Front Lever Raise

Instructions

1. Grip a pull-up bar with an overhand grip at approximately shoulder width.
2. Hang from the bar with arms fully extended and body in a vertical dead-hang position.
3. Depress your scapulae (pull shoulders down and away from ears) to engage your lats and upper back.
4. Keeping your arms straight, initiate the movement by driving your hips up and forward.
5. Engage your core aggressively and pull with your lats to raise your body toward the horizontal plane.
6. Continue raising until your body is fully horizontal — parallel to the ground, face pointing up, arms straight.
7. Pause briefly at the top position, maintaining full-body tension.
8. Lower yourself with control back to the dead-hang starting position to complete one repetition.

Tips

• This is a dynamic, strength-demanding movement distinct from a static front lever hold — the raising portion builds explosive pulling power.
• Keep your arms completely straight throughout; any bend shifts the demand from lats to biceps and reduces training specificity.
• A strong hollow-body position (ribs down, glutes squeezed, core braced) is essential to prevent the hips from sagging during the raise.
• Progress through regression positions — tuck, advanced tuck, straddle — before attempting the full straight-body raise.
• The front lever raise requires considerably more strength than the static hold; ensure you can comfortably hold a static front lever for several seconds before attempting the raise.
• Pairing this movement with scapular pull-ups, straight-arm lat pulldowns, and dragon flag progressions will accelerate strength development.