Straddle-L Tutorial and Muscles worked
Straddle-L tutorial
Video tutorial HERE
This is one of the most basic isometric exercise in gymnastics, which requires hip flexors, quads & abs strength, and active flexibility.
STEP 1 : Straddle-L bent legs
Use a stool, parrallets or pushup bars.
Lift your legs until they are parallel with the floor.
Hands between your legs with elbows fully straight.
Don’t allow your legs to touch the arms, resting the legs on the arms will make this easier.
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STEP 2 : Straddle-L low
Use an elevated surface, place your hands between your legs, with your arms and legs completely straight.
Focus on keeping your knees straight, it doesn’t matter if your legs go below horizontal.
Arms and legs shouldn’t touch.
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STEP 3 : Straddle-L 1 hand in center
Put 1 hand in front of you and the other behind your hips. Sitting on the floor, push yourself up. Point your toes and place your palms flat on the floor.
Switch hands between sets.
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STEP 4: Straddle-L
Straddle your legs at 90º or more
Knees and elbows must be fully extended
Legs don’t rest on arms, and they should be parallel to the floor
Your palms will be flat on the ground
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MUSCLES WORKED:
Hip flexors – keeping legs paralel to the floor and preventing them from touching the floor: psoas major, iliacus, rectus femoris, sartorius and tensor fascia lata
Spine flexors – rectus abdominis is the prime mover, assisted by external and internal obliques (acting bilaterally)
Knee extensor – keeping the knees straight: quadriceps femoris
Shoulder flexors – you have to push against the floor so your legs don’t touch your arms – this works anterior deltoid, coracobrachialis and pectoralis major. With arms straight, biceps brachii also assists.
Elbow flexors also work, preventing hyperextension of the elbow.
Plantar flexors – keeping our feet pointed: gastrocnemius and soleus
This exercise also works our biceps, as this muscle also crosses the shoulder joint, our forearms (stabilizing the wrist), our scapular depressor muscles (latissimus dorsi, pectoralis minor)…
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