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Exercise guide
Back Lever
An advanced gymnastic isometric: hanging from a bar, the body is held horizontal and face-down in a straight line, demanding total-body tension through the lats, core, and posterior chain.
What this exercise works
- Muscles
- erector spinae · latissimus dorsi · anterior deltoid · gluteus maximus · rectus abdominis
- Goals
- strength
- Equipment
- Pull-up bar
- Category
- Strength
- Difficulty
- advanced
Demonstration
Step 1
How to perform the movement
- Hang from a bar with an overhand grip and rotate backward through the arms until inverted.
- Lower the body forward and down until it is horizontal, facing the floor.
- Keep the arms straight and the whole body in one rigid line from head to heels.
- Brace the core and squeeze the glutes so the hips and shoulders do not sag.
- Hold for time, then rotate back up under control.
Technique cues and common mistakes
- Build up with tucked and one-leg progressions before the full straight-body lever.
- Depress and retract the shoulder blades to protect the shoulders.
- Stay rigid -- any pike or arch collapses the hold.