Also known as: rear lever, rear lever hold, skin the cat progression, ring rear lever

What is Back Lever?

The Back Lever is an insane-level calisthenics hold where you rotate and extend your body horizontal beneath a bar or rings, holding a straight, hollow line. It primarily targets the lats, back, core, shoulders and triceps and requires advanced scapular control and posterior chain strength.

How to Do Back Lever

  1. Secure overhand grip: Grab the bar or rings with a shoulder-width overhand grip and hang tall, shoulders engaged and scapula depressed to protect the shoulders.
  2. Tuck and rotate: Drive knees to chest and pull smoothly through a skin-the-cat motion until hips clear the bar, keeping shoulders active and controlled.
  3. Straighten body: Slowly extend legs and push hips back until your body forms a straight horizontal line, maintaining a hollow core and glute contraction.
  4. Control the descent: Lower into the horizontal one inch at a time, pitching chest forward while avoiding shoulder sinking or arching; breathe steadily throughout.
  5. Hold and breathe: Grip tight, retract scapulae slightly and hold the horizontal position for desired seconds, focusing on steady breathing and full-body tension.
  6. Exit safely: Tuck knees, roll back through the bar into a safe hang or skin-the-cat, then lower to the ground under control to avoid shoulder strain.

Muscle Groups

Back, Triceps, Chest, Core, Shoulders, Trapezius, Forearm, Latissimus

Description

Grab the bar with an overhand grip. Jump into a ball pulling yourself in a skin-the-cat (hanging using the rings and rotating the entire body through) manner.
As a starting position, get your legs over to the other side of the bar.

Straighten the whole body so that you are hanging almost completely upside down with your legs above the bar and your torso below.

Now start to lower yourself carefully one inch at a time while pitching your chest forward. The key point is to get your body parallel to the floor with your hips directly under the bar.

Remember to contract your lower back, abs, glutes, and hamstrings while performing this move. Your arms make only one small part of the equation.
Movement Group: Pull
Equipment: None (bodyweight only)

Progressions and Regressions

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of the Back Lever?

The Back Lever builds posterior chain and upper-body pulling strength, improves scapular control, core stability, and shoulder mobility. It transfers to gymnastics and calisthenics skills, enhances tendon resilience, and develops straight-body tension useful for holds and dynamic movements.

What common mistakes should I avoid with the Back Lever?

Common mistakes include arching the lower back, letting shoulders collapse, relying on arm strength instead of scapular depression, and progressing too quickly. Fixes: maintain hollow body, engage glutes and lats, lower slowly, and use progressions like tuck variations to build strength safely.

How do I progress to a full Back Lever or what are alternatives?

Progress from skin-the-cat and German hang to tuck, advanced-tuck, and one-leg back lever holds. Use ring or bar-assisted negatives and isometrics. Alternatives include rear-lever holds on rings, reverse planks, and weighted pull variations to build similar posterior chain strength.