L Pull-Up

How To

Use this move to work your back biceps and abdominals at the same time. The L-Sit Pull-Up is a challenging variation of the traditional pull-up.

With this variation, your legs get raised in front of you causing the center point of gravity to change. This shift in gravity makes the L Pull-Up more difficult.

Having your legs held up and raised in front of you also creates an isometric contraction in your abdominals. Another benefit to having your legs are held out at 90 degrees is that you will not be able to use kipping or jerking to cheat.

When doing this lift, you need to pay attention to how fast you are raising and lowering your body. Each rep should get done in a slow and controlled manner.

Tips

Emphasize Your Core

It’s easy to unconsciously use your hip flexors and legs instead of relying on core strength. Make sure the isometric contraction is coming from your core by bearing down on your abs. Imagine curling your tailbone under your body.

Stabilize First

Stabilize your L-sit position before you start your pull-up. If you’re still wobbling or settling into your starting position, you’ll have a much harder time with the pull-up. Being patient with your starting position will also help you maximize your upper back recruitment instead of tempting you to yank with your arms to compensate for the swaying. If you need to, linger in L-sit holds before fully progressing into L-sit pull-ups.

Breathe

It might be tempting to hold your breath during this move — or, you might straight-up forget to breathe. Aim to breathe during your sets. To do so, establish your L-sit position, then exhale all the air from your lungs. Squeeze your core, then — keeping your core muscles contracted — take a big inhale through your belly.

Tip 4

If you cannot perform L Sit-Ups yet, you should use the raised knee version instead. Using the raised knee version will help you to increase your core strength.