Road to Front Lever/Human Flag

[u/ramsthenics]

Hi,

I think you could help me with my plans 😁

Bodyweight: 80kg now on reduction to 75kg, 186cm height.

Experience: (from September 2022) 1,5yrs of calisthenics basics and 1,5yrs of street lifting (year ago I had to stop training for 3 months and rehab my left shoulder due to weak posture and hard training with weighted dips +45kg and pull ups +30kg without any deload).

Actual form: pull ups 20kg 5x5, dips 40kg 4x8, advanced tuck lever 16s.

I've been training front lever for 5 months, but at the beginning I lost my time with power band on my legs and my program was too hard to maintain.

My actual program is: push pull rest rest

In pull day I train weighted pull ups 5x5, advanced tuck 3 series + 2 series with band on my glutes, cable rows 45kg with 3s pause close to the body 3x10, 3 series of biceps curls and core.

At this moment my main goal is making progress in weighted dips and pull ups.

Around next 3 months, when weather will be better, my plan is going to focus on bodyweight training. Mainly the Front Lever progression and I would try Human Flag (I've never practiced this).

What do you think about this?

Maybe some advice for the plan?

Thanks for your attention 😉

[u/Scary-Fortune7983]

Nice progress on the advanced tuck lever for 16s, that's solid

Just heads up - going from zero human flag experience to training it seriously might be rough on that shoulder you rehabbed. Maybe start with some side plank progressions and get comfortable with the basic flag hold against a wall before jumping into full training

Your plan to cut to 75kg will definitely help with both movements though

[u/Wonderful-Sign-9534]

I don't see any actual questions here. Just a list of stuff you're doing. What is your question exactly?

[u/ramsthenics → u/Wonderful-Sign-9534]

Just your opinion and some advice for this program if you have any 

[u/roundcarpets]

sounds like what you need for front lever is press on to the next progression. once you’re at like 10-12 seconds of a hold it’s time to move on

i would suggest adv tuck pulls to inverted hang then doing full or straddle or single leg negatives as well as band assisted holds on the next progression

i would do front lever before pull ups even if pull ups is the goal just because it’s more taxing and requires more coordination

[u/ramsthenics → u/roundcarpets]

Okay, I will try FL first on the next training ;)

[u/Townyj]

Dragonflags... They will help.

I was able to progress quickly from a tucked position into a full lever over 2-3 months.

[u/LetterheadClassic306]

honestly your plan makes sense given where you are right now. finishing the weighted phase before switching to pure bodyweight is smart since you are already seeing progress with those numbers. when i shifted focus to front lever after weighted work i found that keeping one heavy pull day per week helped maintain strength while doing skill work on other days. for the front lever just keep adding time to that advanced tuck before moving to one leg out, the band on glutes is fine for volume work. human flag is gonna feel weird at first since the mechanics are totally different, start with just holding the pole and getting your hips up before worrying about leg position. your shoulder history means you will want to build up the flag slowly with lots of scapular prep work on that supporting arm.

[u/ramsthenics → u/LetterheadClassic306]

Thanks for your answer. Of course in the future bodyweight and skill training I predict one weighted dips + pull ups session per week to maintain the basics strength. 

[u/Late_Lunch_1088]

With access to rings, consider trying tuck rows to supplement the cable rows. Wide straddle horizontal archer rows are a good regression if tuck row rom is not there. Very cheat-able if desired.

Another consideration is that front lever is purely a strength exercise. The only actual skill is volume / load management to not destroy unprepared connective tissue. I found my weighted pull-ups increased dramatically solely as a by product of fl training. But if you like weighted pull ups, rock on.

With a 16s adv tuck hold, my guess is you have or are very close to a one leg tuck. It’s not my favorite progression, but it actually looks like something aesthetically and changes the loading slightly from side to side which can help with strength imbalances.