Achieving the L-Sit: The warm-up (Front scale)

Having taught clients how to achieve an L-Sit, I’ve always found one particular exercise to be particularly useful - the front scale. The front scale is a gymnastic warm-up exercise and performed correctly helps develop a client’s mobility and strength in the legs, back and all-important hip flexors.

I get clients to perform both standing and floor-based front scales, following the below routine:

• 10 reps each leg (making sure the ‘active’ leg doesn’t touch the floor and remains as straight as possible) followed by a 10 second static hold at the top of the move

• Repeat for 2-3 sets.

If you are practising seated front scales, it’s important to keep your hands in-line with your shoulders to build strength ready for the L-Sit. If your hands are behind your hips/shoulders you will struggle to retain balance in the later L-Sit progressions. Below is a video showing how to perform the seated front scale: