The tuck L-sit is where your core stops being a floor-only thing and starts being a "hold your whole body off the ground with your arms" thing. You sit between two parallettes, yoga blocks, chairs, or even on a pair of push-up bars. You press down hard through straight arms to lift your hips off the floor, then tuck your knees to your chest. The tuck position shortens the lever, making it a manageable bridge to a full L-sit.
Beyond being a jaw-dropping party trick, the tuck L-sit trains three things at once: aggressive shoulder depression (push the blocks down), deep core bracing (hold the knees high), and straight-arm strength (lock the elbows). All three are prerequisites for L-sits, V-sits, and presses.
The "pull your knees high" cue is the same one you used in the hanging knee raise. If that still feels shaky, build it up first.
How to do it
Sit on the floor with a pair of parallettes, yoga blocks, chairs, or push-up handles placed just outside your hips. Plant your hands on top of them with locked elbows. Press hard into the blocks to lift your hips off the floor, and at the same time tuck your knees up toward your chest. Your shins should be roughly parallel to the floor. Hold the position with shoulders pushed away from your ears.
Some tips here:
Video by More Than Lifting
Target
- Sets: 3
- Hold: 15 seconds
- Rest: 90 seconds between sets
- Advance when: 3×15s with your butt clearly off the ground
Key tips
- Push the floor away. Fully lock out your arms
- Lift your knees as high as you can. The higher the knees, the easier the balance
- Depress your shoulders. Push them down away from your ears the whole hold
- If you can't lift off yet, practice one foot at a time, then both for a second at a time