How to do an L-sit like a gymnast

The L-sit is a cornerstone calisthenics skill. It's not just about holding an impressive position. It builds core strength, straight arm strength, balance and flexibility, and it carries over to almost every other skill you'll learn.

Let's break the L-sit down into its parts and look at how to build each one.

What is an L-sit?

An L-sit is a hold where you support your whole body on straight arms, usually on parallettes, dip bars or the floor, with your legs held straight out in front of you. Your body makes an L shape: torso upright, legs parallel to the ground, knees locked and toes pointed.

What muscles does the L-sit work?

• Hip flexors and lower abs do most of the work holding your legs up. This is your compression strength.
• Quads lock your knees so your legs stay straight.
• Triceps keep your elbows locked out.
• Lower traps, lats and serratus anterior push your shoulders down (scapular depression) so you sit tall instead of sinking into your shoulders.
• Hamstring flexibility decides how easily you can get your legs straight in front of you.

That's why the L-sit is hard. It's a strength skill and a mobility skill at the same time.

Developing straight arm strength

Straight arm strength is crucial in calisthenics.

Getting it involves external rotation of the upper arm, which engages the infraspinatus, teres minor and lower trapezius. This rotation activates those muscles and also sets your shoulder blades up to depress, a key part of a solid L-sit.

Drills for straight arm strength

Elbow pit rotations: 5 to 10 reps of rotating your elbow pits from internal to external rotation. This basic movement teaches you the shoulder and elbow position you need.

Dip shrugs on parallettes: 5 to 10 reps. Focus on depressing your shoulder blades to engage the lower trapezius and serratus anterior, which hold you in the L-sit position.

Building compression strength

Compression strength, the ability to bring your upper and lower body together, is a vital gymnastics skill. In the L-sit it's what keeps your legs raised.

Reverse crunch for core engagement

5 to 10 reps, bringing your thighs as close to your stomach as possible. This targets your lower abs and hip flexors, which you need for holding the L-sit.

Improving hamstring flexibility and quad strength

To lock your legs out in an L-sit you need both hamstring flexibility and quad strength. The two work together to keep your legs where you want them.

Hamstring stretching technique

Focus on bringing your stomach to your thighs, not just reaching forward. That way you're genuinely stretching your hamstrings. Take 4 deep breaths in each stretch.

Compression drills with leg lock

8 to 10 reps per leg. Concentrate on locking the quad and keeping the toes pointed. This drill combines hamstring flexibility with the compression strength the L-sit needs.

L-sit progressions

Now you know the foundations, here are the progressions to build up to a full L-sit.

1. Tuck L-sit: start here. Focus on core engagement and straight arms.
2. Tuck extension: extend your legs slightly from the tuck. This makes your hip flexors and core work harder.
3. Single-leg L-sit: extend one leg at a time, locking the knee and pointing the toe. This gets you close to the full position.
4. Full L-sit: put it all together: straight arms, depressed shoulder blades, locked legs, pointed toes and a braced core. Aim for a 30-second hold as a solid base for further progression.

Putting the L-sit into your training

The L-sit shouldn't be an isolated skill. Build it into your regular calisthenics training. Train these components 2 to 3 times a week, progressing gradually and practising consistently.

The L-sit develops core strength, flexibility and balance at the same time. Break it into its parts, get each one solid, and you have a foundation for more advanced skills like the planche and front lever.