Tuck Front Lever

How to perform it

1. 1Preparation and positioning. Grip the bar pronated at roughly shoulder-width, thumbs wrapped. From a calm hang, bring the knees to the chest and curl the pelvis; then activate the shoulder girdle and raise the hips to the horizontal target height.
2. 2Starting position. Arms fully extended, shoulders and hips roughly on a horizontal line. Knees tucked tight to the chest; the back is rounded to whatever degree the tuck requires, but that's not the same as an uncontrolled shoulder collapse.
3. 3Concentric phase. There's no rep phase — on entry, rotate/raise the body into position without momentum. Actively "close" the shoulder angle rather than shortening the lever by bending the elbows.
4. 4End position / lockout. A stable tuck shape, elbows fully extended, hips neither clearly above nor below shoulder height. Neck neutral; gaze angled up without throwing the head back.
5. 5Eccentric phase. After the hold, let the knees come back to the chest under control and rotate back to a hang — don't drop out of horizontal.
6. 6Breathing and bracing. Short, calm breaths against continuous full-body tension. No prolonged breath-holding, especially with cardiovascular limitations.
7. 7Valid rep. A valid hold has both elbows extended, the shoulder-hip line within your pre-defined tolerance, no swing, no clear loss of height, and no change in the tuck's lever length.

Common mistakes

• Bent elbows

  Fix: Keep the elbows long; press the bar toward your hips.

• Hips too low

  Fix: Shorten the lever (tighter tuck) and use a video angle to check.

• Swinging into the hold

  Fix: Raise into it slowly and stabilize before timing the hold.

• Fully blocking your breath

  Fix: Take short, controlled breaths instead of holding it.

Safety

• Teens 14–17: hang, fall, and straight-arm load — needs qualified supervision.
• Older adults: weigh benefit vs. risk individually — a basic pull is usually more accessible.
• Shoulder and elbow/wrist: high isometric load while the arm is raised — only pain-free, cleared cases.
• Balance: elevated hang and dismount — use a safe zone or coach.
• Cardiovascular concerns: isometric holds and breath-holding — use cleared short holds and keep breathing.
• Reduced bone density: excluded by default — fall risk and straight-arm peak load need specific clearance.

Progressions & alternatives

• regressionPull-up— A general pulling base, not the identical skill, if the straight-arm position isn't controllable yet.
• progressionFull Front Lever— The longest lever — go through intermediate steps, don't jump straight there.
• alternativeBand-assisted Tuck Front Lever— A lighter, band-assisted version of this same hold if 8 seconds clean isn't reachable yet — not yet its own catalog entry.
• prerequisiteWeighted Pull-up— Adds relative pulling strength while the skill angle is trained separately.