L sit trouble?

I have heard on this forum that an l sit is easier to hold than a tuck planche. However, I can hold a tuck planche for 13 seconds, but can not hold an l sit with my hips back for a second. I have decent pike flexibility, as I can touch the floor with straight legs. Also, I have decent abdominal strength, as I can hold the arch body hold for 60 seconds, and do slow hanging tuck leg raises to my chest for reps. What is the problem here?

Probably lack of coordination and strength. Begin by doing tucked L-sits (bent knees) between two chairs or on parallettes until you're comfortable with that progression, then begin proper L-sits.

Not to throw this in your face, but this could also be an incorrect tuck planche. It's one thing to do it by pushing up and balancing; it's another to hold an actual planche position with a tucked body; protraction, upper back engagement, lean.

My guess would be that it's a lack of hip flexor strength. If you can only do tucked leg-raises, you're probably going to have trouble with holding your legs straight out in front of you. 

Chances are, you either have poor form on the tuck planche or bad compression.  Did you train straight arm frogstand before you moved on to tuck planche?  Do you lean forward to get into the planche, or just pick yourself up?  Take a photo of yourself in tuck planche, and another in a planche lean with the front of your hands in line with your waist.  Do the angles of your arms look the same?

All planche stuff aside, it's probably a lack of compression.  Can you do straight leg leg raises both lying down and hanging?  Try sitting down with straight legs and put your hands by your knees.  Can you lift your feet of the ground?

It also might be depression strength, but if you have a tuck planche probably not.

L-Sits also require quite a lot of triceps strength, and to push the hips forward uses a lot of posterior deltoid strength. 

Considering your proposed ab strength I would recommend doing a lot of dips (focusing on full extension obviously) with a brief 2 second hold at the top position.

I would also equally recommend the following exercise for strengthening your posterior deltoids for the movement: 

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you and your back perpendicular to the ground. (ie. L-position) 

2. Place your hands on the ground by your knees. 

3. Press your body up and move your hips forward as far as possible (keep your arms straight, use your shoulder strength), and then relax back onto the ground. 

4. Repeat for distance. 

Good luck.

Does the back in L-sit have to be straight? mine is rounded and I'm not sure where's the problem, my harmstrings are not very tight..

Sorry what do you mean by straight? 

It's a 90degree bend at the hips lol. Aside from that everything should be pretty straight. 

My L-sit looks like this:   /_   so there isn't 90º at the hip, myabe 80º or so, and I don't know if my trunk leans forward too much, should the trunk be perpendicular to the floor? If I push my hips forward and closer to my hands, I get 90º at the hip, but I consider that to be an advanced L-sit:   l_   , right?

Flavio85 said:

My L-sit looks like this:   /_   so there isn't 90º at the hip, myabe 80º or so, and I don't know if my trunk leans forward too much, should the trunk be perpendicular to the floor? If I push my hips forward and closer to my hands, I get 90º at the hip, but I consider that to be an advanced L-sit:   l_   , right?

Yep.  It's generally considered harder, but some people are stronger than they are flexible and need to start with advanced L.

As Bipocni said it is harder, but it's the "correct" L-Sit. 

The trunk should be perpendicular to the ground, the legs parallel to the floor.

ok,thanks! I've subbmited a video, hope it's the proper form, let me know:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYAS4N4hoeE

Nice video, interesting explanation, thanks!

Flavio85 said:

ok,thanks! I've subbmited a video, hope it's the proper form, let me know:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYAS4N4hoeE

Good form in the video. Should've included fingertip L-sits and hands backwards L-sits though!!!! 

EDIT: Dude add some music or sound-effects or something next time. 

EDIT: Just checked out the rest of your channel, you already have straddle planche but you're still asking about L-sits? lol.

ForzaCavaliere said:

Good form in the video. Should've included fingertip L-sits and hands backwards L-sits though!!!! 

 

EDIT: Dude add some music or sound-effects or something next time. 

 

EDIT: Just checked out the rest of your channel, you already have straddle planche but you're still asking about L-sits? lol.

this video it was mainly for the L-sit, I'll upload some day an "L-sit variations" video. I don't add music because I think it would distract from reading the info .

I had L-sit years ago, but not with proper form (my back wasn't perpendicular to the floor), so I took a step back to cover some basics (also Straddle-L...)

I can hold my back perpendicular and I depress my scapula I hold the 90 degree pike as well. My hands are rotated out to about 45 degrees and I can also do them at 90 degrees, would you suggest 180? However, I have a nasty habit of allowing my elbows to bend just ever so slightly outward.  Would you advise taking my progression back to tuck so I can focus on my elbows more? Also do your want to aim your elbow pits forward and the elbow bone back when your straighten or just keep the elbow straight.  I find it extremely difficult to rotate my arm out to get my elbow pits forward when I am doing the L sit specifically.  I may need to video tape for you to see and give advice..  I

Thank You

Francesco

Are your palms flat on the floor Francesco? That way you need more shoulder depression.

Like coach Sommer said: "straight arm strength and bent arm strength are completely different animals" so I'd focus on straighten them.

L-sit with hands backwards is a more difficult variation, it's more challenging to push you hips forward that way, but it's useful if you want to get the manna.

if ur back is not straight in l sit you probably need to get stronger triceps and if u can hold a l sit with straight legs work on your flexiblity but most important build some abdominal strength with exercises like hanging leg raises

like diti said if ur back is not straight in l sit you probably need to get stronger triceps but if you feel that you cant get your legs straight you have problems with flexibility. 

I taped myself so I could clarify a lot more.  Thanks again.  Take a look at my elbows when I face forward and see how my back is not 100% perpendicular.  Should I take it back a progression.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBqTinvBCnM

Should the scapula be slightly protracted or retracted?

Slightly retracted. For Manna they will be whole lot retracted

Thanks for the critique whoever "Surpassing Gravity" is.  I will bring my legs in a little too. I can hold the old one for up to 30 seconds now with the change I have to really dig deep to get it working for a solid 5-10 seconds.  Also just more commitment to straightening my elbows helped a ton.  It's always the little things thanks again.