Static strength
Back Lever
Hang from a bar, turn the body over backwards and hold it in one straight, horizontal line facing the floor, on straight arms. The back lever is a hold built on strong shoulders, a firm trunk and slow progress.
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- editorial estimate
- Steps to it
- 4 steps
- Intermediate → Advanced
- Usually done on
- Pull-up bar, Rings
Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach. 3 sources
The road at a glance
A short overview with links. Every step is explained in full under Progressions.
Helps to have first
This skill
Back Lever
Leads towards
No movement in the Atlas builds directly on this one yet.
01
What it is
In a back lever you hang from a bar or rings on straight arms with the body horizontal and facing the floor, in one straight line from the shoulders to the feet. You get into it from an inverted hang, by lowering the body backwards, and hold it without swinging.
Compared with the front lever the body turns the other way: the shoulders end up fully extended (the arms behind the line of the body) and the chest faces down. The work is done by the back, the trunk, the shoulders and the arms; the forearms and the glutes help hold the line. The longer the body is from the shoulders, the harder the hold.
In gymnastics competition the back lever ("hanging scale rearways") is a rings element that has to be held still for at least 2 seconds, on straight arms. A hold more than 45 degrees away from the correct position is not recognised, and a bent-wrist "false grip" used for advantage is penalised.
The back lever asks the shoulder for a wide, loaded range, so how far you go matters as much as how long you hold. Lengthen the body one step at a time, and stay on a step until it feels controlled.
History and origin
The origin of the back lever is not documented in the sources we read, so we do not name a first person or a year. One coaching article calls it a lower-level rings exercise in gymnastics, and a street-workout article counts it with the front lever and the planche among the basic lever skills. The one official source we read, the gymnastics Code of Points, lists it among the hold elements on rings.
02
How it is done
- 1
Start from a hang
Hang from the bar with an overhand grip and straight arms. Tuck the knees up and roll over into an inverted hang, with the hips above the shoulders (this is the skin the cat). The shoulders go through a wide range here, so go slowly.
- 2
Open the shoulders
Lower the body backwards, pushing the shoulders forward and down and letting them open fully, so the arms stay straight and the shoulders are stable rather than hanging in the joint.
- 3
Lower to horizontal
Lower slowly until the back is about parallel to the floor. Lowering is easier than reaching the position from below, so do not rush the way back up.
- 4
Make one line
Tighten the abdominals and the glutes and keep the legs extended behind you so the body does not bow or sag. If the body bows, hollow it by tightening the abdominals.
- 5
Come out under control
Return to the inverted hang and down under control. Do not drop out of the position, and breathe evenly while you hold.
03
Progressions
These are common steps, not the only road, and the written sources for this movement are few: one coaching article and a brand blog. Coaches use different orders, and it can take months. Move on when a step feels controlled and the line holds, not when you hit a number.
What to have first
Pulling strength and hanging
The back lever does not need a big pull-up number, but sources ask for a solid base of hanging and trunk work first: a coaching blog names a hang of about half a minute and some repetitions of knee raises and skin the cat. Any such number is a rough guide. See the pull-up page.
Shoulders that can open under load
The position takes the shoulder to the end of its range with your weight on it. If you have had a shoulder injury or you feel pain or pinching when you reach your arms back or hang from them, ask a qualified person first.
Trunk strength and a way to learn the roll
The skin the cat is the entry. A coach advises a spotter when learning it and slow, relaxed lowering. Warm up first and work on shoulder and hamstring flexibility.
- 1
Step 1·Intermediate
Tuck back lever
From the inverted hang, lower the body with the knees pulled in towards the chest, the back rounded and roughly horizontal and the arms straight. The short lever makes the position much lighter. The skin the cat is the usual preparation, and a resistance band can take some of the load.
Technical note: Straight arms and open shoulders. Keep the knees tucked until the hold is steady.
- 2
Step 2·Advanced
Advanced tuck
Straighten the back so it is flat and let the hips open, with the thighs about square to the back and the shins parallel to it. Straightening the back lengthens the lever.
Technical note: A flat back and an even body line. If the hips sag or the back arches, go back to the tuck.
- 3
Step 3·Advanced
One leg extended
One leg is stretched out behind you in line with the body and the other stays tucked. Coaches also use versions with the legs apart (a straddle) or with the knees bent at this stage, which shorten the lever in other ways.
Technical note: The extended leg is in line with the back; do not let the hips fold or the lower back arch.
- 4
Step 4·AdvancedGoal
Full back lever
The body is straight and horizontal, facing the floor, on straight arms with the shoulders open, on a bar or rings. In competition the position must be held still for at least 2 seconds.
Technical note: One line from the shoulders to the feet, arms straight, abdominals and glutes tight, no swing.
04
Community
No one is publicly working on this movement. Add it to your profile and be the first.
Tips from the community
Tips are personal experience, not medical advice or a training plan.
There are no tips for this movement yet.
05
Common mistakes
Bent arms
Bent elbows put the strain on the biceps and the elbows, and in competition they are penalised. The arms stay straight at every step.
Arching the lower back
A sagging, arched back puts stress on the lower spine. Tighten the abdominals and the glutes to keep the body in one line.
Closing the shoulders
Shoulders that are not opened and pushed forward and down make the position less stable and raise the risk of injury.
A slack body
A loose, sagging body gives no lever to work against and hides what is going wrong. Keep everything tight, legs extended behind you.
Holding your breath or losing track of the position
Irregular breathing is one of the listed mistakes, and so is losing awareness of where the body is while upside down. A partner or a video helps.
Rushing the roll
Dropping through the skin the cat instead of lowering slowly loads the shoulders suddenly. Lower slowly and use a spotter while you learn it.
06
Variations and related skills
Straddle back lever
Stance
The legs are apart, which shortens the lever. A common step between the tuck and the full lever.
Bent-leg back lever
Stance
The knees are bent with the thighs in line with the body, a shorter lever than the full position.
On rings
Equipment
The same hold on rings, which move, so the shoulders have to work harder to keep them still. This is the version used in competition.
The opposite hold: the body horizontal and facing up, with the shoulders held down and back.
The pulling base for hanging from a bar.
Related skillsIron CrossMuscle-Up
On Calisthenics Balkan
- Read about Static strength in LearnThe movement family this skill belongs to, and how it fits into calisthenics.
- Athletes with Back Lever on their profileSkill labels on profiles are set by the athletes themselves and are not verified.
- All movements in the AtlasCalisthenics movements, one at a time: what they are, how they are done and the steps that lead to them.
07
Sources
What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.
The small numbers in the text point to the entries below.
- 1Men's Artistic Gymnastics Code of Points 2025-2028FIG (International Gymnastics Federation); rings element "hanging scale rearways" and the general hold rules; competition rules only, no teaching
- 2How to Build Up to the Back LeverLogan Christopher, Breaking Muscle (coaching article, updated 2021)
- 3How to master the Back Lever?Eric Flag (a street-workout clothing brand; blog article, lowest reliability, used only to corroborate)
A note on safety. This page describes the movement in general. It is not a training plan and not medical advice. The back lever takes the shoulder to the end of its range under your body weight, and we found no research on its injury risks: the sources we read give only general warnings (bent arms strain the biceps and elbows, an arched back stresses the lower spine, closed shoulders raise the risk). Warm up, use a spotter while you learn the skin the cat, stop if you feel sharp pain, numbness or a pinching feeling in a shoulder, elbow or the lower back, and ask a qualified coach.
Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach.
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