Floor L-Sit

Also known as: l sit, l-sit hold, l sit on floor, floor l sit hold, l-sit on the floor, seated l sit

In SetGrip: L-Sit (Floor)

Secondary muscles
Hip Flexors
Body part
Core
Laterality
Bilateral (both sides together)
Category
Strength

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On flat ground with no parallettes to add clearance, you need enough compression to lift straight legs clear of the floor, which makes this the least forgiving place to hold an L-sit. Accumulate time in short pieces: repeated holds of five to ten seconds, with tucked or one-leg versions covering the gap until full holds arrive.

How to do the Floor L-Sit

  1. Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.
  2. Place your hands on the floor beside your hips, fingers pointing forward.
  3. Engage your core and lift your legs off the ground, keeping them straight.
  4. Try to bring your legs parallel to the floor, forming an 'L' shape with your body.
  5. Hold this position for as long as you can.
  6. Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tip: Exhale slowly as you roll out and keep the ribs pulled down toward the pelvis the entire time.

Muscles worked

Primary

Abs · Core

The abs work almost entirely to resist extension, holding the pelvis tucked as the lever gets longer; the tension should be highest at the far point of the rollout, not on the way back.

Secondary

  • Hip Flexors — The hip flexors assist in keeping the hips from folding; if you feel them more than the abs, you are reaching too far too soon.

Common mistakes

  • Hips sagging at the bottom — if your lower back arches as the wheel rolls out, you have gone past the range your abs can control; shorten the rollout and stop at the point where your hips still stay tucked.
  • Hinging at the hips — pushing your backside back toward your heels on the return turns it into a hip hinge; keep the hips locked in line with the torso and pull with the abs.
  • Reaching with the arms — leading with the arms turns it into a lat exercise; think of moving the whole body as one rigid plank that happens to lengthen.
  • Skipping the posterior tilt — before you roll, squeeze the glutes and tuck the pelvis slightly so the abs are braced before the load arrives.

Where it fits in a workout

Rollouts belong toward the end of a session, after heavy lifts but while you can still brace well. Superset them with hanging knee raises or a plank variation so the core work is done in one block.

How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.

Variations and alternatives

Similar exercises

Without bodyweight

Easier and harder

When to talk to someone

  • Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
  • Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
  • Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.

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More exercises

Sources

  1. ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
  2. ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
  3. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
  4. CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)

Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.

Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.