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The back lever is an impressive gymnastic skill, at first glance, may seem extreme and difficult due to the shoulder position; however, it’s actually pretty easy to learn after mastering the basics.

It’s one of the most fundamental static strength skills in gymnastics.

It’s elegant, and you can experience its transfer effects in other exercises, especially in the planche due to the similar body position and shoulder position.

The significant difference is that this is an exercise in hanging, while the planche is an exercise in support, but still, transfer effects are noticeable due to the similarities.

You can perform the back lever on both the bar and rings.

It’s recommended to start practicing on the bar first for stability, although with proper preparation, it won't have issues on the rings either.

Mastering this skill contributes to the strength and flexibility of the shoulders, the achievement of advanced body awareness, and strengthens the tissues and biceps in the elbow joint for exercises with straightarms.

Regarding the grip, here it gets a little interesting.

In calisthenics and street workout, many perform the back lever with an overhand grip, but you'll never see gymnasts doing it this way.

Of course, both executions are possible, but I personally recommend the underhand grip, and it's no coincidence that this execution is used in gymnastics.

The underhand grip reduces the strain on the elbow and shoulder joint tissues, thus the head of the humerus fits in a more stable position in the shoulder joint, and the forearm is not twisted, unlike with the overhand grip.

The anatomically neutral position for the arms is the supinated position, where the palms and the bends of the elbows face forward. The underhand grip back lever extends this position with shoulder extension.

This position stretches and loads the biceps, but it also significantly strains the connective tissues, so proper preparation is crucial.

Even with proper preparation, experiencing stretch and minor pain during the progressions is normal.

This is because the bicep tenses isometrically and then extends beyond its usual length, however, as you become stronger in the exercise, the pain will eventually goes away.

I personally don’t recommend the overhand grip due to the twisted wrist, forearm, and inrotated upper arm; in my opinion, the underhand grip offers many more advantages and transfer effects, preparing the arms for a supinated grip planche, iron cross, and numerous advanced gymnastic skills.

For professional gymnasts, performing various skills with an overhand grip would be impossible, such as the Van Gelder or Zanetti, where the underhand grip back lever is crucial.

In summary: I recommend the underhand grip because it puts the arms in an anatomically neutral position, which is more advantageous for the elbow joint after proper preparation for further exercises, and this execution also brutally strengthens the biceps, which will be beneficial both aesthetically and functionally.

When we talk about muscle contractions, besides the mentioned bicep tension, the chest, the lats, the anterior part of the shoulders, the spinal erectors, the entire core, the glutes, and some other muscles are significantly engaged.

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