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Dynamic strength

Front Lever Pull-Up

Start in a front lever, bend your arms to bring the bar towards your body while the body stays level, and return to straight arms. The sources do not agree on exactly where the bar meets the body.

Three positions of one repetition; the hands stay on the bar and the body stays level. The top position follows the rulebook, where the pelvis comes up to the level of the hands. Other sources say the chest touches the bar, so the exact point is not settled. No source gives angles: the figure is this page's model.
Difficulty
Expert
editorial estimate
Steps to it
4 steps
Advanced → Expert
Usually done on
Pull-up bar, Rings
Start with the first stepHow it is done

Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach. 7 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

Front Lever Pull-Up

Leads towards

No movement in the Atlas builds directly on this one yet.

01

What it is

A front lever pull-up starts from a front lever: the body straight and level under the bar, facing up. The arms bend and pull the body towards the bar, and the body stays level. Then the arms straighten again. The CaliContest rulebook writes it as a pull that brings the pelvis to the level of the hands, then a return to extended arms, always with the body line parallel to the ground; losing the body line at any moment is not allowed.14

The sources disagree on where the bar meets the body. CaliContest says the pelvis comes to the level of the hands. CalisthenAI says the chest should touch the bar, and Liftosaur says to pull the chest up towards the bar. Wikipedia gives a different test: a valid repetition needs the elbows to get under the line of the shoulders. This page does not pick one.1456

The name is used for several movements. CaliContest keeps 'pull-up' for bending the arms, and uses 'pulls' for going from the lever to vertical, and 'raise' for the way back, both with straight arms. Wikipedia uses 'pulls' for a hang pulled up until the feet reach the bar, and Steven Low's chart has a ladder called 'FL Rows', from the tuck front lever to the full lever, and does not describe the movement. The Front Lever page's 'front lever pulls' variation is the straight-arm one, not this movement.147

Competition rulebooks name the movement: SWA lists it as an example of a strength dynamic, and the WSWCF point list names a front lever pull-up and wide, side-to-side, straddle and one-arm versions without describing them. The coaching sources are thin: one unauthored one-person site, one unauthored database and an encyclopaedia article. None is a study, none gives an angle, and none has a safety text; CalisthenAI suggests 3-4 sets of 3-6 repetitions with 3 minutes of rest, which this page does not repeat.235

Keep the body line level from start to finish; only the arms bend.

02

How it is done

  1. Start in a front lever

    Start with the arms extended, the body supine and parallel to the ground, and the shoulders, pelvis, knees and feet on one line. CaliContest describes the lever with the shoulders depressed and slightly back and the legs extended; Liftosaur starts the full movement from a solid full front lever.16

    CueKeep the body line parallel to the ground.1

  2. Pull with the arms, body level

    Bend the elbows and bring the body towards the bar. Liftosaur drives the elbows down and back, holds the line from head to toe and does not let the hips pike or sag. Its tuck page adds retracting the shoulder blades, not only bending the arms.46

    CueDrive the elbows down and back.6

  3. Bring the bar to the body

    At the top the bar is at the body. CaliContest asks for the pelvis at the level of the hands; CalisthenAI says the chest touches the bar; Wikipedia asks for the elbows under the line of the shoulders. The body is still level.145

  4. Return to straight arms

    Lower back to the lever. CaliContest asks for a return to extended arms with the body line kept; Liftosaur lowers under control over two to three seconds and keeps the hips and legs from dropping below level.16

03

Progressions

These steps let you record the version you do now. They are not compulsory unlocks or a repetition programme.

What to have first

  • A front lever, or a shorter version of it

    The movement starts in a front lever. Liftosaur says to attempt the full version only from a solid full front lever, and its tuck page starts from the tuck. Wikipedia says the pull-up can be done in whichever lever stage you have. The Front Lever page lists its own stages and sources.46

  • Where the chart starts

    Steven Low's FL Rows ladder begins at the tuck front lever. The chart gives names only, and the book was not read.7

  1. Step 1Advanced

    Tuck front lever pull-up

    The same pull from a tuck front lever. Wikipedia says pull-ups can be done in the lever position of your choice at any stage of learning the skill. The Liftosaur page for the tuck version starts with the knees pulled to the chest and the hips lifted until the torso is level.

    Technical note: The picture shows the tuck with the body level; no source gives a holding time or a repetition count.146

  2. Step 2Advanced

    Advanced tuck front lever pull-up

    CaliContest describes the advanced tuck with the hips flexed to 90 degrees between the front of the thighs and the line through shoulders and hips, and the knees bent less than 90 degrees. Steven Low's FL Rows ladder lists an advanced tuck step.

