L-sit and V-sit

I’ve got the L-sit, straddle L-sit and rings-turned-out L-sit. The next rung is the 45° V-sit, then 75°, and at the far end of the chart the manna. It’s not a glamorous ladder, but compression turns out to be a prerequisite for half the skills I care about: the Press to Handstand, L-sit pull-ups and muscle-ups, and clean front levers.

The ladder

1. Tuck L-sit, then one-leg-bent L-sit
2. L-sit, then straddle L-sit
3. Rings-turned-out L-sit
4. V-sit, angle by angle (45°, 75°, 100° …)
5. Manna

Two limiters: strength and flexibility

• Compression strength: hip flexors and abs pulling the legs up with the hips already flexed. It’s a short-range strength that most training never touches.
• Hamstring and pike flexibility: tight hamstrings mean the hip flexors fight the legs as well as gravity.

I’d been training the first and neglecting the second.

Cues

• Push the floor away: shoulders pulled down, arms straight, chest up.
• Lock the knees and point the toes. Bent knees are a different, easier hold.
• Lean back slightly for the V-sit, with the shoulders behind the hands.
• Breathe. Holding your breath ends the set early.

Programming

• Seated pike leg lifts: hands beside the knees, lift both legs off the floor. The single best compression drill I know.
• Short holds, many sets: five to ten seconds, five or six sets, at the end of a session.
• Loaded pike stretching two or three times a week.
• Hanging leg raises and toes-to-bar cover the dynamic side; see Core Progressions.

Common mistakes

• Sinking into the shoulders, which shortens the hold and loads the joint.
• Training only holds. Without leg lifts and flexibility work, the V-sit barely moves.
• Bending the knees to “get” the angle. Straight legs at a lower angle are worth more.

Sources

• Overcoming Gravity (2nd edition), Steven Low: L-sit, straddle-L, V-sit and manna column.
• FitnessFAQs compression tutorials.