lever does not at all.

Core strength is another bit. for me at least, it's a lot easier to hold a hollow position when im facing down in a back lever, than when I'm facing up in a front lever or while doing body levers.

Friction is also a major factor in the back lever. It's very easy to cheat the back lever by squeezing your arms together and hooking them under your lats. Even if you are very strict about not cheating like that, you will still have some amount of contact between your torso and your arms unless you are practically holding a maltese. In the front lever, however, their just isn't any way to cheat the position.

[Bruno Cochofel]

Friction is also a major factor in the back lever. It's very easy to cheat the back lever by squeezing your arms together and hooking them under your lats. Even if you are very strict about not cheating like that, you will still have some amount of contact between your torso and your arms unless you are practically holding a maltese. In the front lever, however, their just isn't any way to cheat the position.

I really believe this is the most important point. Since your arms are more close to your torso holding the back lever the leverage is way better what causes the force to hold the position way less demanding. I believe it all comes down to leverage.

Front lever and Planche both use the same kind of body position, besides the turning around of course. I believe the major difference is pulling and pressing. I guess it's more difficult to press down to keep the body up then to pull up...

[Gonn]

Marlon, the Latissimus dorsi, which is the agonist muscle in shoulder extension, is by far bigger and stronger than the anterior deltoid, which is the agonist muscle in shoulder flexion. One will have to be ridiculously unproportional to have a a stronger anterior deltoid than his Latissimus dorsi. The bench press is not a good example, because done in the normal wide grip, it's shoulder adduction, not shoulder flexion. One may have a stronger Pectoralis major than his Latissimus dorsi, but I doubt if this is possible for the anterior deltoid.

On the other hand, the point you made about friction sounds to me like the one that could make the most difference, as blackcat noted. And the issue of flexibility and end of range of motion also seems to make some sense, although it can also be debated that it's the other way around - a very (not slightly) stretched muscle can produce less force. When I do a german hang and stay at it for about 20 seconds, it's a lot more difficult for me to rotate myself back up.

[Marlon]

I just have to disagree. The anterior deltoid may be the agonist in shoulder flexion, but the pectoralis major are very heavily involved too along with many other muscle groups.

If friction or even shoulder flexibility where the primary reason why the backlever is easier for most people than the front lever, then wouldn't it logically follow that a maltese should be harder than a victorian? The positions are nearly identical, shoulder flexibility is no where near it's limit in either, friction is also no longer a significant factor, and yet the victorian is still drastically more difficult than a maltese.

[Nic Scheelings]

I agree with Marlon on this. And although lats are important in the front lever I think your scapula rectractors like rhomboids and middle traps also are vital for a front lever and these are what are often lacking in strength to perform a front lever properly. Wheras a back lever even when done properly without hanging on lats is mainly going to depend on chest, shoulders and biceps, in general muscles i'd consider stronger than those scapula retractors.

[Gonn]

First of all a correction needed: I wrote that in bench press the movement is adduction, but it's horizontal adduction. I apologize for the error.

To the point: I cannot see why the Pectoralis major will be heavily involved in shoulder flexion. The upper fibers of the muscle are indeed involved, but it's not the main muscle which contribute to the movement. In shoulder extension, for example, the lower fibers of the Pectoralis major are also involved. So I cannot see why this will have a significant impact.

As for the maltese vs. the victorian, I can't say for sure, as I haven't studied these movements in depth, let along had any experience with them (I wish ). However, I would say that with the maltese and the victorian it's a completely different story due to the position of the arms which is different, which also affects the muscles that are involved. In Back/Front lever the arms are close to the body in about shoulder width, which makes an almost pure sagittal plane of motion (flexion/extension). In the maltese and the victorian, on the other hand, the arms are placed away from the body at an angle of about 45 degrees. This creates an inter-plane motion, between sagittal (flexion/extension) and horizontal (horizontal adduction/abduction). So in the maltese you will have less involvment of the anterior deltoid which is a smaller muscle in favor of the Pectoralis major which is a bigger muscle (so you gain more force), while at the victorian you will have less involvment of the Latissimus dorsi which is a bigger muscle in favor of the posterior deltoid which is a smaller one (so you lose force).

Demus, your point about the scapula seems right to me. I'm currently only at the flat tuck front lever, but I feel the pressure well in my scapula.

[AlexX]

I agree with Marlon on this. And although lats are important in the front lever I think your scapula rectractors like rhomboids and middle traps also are vital for a front lever and these are what are often lacking in strength to perform a front lever properly. Wheras a back lever even when done properly without hanging on lats is mainly going to depend on chest, shoulders and biceps, in general muscles i'd consider stronger than those scapula retractors.

This was always my take on it.