There are several variations on the L-sit you can add to your workouts, and they all have two things in common: they are extremely difficult, and they are extremely good for your core strength.
The standard L-sit and hanging leg raise are both among the best core exercises, but the dynamic L-sit might just take the biscuit as the trickiest L-sit variation we’ve come across. The gymnastics-inspired move is the invention of strength coach Ben Bruno.
“Learning to resist swinging is one of the most challenging aspects of the exercise,” says Bruno. “The slower you go, the harder it is. Try to keep your legs as straight as possible.”
Benefits Of The Dynamic L-Sit
It only takes one attempt at the dynamic L-sit to identify the muscles that most benefit from the move. Your abs and hip flexors will probably start to burn mere seconds into the move, and they’ll be joined by your shoulders soon enough. Increased core strength is the major benefit you get from the move, plus the fact you’ll draw a lot of admiring eyes in the gym doing it. On that note, do make sure your shorts do a reliable job of keeping you covered when performing this exercise.
How To Do The Dynamic L-Sit
Hang straight down from a bar with your legs together. Raise your legs in front of you so they are parallel to the floor. Keep your legs together and as straight as possible. This is the L-sit position, and you’re about to get dynamic.
Open your legs as wide as possible, keeping them straight and parallel to the floor. Then bring them back together into the L-sit position. Try to keep the rest of your body as still as possible as you move, and as Bruno says above, the slower you go the harder it will be.
If it’s still not hard enough when moving at a snail’s pace, you can pull yourself up halfway into a chin-up to increase the challenge to your upper body while moving your legs. That progression really isn’t for the faint-hearted though.
