I invented what might be the hardest Front Lever variation in calisthenics.
So about 2 years ago I randomly had the idea of trying a front lever Straight Arm Touch with an extremely narrow grip.
I had never seen anyone do it before, and honestly I had no idea if it was even going to work.
I was already pretty strong at Front Lever at the time, so I just gave it a shot… and somehow managed to get it on my 3rd attempt.
The form definitely wasn’t pretty, but that was basically the beginning of what I now call the Narrow SAT (Straight Arm Touch).
Over time I kept messing around with it,
improving the position and trying to see what else I could do with it.
Eventually just holding it wasn’t enough, so naturally I had to try pull ups.
And surprisingly, they went pretty damn well.
Those are the pull ups you see in the video.
What makes this variation so interesting to me is how different it feels from any “normal” front lever variation.
With your hands this close together, you need a ridiculous amount of wrist flexion, especially with the false grip that deep.
The shoulder position also feels extremely unnatural at first. You need really good control over your scapular retraction and depression, a lot of upper-back strength, and enough backward lean/body extension to actually get all the way to the bar.
And obviously proportions play a role too, but I don’t think they’re what ultimately decides whether someone can do it or not.
For me the biggest factors are probably:
• Wrist mobility / false grip
• Scapular retraction + depression
• Upper-back/posterior-chain strength
• Body extension and positioning
• And simply getting your body used to such a weird position
The coolest part for me is that this started with me basically thinking:
“I wonder if this is possible?”
Now I’m doing pull ups and playing with it.
And I’m definitely not done with this variation yet 👀
I already have some ideas for making it even crazier.
If anyone here wants to try the Narrow SAT, please do. I’d actually love to see other athletes experimenting with it and seeing where people can take it.
And if you have any questions about the variation, Front Lever or calisthenics in general, feel free to ask 🙌🏻
My twin brother and I also post a lot of our calisthenics stuff on Instagram if you want to check it out — it’s linked on our profile.
Excited to see where I can take this next ❤️