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Kufu / Skill trees / Front lever
Skill tree · Pulling & Levers

Front lever progression

A front lever is a straight-arm hold from a bar with your body horizontal and facing up. Kufu's front lever tree has 9 nodes, from Tuck front lever (Knees tucked tight, 15 sec) to Front lever pulls (Pull-ups in FL position). Each node opens only when you pass its challenge. Before step 1 there is an entry gate: 15+ pull-ups, back lever helps.

From the tree that ships in Kufu 2.0 · Last updated 2026-10-13

  1. Entry gate

    Prerequisites

    Challenge to open it15 clean reps15+ pull-ups, back lever helps
    Drills to practise (2)
    • Pull-ups 5 × 10–15The front lever is a pulling skill before it is anything else.
    • Skin the cat 3 × 3–5Shoulder preparation carried over from the back lever.
  2. Step 1

    Tuck front lever

    Challenge to open itHold 15 secKnees tucked tight, 15 sec
    Drills to practise (1)
    • Tuck front lever hold 4 × 10–15 secHang, pull the knees to the chest, lift the hips until the back is flat. Depress the shoulders.
  3. Step 2

    Tuck FL raises

    Challenge to open it5 clean repsRaise to tuck FL from hang, 5 reps
    Drills to practise (1)
    • Tuck front lever raises 4 × 5From a dead hang, raise into the tuck lever and lower with control.
  4. Step 3

    Advanced tuck

    Challenge to open itHold 10 sec × 2 setsKnees less tucked, back flat, 10 sec
    Drills to practise (1)
    • Advanced tuck front lever hold 4 × 8–12 secOpen the knees from the tuck. If the back rounds or the hips drop, go back a step.
  5. Step 4

    One leg extended

    Challenge to open itHold 10 sec × 2 setsOne leg out, 10 sec each side
    Drills to practise (1)
    • One-leg front lever hold 3 × 10 sec each sideOne leg long, one tucked. Hips stay level.
  6. Step 5

    Straddle front lever

    Challenge to open itHold 5 sec × 2 setsLegs apart, 5 sec
    Drills to practise (2)
    • Straddle front lever hold 4 × 5–8 secLegs wide to shorten the lever. Hips level with the shoulders.
    • Front lever negatives 3 × 3–5From an inverted hang, lower slowly to horizontal. Five seconds down.
  7. Step 6

    Half lay FL

    Challenge to open itHold 5 secLegs together, slightly bent, 5 sec
    Drills to practise (1)
    • Half lay front lever hold 4 × 5 secLegs together, knees softened. The last step before full.
  8. Step 7

    Full front lever

    Challenge to open itHold 5 secBody straight and horizontal, 5 sec
    Drills to practise (1)
    • Front lever hold 4 × 5–10 secStraight and horizontal. Glutes squeezed, toes pointed, shoulders depressed.
  9. Step 8

    Front lever pulls

    Challenge to open it3 clean repsPull-ups in FL position
    Drills to practise (1)
    • Front lever raises 4 × 3–5Dead hang to full lever and back. Control every inch.

How the tree works

A node opens only when you pass its challenge: a timed hold, a number of clean reps, or landings out of attempts. Quality you can only judge by eye, such as a straight line or a clean exit, is self-assessed. Practice volume, gym numbers and the coach's opinion never open a node.

Practising a node in Kufu logs a real workout: a short warm-up, the node's drills and a cooldown, on the iPhone or the Apple Watch.

What it builds

Lats, core and straight-arm pulling strength that carries over to rows and pull-ups.

Skills and weights

Kufu is a hybrid app: the front lever tree sits beside your barbell and dumbbell work rather than replacing it. Skill work goes first in a session, while you're fresh. The Skills & Lifts plan runs two bodyweight skill days and two gym days a week.

Other trees

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