Meathook, one arm back lever

I'm sorry if this is already posted elsewhere, but i didn't found anything.

What are the progressions for meathook, one arm back lever and other "strap" work? I saw these skills in Handbalancer's and Yuri's videos and liked them very much but i don't know where to start. I found out that meathook is prerequisite for one arm BL (wich is kinda logical) but i don't know difference between front and back (reverse?) meathook. I also started OAC work + one arm deadhangs to strenghten my shoulders and I regularly work on FSPs but that's all i can figure.

Thanks for any advice.

Should probably have a good two arm front level before going into a meathook. Also, I found it very helpful to be able to hang from one arm and do an L-hang. Make sure you are still pulling your shoulder into it's socket.

An exercise I like to start out with it is to get into an adv tuck FL position. Now lean your legs to the left. From here, press hard with your straight left arm and use the right one for assistance to press your legs to the right. Then do the same thing with the right arm.

That wasn't super clear but did it help? I can rewrite it or something.

I don't think front lever is necessary for meathook. In the beginning, really all it is is just doing windshield wipers and leaning all the way onto one arm. Once you find the balance, holding it is pretty simple and takes no strength at all.

Most people who I've taught this to that had a decent level of strength learned it in one day.

The one arm pull to meathook is a bit more complicated and the reverse meathook/flag is a bit more tricky to learn.

You dont need front lever to do meathooks, but solid skin the cats should be easy. Like yuri said, work windshield wipers to build up strength. Then you learn to hang in tnhe position, and then work on slow negatives from meathook to deadhang. Also practice 1 arm L hangs and partial 1 arm leg lifts until you can pull into it.

The back one is more tricky, but is also quite easy once you are in position. It is all about arching to get the balance in the position. You should probably have a decent back lever before you do this(at least if you dont have a very flexible back). You usually enter it from an inverted pike which you straighten out backwards towward rthe arm you want ho hang on. You arch heavily to curve your body around your arm, and support with the other arm, pushing on the ring/strap. This is a bit tricky to explain and do in the beginning. Once you can do the position on 2 arms with support you try to release the support and reach forwards to stabilize the balance. Do it on low rings or straps so you can easily touch the floor with the legs if you fall, as the shoulder is in a vulnerable position.

1 arm back lever is basically a back meathook you release until you are horizontal. You should have a strong back meathook, slow piked negative from it to 1 arm straddle L hang, and a strong normal back lever before attempting it. You slowly move away from your arm little by little until you are strong enough. Straddling of course helps. There is not too much technique involved in it as it feels quite intuitive to do. It is very heavy on the elbow and rotators so be careful.

And now I realize I have been lifting into a one arm front lever and then going into a meathook instead of lifting the legs like a HLL and pulling directly into it. Which is why I thought a front lever would be neccesary to pull into it. Thanks Yuri and HB.

Been doing the same thing. Talk about making it harder then it needs to be.

Okay, thanks everyone for clarification, suggestions and advices, it helped a lot :wink:

Just one last question: Do you recommend any special preparation/prehab for shoulders/elbows? I'm of course doing something (Ido's stuff mostly + some Laughlin's stick exercises) but if there is anything special for this kind of work?

Many thanks again.

I happen to train all those moves and here is my experience:

meat-hook: resting position once you have the obliques strength and get the balance

side-planche (reverse meat-hook): forward side-planche to start, shoulder warm-up and flexibility is key. Easiest entrance is from back lever or inverted hang and go slowly and lean back onto the strap/fabric. Full extension with the free arm makes it look nice and pretty.

one-arm back lever: this is a professional level move requiring a few years of training and great hip flexibility would help. Ask your coach how to get this move, an internet forum is likely not going to be sufficient.

Picture of Reverse Meathook/Side-Planche

Picture of Reverse Meathook/Side-Planche
 

Beautiful!
For some reasons, this looks like something I should not try...

Does the reverse meathook require much strength to hold at all? I remember hearing that a meathook doesn't really require any strength so I'm not sure if it's the same for this?

In the beginning it will be difficult to breathe, and it will take some strength to get into.  The more flexible you are the easier it will be.

Once you acclimate to it it becomes a resting position. 

Ok I see now, thanks yuri! Are you supposed to have a straight or bent working arm when holding the reverse meathook? I can't get a straight arm when I try it, maybe it's a flexibility issue for me if the reverse meathook is supposed to have a straight arm.

If there is doubt, don't.  I was doing a session with Yuri who proceeded to do a meathook and I thought; 'well I'll try that.'  My ribs did not appreciate me for that at all and it took a few months to work through the soreness....

FredInChina said:

For some reasons, this looks like something I should not try...

B1214N said:

Ok I see now, thanks yuri! Are you supposed to have a straight or bent working arm when holding the reverse meathook? I can't get a straight arm when I try it, maybe it's a flexibility issue for me if the reverse meathook is supposed to have a straight arm.

