L-Sit
Supporting yourself on straight arms on parallettes or a bench, you lift your body and hold your legs straight out in front so your body forms an L.
- Primary muscles
- Abs, Lower abs
- Secondary
- Triceps, Front delts, Quads
- Logged as
- Time
Why do it
The L-sit trains your abs to hold your legs up while your triceps and shoulders hold your body off the ground, so it's a core hold and a straight-arm support at once. It's a building block for many calisthenics and gymnastics skills, and it suits people who can already do dips and a solid hollow hold. The legs are usually the hard part: tight hamstrings and the strength to keep your legs up tend to limit you before your arms do. Start with tucked knees or one leg straight, and practice short holds often.
How to do it
Sit between parallettes or on the edge of a bench, hands beside your hips and arms straight.
Press down to lift your body off the support, pushing your shoulders away from your ears.
Extend your legs straight out in front of you so your body forms an L.
Hold for the set time, then lower slowly. Tuck your knees or keep one leg bent until you can hold the full position.
Common mistakes
Shrugging into your shoulders
Letting your shoulders rise toward your ears drops your hips and makes the hold shaky. Push the floor away so your arms feel long and your neck stays free.
Bending your arms
Bent elbows lower your hips and put you in a weaker, wobblier position. Lock your arms straight for the whole hold.
Letting your legs sag
Feet dropping below hip height turn the L into a slump. Squeeze your thighs, point your toes and use a tuck until you can keep straight legs level.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
