Back · Leverage Machine
Ring Back Lever
How to do the ring back lever, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Leverage Machine
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Isometric
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Hang from a pair of gymnastic rings with an overhand grip. Tuck your knees and roll your hips up and over your head to invert, then slowly extend your legs and lower your body until it is horizontal and facing the floor, arms behind you. Keep everything rigid by squeezing your glutes, core, and shoulders. Hold the back lever for the allotted time, then return to a hang with control.
- 1Your lats and shoulders supporting your body in the horizontal hold
- 2Your glutes and core locking you into a straight line
- 3Full-body tension with no sagging or arching
Common mistakes
- Letting your hips drop or your back arch
- Bending your elbows or turning your head
- Holding past your strength and straining your shoulders
Muscles worked
The ring back lever mainly works the lats, with the forearms, lower back, upper traps, lower abs, glutes, biceps, mid traps, upper abs, obliques, hamstrings, front delts, and side delts assisting.
- LatsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- BicepsSupport
- Mid TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- TricepsMinor
- Lower ChestMinor
- Mid ChestMinor
- Lower TrapsMinor
- QuadsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
- Hip FlexorsMinor
Kovo programs the ring back lever for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More back exercises
- How to do the archer pull-up
- How to do the resistance band assisted pull-up
- How to do the machine assisted pull-up
- How to do the back extension bench back extension
- How to do the machine back extension
- How to do the back lever
Last reviewed June 2026.