Whichever one is more comfortable.  a straight arm will cause your upper body to invert more

I used to do with a bent arm but now I do straight.  I do consider a straight arm reverse meathook more advanced though

I started with bent arm and have moved to straight arm in the meathook and find the extension and position more comfortable now. For reverse, I am working on it still...

The more you reach away from you like the guy in the picture does the straighter your arm gets. Its a bit harder, but not too bad. Reverse meathooks/flags are easiest to learn if you first learn it with bent legs. It will not look very good, but it is easier to find the spot where you need to arch and stay in balance. Once its solid you straighten the legs but keep them straddled, then close them as the final step. The full position with legs together can be more comfortable if you reach away with the free arm and straighten the hanging one since it will counterweight the legs so they dont go too low.

1 arm back levers take some shoulder strength and having a rock solid reverse meathook is neccesary as well as a slow controlled lower down to 1 arm straddle L hang from flag. From there you work your way by straddling the meathook and lower slowly into it. Like most 1 arm moves, the biomechanics of it is misunderstood by most people. You are not fighting against a heavy shoulder angle like on 2 arms because the body twists around the shoulder to stay in balance. There is a pic of me doing it in this post a little down the page. Notice that there is almost no angle in the shoulder compared to on 2 arms 

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/2918-your-best-pictures/page-14

Still it takes a lot of strength to hold it and i recommend you to have a solid back lever, a couple of pulls to regular meathook from 1 arm hang, as well as a slow change from reverse meathook to meathook(by lowering down piked and pulling up on the other side) before working it.

I find that the sideways OAFL has some decent carryover to a OABL. I can do the sideways OAFL and I sometimes rotate my torso towards a OABL, although I can't get to a perfect OABL yet. I think I'm somewhat close to a OABL, but I'm not completely sure since I did not record it and my doorway chin-up bar doesn't really give enough space for me to do it. Since you can do a OABL Handbalancer, can you also do a sideways OAFL? That may help me determine the estimated amount of carryover between the two.

I've seen people twist and lift into a OABL from an one arm hang before where they pike the legs before getting the torso horizontal. I think that can be another way to train it. Would you say using a tucked/adv tuck body position be useful to train the OABL too?

By the way, I find the OABL with palms down easier than palms up just like a regular back lever for me.

I never tried the sideways oafl and i dont think i could pull it off. I can kind of do the upwards facing one by releasing out from meathook but i think its pretty different. I cant really see how it should carry over to 1 arm back lever since that one is mostly about protraction, shoulder and lats strength. But i havent tried so im not sure.

The pike up into flag or 1 arm back lever is different and might be easier or harder depending on your flexibility. Pulling to flag from 1 arm dead hang is pretty hard. It is kind of like a 1 arm skin the cat and is tough on the shoulder.

I would say the most efficient way of working 1 arm back lever is by releasing slowly from flag. In the beginning its important to hang low enough so that if/when you cant hold it anymore you can release the tension in your shoulder and land on your legs so you dont come crashing down on a hanging and tired shoulder. However, like i said you should be able to lower slowly from flag to 1 arm straddle L hang  before working it. Tucking your body doesnt really work with this move because in a flag you are essentially arching and tucking your legs would cause you to move away from the arm in a way you cant control. You rather want to straddle and arch towards your arm as you release out to keep the maximum tension between your arm and body. As you get better you wont need the straddle and the arch as much.

I have never tried with palm up as that would be a very awkward position to hang in flag in, but it should also be possible

Thanks for the tips Handbalancer! I think you should try out the sideways OAFL some time and let me know how it feels or relates to the OABL or even the upward OAFL. I think you could pull off a decent sideways OAFL with little to no specific training if you already have a pretty strong full FL and one or more OACs. The reason I think it transfers to a OABL is because the lats and chest are worked very hard in the sideways OAFL and the shoulder too when you point the bicep down. I also speculate that it may also have an appreciable amount of transfer to the upward OAFL since the sideways OAFL's torso rotation is equally in between the OABL and the upward OAFL. Is the sideways OAFL also a skill done by circus performers because they all seem related?

Also, good job on the upward OAFL! Would you mind telling how you trained it and how long it took and if there are carryover from or to other exercises? Thanks!

I can try tomorrow and see how it feels. I cant do a full ROM 1 arm chin though. I can do from below 90 degrees but not deadhang. I never did any work on it but all the other 1 arm work have had some carryover. Im not sure if I have any strength sideways like that but it will be interesting to see. Havent really seen anyone do the sideways 1 arm front lever in circus as it is not such an aestethic position, but im sure there are some straps guys who could manage easily.

For the upwards facing one i just would play around with straddling and releasing out of meathook. I never did any specific work on it and it is not perfect and still a little straddled. I think I could achieve a full lay one if i give it some attention.

It feels quite different from the 2 arm one since you are crunching sideways with your obliques to keep the body curving around the arm.

Best way to train it from my perspective is from meathook with a couterweight in the hand. With 2 kg i did a full lay one a couple of times, though maybe a bit twisted.