    Technical note: The ladders are one author's order; they are not a rule that you must pass through every step.17

  3. Step 3Expert

    One-leg front lever pull-up

    One leg extended and the other bent. CaliContest describes the one-leg shape as the bent knee close to the ribcage with the thigh against the abdomen, and the advanced one-leg shape with the foot beside the extended knee. It scores them as shapes of the lever.

    Technical note: This picture uses the one-leg shape of the Front Lever page; the rulebook names a second, advanced one-leg shape that is not drawn.1

  4. Step 4ExpertGoal

    Front lever pull-up

    From a full front lever, bend the arms to bring the bar to the body with the body line level, and return to straight arms.

    Technical note: Full describes the movement, not a number of repetitions; CalisthenAI's repetition suggestion is not repeated here.146

04

Community

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05

Common mistakes

  • Losing the body line

    The CaliContest definition does not allow losing the body line at any moment of the movement.1

  • Hips piking or sagging

    Liftosaur says to hold a straight line from head to heels, with no piking or sagging at the hips, and not to let the hips or legs drop below level on the way down.6

  • Letting the body rise towards vertical

    Wikipedia says the body is kept horizontal while the pull-up is done, and Liftosaur says to keep it horizontal throughout, calling the movement a row, not a pull-up.46

  • Stopping short

    Wikipedia says a valid repetition needs the elbows under the line of the shoulders, and CaliContest's general pull-up needs the pelvis at the height of the grip for a full score. Neither says what to do about it in training.14

  • Only bending the arms

    The tuck page of Liftosaur says to retract the shoulder blades to load the lats instead of just bending the arms.6

06

Variations and related skills

  • Straddle front lever pull-up

    Stance

    The legs are apart. CaliContest lists the straddle as one of the lever shapes, and the WSWCF point list has a straddle front lever pull-up. The side view cannot show it, so this page does not draw it.12

  • Lowering only

    Range

    CaliContest lets a competitor show only the lowering part and scores it at half the value, asking for at least six seconds at a constant speed and a one-second hold at the end. That is a scoring rule of one circuit, not a training recommendation.1

  • On rings

    Equipment

    CaliContest's examples of front lever pulls (the straight-arm movement) are on a high bar, on parallel bars and on rings; it gives no example for the pull-up. This page draws a bar.1

  • Wide grip

    Grip

    The WSWCF point list names a wide front lever pull-up and gives it a higher value than the plain one. It describes neither.2

  • One-arm and side-to-side versions

    The WSWCF point list names a one-arm and a side-to-side front lever pull-up. It describes neither, and this page does not.2

Related skillsMuscle-UpBack Lever

On Calisthenics Balkan

07

Sources

7 sources

What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.

The small numbers in the text point to the entries below

  1. Regolamento CaliContest 2025-2026CaliContest (Italian calisthenics competition circuit) · PDF, 32 pages, in Italian; re-read 19 Oct 2026; pages 12 and 22 define the pull-up, pulls and raise and the front lever movements, page 11 describes the leg shapes; a scoring rulebook, not a teaching text (research S-0083)
  2. Freestyle Elements Code of Points (WSWCF), sheet 'CE26-Szarka'World Street Workout & Calisthenics Federation · spreadsheet; re-read 19 Oct 2026; lists the names of the pull-up movements in the lever with point values and describes none of them (research S-0092)
  3. Calisthenics Championships 2025: Freestyle Calisthenics Regulations V.2.0Calisthenics & Street Workout Association Austria (SWA) · PDF, 29 pages; re-read 19 Oct 2026; section 6.3.4 (page 21) lists the front and back lever pull-up as an example of a strength dynamic and defines nothing (research S-0082)
  4. Front leverWikipedia · article written by volunteers; read 19 Oct 2026; two sentences on pull-ups in the lever and the list of stages; its references were not used as technique sources; it has no safety text (research S-0238)
  5. Front Lever Pull-upsCalisthenAI exercise page · a bodyweight training site built by one person, no author named; read 19 Oct 2026; short steps and a repetition and rest suggestion (3-4 sets of 3-6 repetitions, 3 minutes), no mistakes or safety text (research S-0239)
  6. Bodyweight Front Lever Row and Bodyweight Tuck Front Lever RowLiftosaur exercise database · no author or date; read 19 Oct 2026 (both pages); short steps and key points; it calls the movement a row (research S-0240)
  7. Overcoming Gravity 2nd Edition: progression charts (public spreadsheet)Steven Low · read 19 Oct 2026; the cells of the 'FL Rows' ladder (book page 410) only, no technique text; the book was not read (research S-0093)

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