SHAPE.COM JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 1 4 3L sit
Sit on the floor with your
legs long and palms flat
by thighs, then elevate
your body by pressing
into your palms. “It’s
deceptively tough for
such a small movement,
but it’s the best static
hold you can do for your
core because you have
to pull your abs in so
deeply and wrap your
core up so tightly to lift
your body,” Widerstrom
says. “There’s no way
around it.” Your shoul-
ders and glutes also get
a solid dose of sculpting,
since they hoist you
up and keep you there.
Here are three steps
that will help you nail it.1
Make it halfway
easier by starting
with a single-leg L sit.
Sit on the floor with legs
together and extended,
feet flexed, and hands
on floor outside of your
thighs, fingertips 2 to
3 inches behind your
knees, thumbs under
thighs, and wrists
touching the outside of
your legs. With your
fingers spread, press
your palms into the
floor, hollow your core,
and straighten arms
to lift your butt and right
leg. Hold for 15 to
30 seconds. Repeat 2
to 3 times. Switch legs,
and repeat.2
Separate legs wide
for a straddle hold
to make them lighter
and easier to lift while
still accessing the same
muscle groups. Sit on
the floor with legs wide,
feet flexed, and hands
pressing into floor
between thighs and
about a foot apart. Press
your palms into the
floor, hollow your core,
and straighten arms to
lift your butt and legs,
but leave your heels
gently on the floor. Hold
for 15 to 30 seconds.
Repeat 2 to 3 times.3
Create more space
than the floor allows
to get more muscles
involved in the lift by
doing an L sit on 2 boxes
or benches. Place the
sturdy boxes or benches
slightly wider than
hip-width apart, and
stand between them
with legs together.
Plant one hand on each
box, hollow your core,
and straighten your
arms to lift your legs
as high as you can. Hold
for 15 to 30 seconds.
Repeat 2 to 3 times.The perfect L sit
Sit on the floor
with your legs long
and together, feet
flexed, hands on
floor outside of your
thighs, fingertips 2 to
3 inches behind your
knees, thumbs under
your upper thighs,
and wrists touching
the outside of your
legs (any farther
back and you won’t
be able to get off the
floor). Exhale, keep
your shoulders wide,
press your palms into
the floor, hollow your
core, and squeeze
your legs together,
then straighten arms
to lift your butt and
then your legs and
heels about 1⁄4 inch off
the floor. Hold as long
as you can. “When
you exhale to lift, do
it as if you’re blowing
out a candle, which
allows you to wrap
a corset around your
waist that pulls every
muscle together into
a tightly knit package,”
Widerstrom says.