Skip to content
Gymlab
Create your personal plan

Strength Training · Calisthenics · Gymnastics

Straddle Back Lever

The straddle back lever is a straight-arm ring hold with your body face down and your legs spread wide. It trains chest and shoulder strength while challenging full-body control.

Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.

  • Advanced
  • Higher injury risk
  • Rest 2 min

How to do it

  1. Hang from the rings with straight arms.
  2. Rotate backward into an upside-down hang with your knees tucked toward your chest.
  3. Extend your legs into a wide straddle.
  4. Lower your legs behind you until your body is horizontal and face down.
  5. Hold with your shoulders, hips, and heels level.
  6. Tuck your knees toward your chest.
  7. Rotate forward through an upside-down hang to an upright hang.
  8. Place your feet on the floor.

Form cues

  • Keep elbows straight, not forced backward.
  • Squeeze your glutes.
  • Keep your ribs drawn in.
  • Breathe steadily through the hold.

Common mistakes

  • Folding at the hipsUse a wider straddle to shorten the leverage without bending at your waist.
  • Dropping into positionPractice a tuck back lever until you can lower slowly without swinging.
  • Sinking between the shouldersPress firmly into the rings rather than letting your chest hang passively between your arms.

Safety

The straight-arm position places substantial stress on the shoulders and biceps tendons, especially during an uncontrolled descent. Losing your grip while inverted can cause a head or neck injury.

  • Check the ring anchors, straps, and buckles before loading them.
  • Set the rings so your feet can reach the floor from an upright hang, with a landing mat underneath.
  • Build comfortable shoulder-extension tolerance and a controlled tuck back lever before attempting this version.
  • Leave enough strength to reverse the entry; stop immediately if you feel shoulder or elbow pain.

Choose a supported tuck variation or get advice from a physiotherapist first if you have shoulder instability or a history of shoulder, elbow, or biceps tendon injury.

Muscles worked

Front
Back

Primary muscles

  • Chest
  • Front Delts

Secondary muscles

  • Lats
  • Rotator Cuff

Equipment

  • Gymnastics Rings

Sets and reps

Sets
3–4
Target
5–10 seconds
Rest
2 min

Start with brief holds rather than testing your maximum hold time.

Variations

Easier

Harder