Strength Training · Calisthenics · Gymnastics
Back Lever
The back lever is a straight-arm ring hold with your body horizontal and facing the floor. It trains shoulder and chest strength while challenging you to keep your whole body rigid.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Advanced
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 2 min
How to do it
- Hang from the rings with your arms straight.
- Tuck your knees toward your chest.
- Rotate your hips overhead into a tucked inverted hang.
- Extend your legs upward into a straight inverted hang.
- Lower your body toward horizontal, facing the floor with your arms straight behind your torso.
- Hold your shoulders, hips, and feet in one horizontal line.
- Return to a tucked inverted hang.
- Rotate back to an upright hang.
Form cues
- Squeeze your glutes.
- Keep your ribs pulled in.
- Keep your neck long.
- Breathe steadily through the hold.
Common mistakes
- Bending your elbowsUse a tuck or straddle version until you can support the position with straight arms.
- Dropping quickly into positionLower slowly enough that you can stop at any point.
- Holding above horizontalUse a side-view recording to check your position rather than guessing from how difficult it feels.
Safety
The long body position puts substantial stress on the front of your shoulders and your biceps tendons, especially if you drop into the hold. Losing your grip while inverted can cause a serious fall.
- Check the ring anchors, straps, and buckles before each session.
- Use a clear, padded landing area with rings low enough for an assisted exit.
- Build comfortable shoulder-extension range and a controlled tuck back lever before attempting the full position.
- End the hold before fatigue prevents you from returning to the inverted tuck.
If you have shoulder, elbow, or biceps pain or a history of injury there, get advice from a physiotherapist before attempting this hold.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Gymnastics Rings
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 3–4
- Target
- 5–10 seconds
- Rest
- 2 min
Accumulate short, controlled holds rather than testing your maximum hold time.