Back Lever Tutorial and Progression on Gymnastic Rings

[@thorstenkoch194]

Thanks for your knowledge concerning hand position.

[@andresosorio6238]

Thank you Negan

[@WorkoutUnionPT]

Great tutorial and well explained!

[@gmbfit]

Thanks!

[@GodisgudAQW]

Just got my first back lever!!!!

[@gmbfit]

hell yeah! congrats :)

[@erikhakansson1585]

The back lever is so easy to cheat om, either by having your triceps on your Lats, arching your lower back, and/or really rounding your upper back and closing your Chest. While the front lever is harder for the muscles ; its much easier to grasp than the back lever, especially if you want a clean and injury free Journey towards the BL.

[@parkour15awesome]

Do you have recommendations for sets/ duration you should be able to do at each level before moving on? Also, would incorporating concentric versions be helpful?

[@gmbfit]

That depends on the rest of your routine. No single exercise exists outside of the other stressors you're putting on your body. Concentric and eccentrics are fine, but the leverage builds so quickly on this that they're less useful than just contracting and extending the legs.

[@parkour15awesome]

@@gmbfit that is an understandable point. I mostly just worry that I would build muscular and neurological capacity prior to the tendons being strong enough to take the load. I have some connective tissue issues, but am very strong so that's a thing I have to worry about. I guess I will just play it safe and go for high numbers of easier versions

[@gmbfit]

@@parkour15awesome That's really the safest approach. We favor a well-rounded set of movements rather then centering your training around a couple of highly intensive moves.

[@larskessler8499]

I am someone who is tall and prone to injury, so I am worried about the stress on the elbows during back lever practice, which is why I want to move one step at a time. I do have the mobility for German Hangs and Back Levers, but I do not want to rush it too quickly. Would you say it's advisable to spend some time with German Hangs before moving to Back Levers? And for both German Hangs and Back Levers, how much time do you think should be spent training one progression before advancing to the next one?

[@gmbfit]

There will be different opinions across the board, but I'd suggest progressing from german hands into the skin the cat and really nailing control through your shoulders with both of these movements (moving slowly and intentionally) and then start working through some of these more advanced lever progressions. Time spent is going to be different from person to person. We put together a really nifty article here: gmb.io/workout-autoregulation/ If you scroll down you'll see a quality and ease chart which I think will shed some light on when to progress. Before you move forward, you'll want to aim for the movement to be "solid" and "smooth".

[@TereseElizabeth-wb9mb]

Hi, just curious why shouldn't you pike your legs when you're doing the slow negative?

[@gmbfit]

If you pike it wouldn't be a back lever. Just a Skin the Cat.

[@andykilian1221]

In the end position of the skin-the-cat my neck gets pulled a bit forward and the shoulders get a bit protracted at the same time. You can see that also at 1:10 in this video. If I try to extend the neck and open up the shoulders in this endposition I feel an intense stretch in the upper-pectorals. Is this extending of the neck / opening up the shoulders in the endposition what we're looking for? Hope this question makes sense to you!

[@gmbfit]

It does make sense and if you have never worked on performing the skin the cat you might want to try lowering the rings and easing into the bottom position. Here is an article you might find useful: gmb.io/german-hang/

[@kineforce5132]

it is especially hard on the biceps tendon, is there a way to condition it ?

[@gmbfit]

And that's why you don't *start* ring training with levers :) Here's how to strengthen tendons, generally: gmb.io/tendon-strength/

[@kineforce5132]

@@gmbfit Very interesting article, I am not a beginner though, maybe I should do more skin the cat and german holds.

[@thegnjdk]

How many skin the cat reps is considered to be a strong enough base to start back lever training? For how many seconds would you regiment, that you should hold a certain progression before moving on towards the next one? :-)

[@gmbfit]

That depends on lots of other factors like your background, overall strength, and the other movements in your program, as well as training frequency, etc. There's no simple answer. Lots of people will pretend they can give you one, but it's just guesswork. Click the link in the description to see more about how we program this and some of the things you should be considering when deciding about reps, timing, etc. We lay out a lot of info there.

[@mr.potatohead6138]

What are the benefits? Shoulder mobility?

[@gmbfit]

The linked article goes into more detail, but shoulder/core (and even leg) strength and joint integrity are key. Also build control for more difficult exercises on rings.

[@joepeglegmorgan3015]

Hi,a question. Is German hang a prerequasite and preparation excercise for back lever training?Do you have to do skin the cat before German hang or can You start with German hangs imidiatly?(maybe 3 sets od German hang)And 1 more question.Whic grip is better to use(for rings and bar) Supinated or Pronated for tendons strenghtening?can You answer and give me an advice?thank you ,take care.

[@gmbfit]

Not a strict pre-req, but you really should be able to do those very well before doing levers. Try both grips - both have advantages, and the right answer depends on you.

[@joepeglegmorgan3015]

@@gmbfit Tnx,cause i can do Tuck BL for 10 +seconds but my elbows hurt after. I dont want develop tendonitis. Should i scale back to GH for couple of weeks and build more time with GH to conndition my elbows more?

[@strahinja95]

How to breathe? I get pain in the left scapula, and after that when i breathe through the somach i feel less pain, and when i breathe through the chest i feel it. My scapula is depressed and protracted

[@gmbfit]

If breathing causes pain, you're doing something very wrong.

[@neemmol7734]

Holy shit. I tried the last exercise cuz I was confident on my strength then suddenly I felt my left Bicep tearing? Dang it hurts

[@gmbfit]

please, please be careful

[@3DHDcat]

You are weak

[@sashacooper9326]

Is this intentionally unlisted?

[@sashacooper9326]

(Great video as always - it just seems odd to have it unlisted but linked from the listed front lever tutorial :)

[@vexedev]

@@sashacooper9326 My thoughts too..

[@gmbfit]

Yup! We're gonna open it up soon though :)

[@boyetsantos8096]

Ok, just wait Sir, i don’t have the facilities maybe later.. thank you very much.. back to you later..