Exercise guide · Advanced · Compound

Front Lever Reps: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The front lever is an advanced calisthenics exercise that targets the upper back, core, and shoulders. It requires significant strength, body control, and coordination to maintain a horizontal position while hanging from a bar.

Primary muscles
Traps
Secondary muscles
Obliques , Shoulders , Abs
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Advanced · Compound
Demonstration of the front lever reps
Front view: muscles worked by the front lever reps. Primary: traps. Secondary: obliques, shoulders and abs.
Back view: muscles worked by the front lever reps. Primary: traps. Secondary: obliques, shoulders and abs.
Primary Secondary

How to do the front lever reps

  1. Step 1: Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, palms facing away from you.
  2. Step 2: Engage your core and pull your shoulder blades down and back.
  3. Step 3: Keeping your body straight, lift your legs up until they are parallel to the ground.
  4. Step 4: Hold this position for as long as you can, aiming for 10-20 seconds.
  5. Step 5: Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
  6. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the front lever reps by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Front Lever Reps alternatives

More exercises that train the traps as their main target:

More traps exercises

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.