Is this exercise impossible to do?

[Guttairc]

I was in hospital a few years ago, and in the room I didn't get to train, I've been training consistent strength for 24 years. So, it was a bit of a shame not to be able to do more than push-ups, but then you lose strength. Doesn't really matter if it's only a few weeks, that wasn't the point. But I had some time before that again, trained a lot of bodyweight-exercises, and I had trained Front-lever and back-lever, which I almost mastered before I gave up. I figured out that you could do it on the floor, instead of on the bar, so I tried. Hanging from a pole is one thing, but on the floor, it just felt impossible. Do you think this can replace weights for good, you would train all your life and still not manage. Added a picture:

 

[timewerx]

It seems way more complicated from the floor. You'll need something to hold your head or feet that can slide or swivel. It's difficult/impossible to balance from that position and it seems there is no way to "ease" yourself into that exercise.

One possible solution is make a rope that will hold your feet above the floor and anchor that rope from the ceiling. The rope will allow your feet to move forward and back as you lift yourself from the floor. You could probably progress from smaller to highest forces by moving the rope across the length of your legs. Not sure that will work

But I still think the bar or gymnastic rope method is way better because it allows you to do easier postures living having both legs or one leg tucked in until your strength catches up and able to do the full lever.

I'm assuming you did progression training before attempting full lever because if you didn't, it's like doing your very first strength training and immediately going for 200 kilos when the smart thing to do is start with 5 kilos and work yourself up in weight progressively over a period of time. You can even use dumbbells at first to mimic muscle recruitment of lever, progressively increasing weight until you're strong enough to do a partial lever with both legs tucked in and doing progression by increasing extension of legs week after week until you're able to do with legs fully extended.

 

[Guttairc]

It seems way more complicated from the floor. You'll need something to hold your head or feet that can slide or swivel. It's difficult/impossible to balance from that position and it seems there is no way to "ease" yourself into that exercise.

One possible solution is make a rope that will hold your feet above the floor and anchor that rope from the ceiling. The rope will allow your feet to move forward and back as you lift yourself from the floor. You could probably progress from smaller to highest forces by moving the rope across the length of your legs. Not sure that will work

But I still think the bar or gymnastic rope method is way better because it allows you to do easier postures living having both legs or one leg tucked in until your strength catches up and able to do the full lever.

I'm assuming you did progression training before attempting full lever because if you didn't, it's like doing your very first strength training and immediately going for 200 kilos when the smart thing to do is start with 5 kilos and work yourself up in weight progressively over a period of time. You can even use dumbbells at first to mimic muscle recruitment of lever, progressively increasing weight until you're strong enough to do a partial lever with both legs tucked in and doing progression by increasing extension of legs week after week until you're able to do with legs fully extended.

So you think it`s possible to do the exercise? I have my doubts, really ... Good thinking with the rope, maybe I give it a try. Yes, you`re right, no way to ease into the exercise, you have to recruit all muscle-fibers from the floor up slowly, I can`t really see how I can do it, even in years

 

[linux.poet]

The front lever looks highly possible to me if you were going at it from a low fence post like what I did when I was training seated risers in order to do pull ups. The amount of ab strength needed looks excruciating to hold your legs at that position though. You would need to build up to that using leg raises and hanging leg raises in order to approach that kind of strength. (If I were in the hospital, leg raises are highly possible lying down, so that would be worth a shot.)

The photo doesn't look right, though. If you're hanging from the bar, your arms will be straight down - he had to swing backwards to get that shot. Same for the back lever.

The back lever I'm not sure is even possible from the floor, or even possible at all. I don't think the human back muscles bend that way and hold well. If it is possible you would build up to it using bridging exercises to strengthen the back and handstand pullups to strengthen the shoulder. Anything that builds up shoulder muscles would be essential - maybe some dumbbell lifts from your shoulder would build the strength to hold the upper body horizontal.

 

[timewerx]

So you think it`s possible to do the exercise? I have my doubts, really ... Good thinking with the rope, maybe I give it a try. Yes, you`re right, no way to ease into the exercise, you have to recruit all muscle-fibers from the floor up slowly, I can`t really see how I can do it, even in years

I think you can ease into the exercise first with heavy dumbbells while laying down in a benchpress bench to be able to duplicate arm range of motion as the lever and then with partial levers with both legs tucked in using pull up bar and then one leg, and finally full lever.

Finally, don't worry about it too much. Body weight exercise is just trending atm but isn't the best workout in every situation. If you need progression, you may still need to use weights.

 

[Guttairc]

The front lever looks highly possible to me if you were going at it from a low fence post like what I did when I was training seated risers in order to do pull ups. The amount of ab strength needed looks excruciating to hold your legs at that position though. You would need to build up to that using leg raises and hanging leg raises in order to approach that kind of strength. (If I were in the hospital, leg raises are highly possible lying down, so that would be worth a shot.)

The photo doesn't look right, though. If you're hanging from the bar, your arms will be straight down - he had to swing backwards to get that shot. Same for the back lever.

The back lever I'm not sure is even possible from the floor, or even possible at all. I don't think the human back muscles bend that way and hold well. If it is possible you would build up to it using bridging exercises to strengthen the back and handstand pullups to strengthen the shoulder. Anything that builds up shoulder muscles would be essential - maybe some dumbbell lifts from your shoulder would build the strength to hold the upper body horizontal.

Yeah, I could try doing it, but it`ll take probably five years just to fail at it. If you lied face down on a bench, maybe you can hold 5 kg in each hand like that. So to lift your whole body like that, 70 kg, would take like 5000 % increase in strength. Someone suggsted using rope in the beginning for legs

 

[linux.poet]

I think you can ease into the exercise first with heavy dumbbells while laying down in a benchpress bench to be able to duplicate arm range of motion as the lever and then with partial levers with both legs tucked in using pull up bar and then one leg, and finally full lever.

