Front Lever Raise — how to, muscles worked, alternatives

How to do the Front Lever Raise

Hang from the bar with an overhand grip, arms straight.
Extend your arms fully and keep your body straight from shoulders to ankles.
Keeping your elbows straight, raise your whole body until it is horizontal.
Slowly return to the starting position with straight arms, controlling the movement.

Full technique — 7 steps

Start from a full hang with your elbows fully extended and an overhand grip on the bar.
Set your shoulders down and back while keeping your body straight from shoulders to ankles.
Keep your elbows straight throughout so only your shoulders move.
Tighten your stomach and glutes hard to keep the hips from sagging or piking.
Pull your straight arms down toward your hips so your whole body rises as one unit.
Rise until your body is at least horizontal, facing the ceiling.
Lower your straight body under control until you return to a full hang.

Common mistakes

Hips dropping below lever line
Piking at the hips
Kipping into each rep
Shrugging shoulders toward ears
Bending the elbows to pull

Form cues

Keep hips level
Keep elbows straight
Keep knees straight
Keep shoulders down
Move as one piece

Compared with similar variants

	Front Lever Raise	Barbell Bent Over Row	Single Arm Dumbbell Row	Seated Machine Row
Level	Expert	Intermediate	Beginner	Beginner
Technique to learn	hard	moderate	moderate	easy
How tiring	high	high	moderate	moderate
Shoulder	high	low	low	low
Elbow	moderate	low	low	low
Equipment	Pull-up bar	Barbell	Dumbbells, Flat bench	Seated row machine

An estimate from our exercise ratings, not medical advice. How we rate exercises

Substitutes by equipment

Same muscles, same movement — pick the version you have the gear for.

Where to start and where to go next

Same muscles, same movement. Too hard for now — step down; once it gets easy — step up.

Easier Suspension Trainer Row 50% of bodyweight
Easier Single Arm Dumbbell Row Beginner
This exercise Front Lever Raise 140% of bodyweight

Too hard for now? Start with the Single Arm Dumbbell Row.

Quick answers

What muscles does the Front Lever Raise work?

Primary: Lats 10/10, Upper back 8/10. Also works: Biceps 6/10, Abs 7/10, Glutes 5/10.

Which joints does the Front Lever Raise load?

Shoulder: high, Elbow: moderate, Hip: low, Wrist: low. Shoulder — lighter options: Barbell Bent Over Row, Single Arm Dumbbell Row, Seated Machine Row.

When should I do the Front Lever Raise in a workout?

Second big lift. Goes after the main lift, while there is still energy for heavy work. ≈ 13 min with rest.

How many sets and reps of the Front Lever Raise?

Strength: 4–5 sets of 1–5 reps, rest 3 min, 1–2 reps in reserve. Muscle growth: 3–4 sets of 5–8 reps, rest 2 min, 2–3 reps in reserve.

What can I do instead of the Front Lever Raise?

Machine: Seated Machine Row, Seated Cable Row (Close Grip). Dumbbells: Bilateral Dumbbell Row, Renegade Row. Kettlebell: Kettlebell Row. Barbell: Barbell Underhand Row, Meadows Row.