Body project

Want to learn a back lever?

The back lever is the gateway skill into calisthenics for most people. If you’ve built strong basics, it’s actually a skill that can be learned fairly quickly.

For a lot of people, loads of specific accessory work isn’t always necessary. However, certain exercises can definitely help, and they’re also a fun way to keep your training fresh. In the video I’ve included some progressions that will help you build a clean, solid back lever.

One thing to remember with all calisthenics skills is that perfect form should always be the goal. Nothing looks worse than a skill that’s supposed to have straight arms and a straight body being performed with bent arms and a pike at the hips. What makes these skills so impressive is how effortless they look when they’re done properly.

So don’t rush it. Take your time, master each progression, and focus on quality over speed.

Let me know how you get on. 💪

You’re staying weak at calisthenics because of these reasons…

1. You’re trying to skip the basics.
You’re chasing skills your body isn’t ready for. If you want your skills to look solid, your basics need to be even better. Pull-ups, dips, rows, push-ups and mobility are your foundation. There’s nothing wrong with including some skill work, but your bread and butter should always be building strength, mobility and coordination through the basics.

2. You change your program every five minutes.
One week it’s planche. The next it’s street lifting. Two weeks later it’s endurance because you’ve convinced yourself the last program wasn’t working.

Your body needs time to adapt.

Pick a goal and commit to it for 12-16 weeks. It’s fine to change goals, but don’t change them before you’ve given yourself a chance to improve.

3. You give up too soon.
Most people quit when things get hard. Don’t expect meaningful progress in six weeks. Anyone promising that is usually trying to sell you something.

Real results take months. Sometimes years.

The secret? Learn to enjoy the process. Find a style of training you genuinely look forward to, then attack it with everything you’ve got.

Consistency beats perfection. Every. Single. Time.

How your handstand training looks is going to depend on where you’re currently at with your handstand journey and your training experience in general.

If you’re a beginner, then I’d focus on plenty of wall-assisted handstand holds, some freestanding kick-up attempts, and exercises that improve your body line and body awareness. This is crucial for building a strong foundation and will make everything easier further down the line.

If you’re a little more advanced, then I’d suggest focusing on strength and experimenting with exercises such as handstand press-ups and press-to-handstand drills.

One thing I would say is don’t always do your handstand training at the beginning of every session. Yes, this can be beneficial when you’re learning a new skill because you want to prioritise it, but every now and then try putting your handstand work at the end of a session instead.

Training your handstand under fatigue is something that really helped me. It forces you to be more efficient, stay focused, and maintain good positions when you’re tired.

It’s something that’s helped my handstand a lot, and I’m confident it can help yours too.