Yeah, I could try doing it, but it`ll take probably five years just to fail at it. If you lied face down on a bench, maybe you can hold 5 kg in each hand like that. So to lift your whole body like that, 70 kg, would take like 5000 % increase in strength. Someone suggsted using rope in the beginning for legs

I agree this would probably be the best method, I’ve been doing body weight stuff for 6 years now and that’s probably the best way to train that particular muscle.

Technically if you were a body weight purist you could do reverse wall pull-ups and reverse seated rows with your knees on the ground, but ow. I just did 50 reverse wall-pull-ups to test and it works, and now I have some interesting soreness in my back from a really obscure muscle group.

I’ll try the reverse seated rows tomorrow and see how that works. My knees are not going to appreciate it.

 

[timewerx]

I agree this would probably be the best method, I’ve been doing body weight stuff for 6 years now and that’s probably the best way to train that particular muscle.

Technically if you were a body weight purist you could do reverse wall pull-ups and reverse seated rows with your knees on the ground, but ow. I just did 50 reverse wall-pull-ups to test and it works, and now I have some interesting soreness in my back from a really obscure muscle group.

I’ll try the reverse seated rows tomorrow and see how that works. My knees are not going to appreciate it.

Starting with both legs tucked in is quite doable though. But I'm also very light at 51 kg.

Or just do whatever works like this 99 year old!

 

[linux.poet]

Starting with both legs tucked in is quite doable though. But I'm also very light at 51 kg.

While I'm only 56kg, I'm also a 31-year-old woman who can't even do a proper full pull up after years of training. So icky gradualism it is. If I am fortunate I will be able to start with feet on the floor instead of knees and lift backwards, and make 30 reps.

 

[timewerx]

While I'm only 56kg, I'm also a 31-year-old woman who can't even do a proper full pull up after years of training. So icky gradualism it is. If I am fortunate I will be able to start with feet on the floor instead of knees and lift backwards, and make 30 reps.

I regularly did 20 reps of full pull ups during my teens. No longer did it in adulthood but I never lost the ability to do full pull ups. Progress is a lot faster when you're young

My strength training used to be 2 to 3 days per week and not more with free weights. Increasing weight by 1 to 2 lbs each week until I've maxed out the weights. Now I'm only doing doing maintenance of 1 to 2 days per week of strength training.

You could probably wear a weighted vest to gradually increase the effort before doing it with feet on the floor (no vest) and then later on, do feet on the floor with vest before finally doing a full pull up.

 

[linux.poet]

I regularly did 20 reps of full pull ups during my teens. No longer did it in adulthood but I never lost the ability to do full pull ups. Progress is a lot faster when you're young

Lol. It took me a full year of work to do 30 reps of seated rows. Then I graduated to hanging with my feet on a ladder, do 20 reps of that. Done. Now I'm stuck between that and half-pull ups which is the next exercise. I tried gradually lowering my feet to lower and lower stepladders and that kind of worked, but I can't do more than 2 half pull ups before my arms give out. Maybe the weighted vest (or just a weight belt) with the ladder is the answer.

Now I'm only doing doing maintenance of 1 to 2 days per week of strength training.

Pretty much the same though. I've kind of lost motivation to improve as I've focused on other things in my life.

I’ll try the reverse seated rows tomorrow and see how that works. My knees are not going to appreciate it.

If I am fortunate I will be able to start with feet on the floor instead of knees and lift backwards, and make 30 reps.

No such luck. Basically got 2 two sets of 12 reps with my knees on the floor. I got one leg straight back but have to leave one knee on the floor - muscles back there are very weak. Stretching reveals that backwards seated rows (and by extension, back levers) use the deltoid muscles of the shoulder as well as some strange ones in the lower back.

 

[timewerx]

Lol. It took me a full year of work to do 30 reps of seated rows. Then I graduated to hanging with my feet on a ladder, do 20 reps of that. Done. Now I'm stuck between that and half-pull ups which is the next exercise. I tried gradually lowering my feet to lower and lower stepladders and that kind of worked, but I can't do more than 2 half pull ups before my arms give out. Maybe the weighted vest (or just a weight belt) with the ladder is the answer.

I don't know exactly how I did it at first during my childhood. I was eating lots of carbs and then calcium and protein and multivitamin supplements.

I don't take supplements anymore, my diet is still high calcium, high carbs, with some protein (fish and lots of dairy). I received a donation of chocolate bar snacks lately (the regular kinds like Kitkat with real sugar) and received a significant boost in my strength training with faster and more reps.

Caffeine management can also help. Don't drink coffee nor anything with caffeine on days you're not doing any strength training nor high intensity cardio.. Only drink coffee on strength training days or high intensity cardio, at least an hour before the session.

 

[linux.poet]

Caffeine management can also help. Don't drink coffee nor anything with caffeine on days you're not doing any strength training nor high intensity cardio.. Only drink coffee on strength training days or high intensity cardio, at least an hour before the session.

I generally don't drink that at all, as it makes me feel sick.

I got to the point where I can hang off the low bar with my legs straight back, but I can't move my arms to pull back in. Reference for anyone who may be visually confused by this point:

Still have to put one knee on the ground to get the pull up, but this might go much faster than the first round of seated rows since I have to train one muscle instead of like 3 groups at one time. 16 for first set and 12 for second set today.

Then backwards ladder hang like the flying ballerina. Hanging and bending your legs backwards in progressions and bridging to to get the back part to work. Fascinating.