2023-06-15 09:00:31
Today, we are going to talk about a movement that is part of the gymnasts’ baby, the l sit.
It’s a basic that trains the nervous system to move on to more complex movements and which can be learned relatively quickly.
On the benefits side, there is a development of scapular stabilityshoulder and abs strength, so important for static skills.
Where to practice the L sit?
The l sit can be done on parallettes, parallel bars, on the floor, on the rings or even between two chairs, at home.
THE parallettes are good options that provide the necessary legroom.
What is the L-sit?
This exercise is not the easiest!
It requires perfect abdominal sheathing, but not only.
This movement is part of the family of isometric exercisesthat is, they do not induce movement, the work is “still”, in a way.
The challenge, if you accept it, is to maintain your body weight with your arms/legs straight, contracting several muscle groups at the same time.
Before embarking on an L sit session, it is obviously important to properly warm up your joints (elbows, wrists, shoulder blades, shoulders), as with any support exercise.
As a prerequisiteyou will also need good posterior chain mobility.
Many people struggle with this exercise because they are stiff, especially in the hamstrings.
If this is your case, I refer you here: your hamstrings are stiff? This is the only exercise you need to improve their flexibility.
What muscles are working?
The challenge is therefore to connect and activate different muscle areas simultaneouslynotably :
- the large pectorals and the large dorsals,
- the shoulders (scapular depression),
- trapezius (shoulder retraction),
- the abdominals to put the hips in the right position,
- hip flexors (hip flexion),
- the quadriceps (extension of the knees),
- triceps for (arm extension),
- the forearms for balance and stabilization.
Here are the key points of the movement:
- take support with the width of the shoulders (or even slightly wider) and lock the elbows,
- maintain the upper body in a neutral and straight position, with a scapular depression (shoulders down, away from the ears),
- the head is aligned with the upper body, the legs are straight and joined, at least at 90° in relation to the trunk,
- the toes are pointed, like gymnasts,
- side view, the hips should not be behind the arms,
- push the pelvis forward by raising the legs, hips aligned with the arms.
- do not hold your breath while exercising.
By respecting these points, some people will already be able to hold an L sit for a decent amount of time on their first try!
The hardest part is of course keep your legs perfectly straight.
The first step is to therefore maintain the position, then increase the leverage.
For this, there are progressions…
Alternate support leg lift
Here is a perfect regression to understand the details of the L Sit.
Elbows locked and in scapular depression (shoulders away from ears, down), raise one straight leg (toes pointed), then the other.
The other leg remains on the ground, in support.
Do at least 3 sets of 10 reps on each leg before moving on to the next exercise.
L Group Sit
Also called tuck l sit, here is a variant in which you will have to support the weight of your bodybut with less leverage since your legs are bent.
The closer your knees are to your bust, the easier it is.
The key points remain the same, don’t let your pelvis go behind your arms. If you can’t feel your triceps, you probably are!
Hold 3 sets of 20 seconds before moving on to the next variation
The alternate sit
Same posture as before, but this time, we will extend one leg after the other.
Hold at least 3 sets of 15 seconds on each leg before progressing.
Legs bent / Legs stretched
One last transition to reach your ultimate goal.
You will have to make knee extensions from bent legs position to straight legs position.
Try to hold the final position for 1-2 seconds with each repetition and perform 3 sets of 6 repetitions.
After these advancementsyou should be able to hold the L sit for at least a few seconds.
To increase the time, you can decrease the lever during your series (a kind of mechanical degressive).
For example, hold your l sit as long as possible with both legs straight, then bend one leg, then the other…
This way, you can strengthen your muscles and your nervous system and get used to holding out longer.
Know that holding 15 to 20 seconds of L sit is a good scorehow much are you able to do?
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