In a front lever, your entire body hangs horizontally from a pull-up bar. This exercise requires targeted training and multiple muscle groups. Overall, the front lever is one of the most difficult bodyweight exercises.
The front lever is needed in many sports, such as climbing and calisthenics. In this post, I'll lay out a training plan to effectively train for the front lever.
Front Lever Training Plan
The training plan described in this post is heavily based on the training video from Mani the Monkey, which is linked below.
For front lever training, I recommend our Dip Bars (see the following photo) and our D4 Pull-up Bar. You can also use the dip bars with fitness bands. If needed, you can also get just a single bar from us. Just send us an email or give us a call if we're only offering them as a pair on our site.
The training plan consists of 6 exercises, which are all described in detail below. Perform each exercise for 3-10 reps per set. Do a total of 5 sets per exercise and take a 3-4 minute break between each set. Do this workout plan 2-3 times per week. You should be able to do the front lever in 4 weeks if you already have strong lats, triceps, and abs. If not, it could take up to 12 weeks of training to succeed.
The training plan described here consists of a total of 90 - 300 reps per workout. However, this doesn't mean it's only for advanced users. If you're a beginner, just do as much of the training plan as you can and aim to do a little bit more next time.
Warm up before every workout. Perform all exercises slowly and with control. Make sure to take adequate breaks between sets and also between weekly workouts. This will help you prevent injuries, achieve the greatest possible effect, and progress quickly.
Front Lever Training Plan: Basic Structure and Diagram
The key parameters and the sequence of the training plan are as follows. Note that the order of the first two exercises can be swapped. Adjust the number of reps and the rest periods between sets to your fitness level. You can find the Front Lever Training Plan as a PDF below.
- approx. 3-10 reps / set
- approx. 5 sets / exercise
- 3-4 minutes rest between sets
- 2-3 times per week
General Tips
The biggest difficulty with the front lever is maintaining a really good horizontal posture. Many people do the front lever with a slight bend at the hips. That's already an impressive achievement, but a true front lever is only when there are no bends and the body is perfectly horizontal.
Six Exercises for the Front Lever
1. Hanging Knee Raises x 10 reps
For hanging knee raises, grab the pull-up bar with a narrow or wide grip. Your arms and legs should be straight. Ideally, your feet shouldn't touch the ground when you hang. From this hanging position, bend your legs at the hips and pull your knees up to your chest, or as high as you can. Once your knees are all the way up, slowly lower them back down to the starting hanging position. Then begin the exercise again. After a few reps and sets, you should feel it in your abs.
2. Hanging Leg Raises x 5 reps
For hanging leg raises, you lift your legs up until they are roughly parallel to your arms. Then, lower your legs in a controlled manner. Once you're hanging with your body fully extended again, begin the next rep.
Your legs should be straight, or as straight as possible, when you lift them. You should also not be hanging passively from your joints, but actively engaging your muscles. This means making sure your shoulders are mobile and you're creating controlled tension in them during the exercise. It's okay if you can't fully straighten your legs at the beginning. But your goal should be to eventually lift them completely straight. For this exercise, you can also grip the pull-up bar with a shoulder-width overhand grip or a narrow parallel grip.
3. Front Lever Negatives / Front Lever Ups x 3 reps
For the front lever negative, you lift your body and legs up until your body and arms form a straight line and your head is looking down behind you. Once you're in this position, you slowly and controlledly lower yourself back down. The downward movement is the actual front lever negative.
Form is very important for this exercise. Don't do more than three reps per set and always focus on your form. Stop the exercise as soon as you can no longer maintain good form.
4. One-legged Front Lever x 3 reps
You perform the one-legged front lever like a normal front lever negative. To do this, get into a hang and lift your body and legs up so that your body and arms form a straight line and your head is looking down behind you, similar to the negative. Then, tuck one leg. From this position, lower your body down to the horizontal position. In this hold, your body and only one leg are straight. The other leg is tucked. Hold this position for 3-6 seconds, or as long as possible.
The goal of this exercise is to reduce the weight load in the horizontal hold while still engaging all the other muscles needed for the full front lever. You can also alternate legs if you need to, either in the horizontal hold or before in the starting position.
5. Straddle Front Lever x 3 reps
You also perform the straddle front lever like the one-legged front lever, but with your legs spread apart in the horizontal position. Hold the straddle front lever for 3-6 seconds or as long as possible.
The effect of the straddle front lever is similar to the tucked leg. The lever, and thus the weight load, is reduced. With this exercise, too, focus on form rather than the number of reps.
6. Front Lever x 3 reps
If you've done all the previous exercises for 3-10 reps and still have strength left, then you can now attempt the actual front lever. Get into a hang. Lift your body and legs up, as in the negative front lever. Then slowly lower your body until you are hanging horizontally from the bar. In this position, your body and your legs are straight and form a line. Hold this position for 3-6 seconds, or as long as possible, and you've done the front lever!
Done correctly, the front lever looks like the photo below, performed by John Gill in 1962, the father of modern bouldering.
Conclusion
The front lever can be effectively trained with the workout plan described here. For the training, you'll need a pull-up bar. You can also use gymnastic rings. The training plan consists of a total of 90 - 300 reps. As a beginner, you can also learn the front lever with the approach described here. Just do as much of the training plan as you can, 2-3 times a week. After 12 weeks, you should be able to do a front lever, at least an imperfect one.
If you need it, you can find the Front Lever Training Plan as a PDF at the link.
Title photo by Victor Freitas from Pexels
