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Static strength

V-Sit

Hold yourself up on straight arms with your straight legs lifted above the level of your hips, and lean back to balance them. It is the step beyond the L-sit, and the sources disagree on how high the legs must go.

The legs rise while the hands stay on the bars and the arms stay straight, and the trunk leans back as they go up. The angles are this page's model: the closest source, GORNATION's 'around 45 degrees or higher', does not say what the angle is measured from, and the sources disagree on how high the legs must be.
Difficulty
Advanced
editorial estimate
Steps to it
3 steps
Intermediate → Advanced
Usually done on
Parallel bars, Floor
Start with the first stepHow it is done

Prepared by Calisthenics Balkan. Not yet reviewed by a qualified coach. 11 sources

The road at a glance

A short overview with links. Every step is explained in full under Progressions.

Helps to have first

This skill

V-Sit

Leads towards

No movement in the Atlas builds directly on this one yet.

01

What it is

The V-sit is a hold on straight arms in which the straight legs are lifted above the level of the hips, so that the body forms a V. GORNATION describes it as the L-sit with the legs lifted higher while you balance on your hands, and Simple Calisthenics calls the lean back 'a required part of the position'.567

It is a named element in competition rules. FIG's men's code of points lists a V-sit with a 2-second hold among the floor elements, treats the L-sit and the V-sit as different strength elements, and asks gymnasts to show a V-sit and a higher V-sit (the Manna) so clearly that the judges have no doubt which one is meant. The Austrian and Italian calisthenics rulebooks list the V-sit too, and the Austrian one counts a static hold from 2 seconds.123

How high the legs must be is not settled. GORNATION says 'around a 45-degree angle or higher' without saying what it is measured from, and Simple Calisthenics says the legs should form a 45-90 degree angle with the torso; CaliContest asks for straight legs perpendicular to the ground; FIG's rule for rings says all V holds must be performed with the legs vertical. The ladder in Overcoming Gravity labels V-sits from 45 to 170 degrees, but its key only calls 'Deg' the number of degrees in body or hand positioning, so those labels cannot be turned into an angle here. This page draws the legs about 45 degrees above the level of the hips; a higher V leads towards the Manna.12456

The name is also used for a different exercise. Some pages call a core hold balanced on the tailbone, with no hands on the floor, a V-sit, and DIE RINGE says the supported V-sit is often confused with the boat pose. This page covers the supported hold, with the hands on the floor, parallettes or bars.81011

No study of the V-sit was found: the sources are rulebooks, one trainer's article and company pages. The trainer's article lists benefits for posture and shoulders; they are the author's claims, not measurements, and this page does not repeat them.7

Press down through straight arms, lift straight legs above your hips and lean back to balance them.

02

How it is done

  1. Press up into a support

    Put your hands on the floor, parallettes or bars beside your hips, press until your body is off the surface and straighten your arms. DIE RINGE and GORNATION both say to push the shoulders down, and CaliContest's definition asks for depressed and retracted shoulders and extended arms.258

    CueActively press your shoulders down.8

  2. Lift the straight legs

    Keep the legs straight and lift them above the level of the hips by tightening the core and the hip flexors; GORNATION says 'around a 45-degree angle or higher' (it does not say what that is measured from) and warns that bent legs reduce the compression. CaliContest and DIE RINGE describe the legs vertical.258

  3. Lean back and hold

    Lean the trunk back as the legs rise, to counterbalance the raised legs; GORNATION adds to keep the chest up. Hold with straight arms and straight legs. FIG's code and the Austrian rules count a hold from 2 seconds, which is a judging rule, not a training target.1356

    CueLean back to balance the raised legs.6

  4. Come down under control

    Lower the legs back under control; GORNATION's steps end with a controlled lowering after the hold.5

03

Progressions

These steps let you record the version you do now. They follow the one page found that lists a full ladder; they are not compulsory unlocks or a training plan.

What to have first

  • The L-sit

    GORNATION and DIE RINGE both present the V-sit as the harder version of the L-sit, and Simple Calisthenics lists tuck steps first and implies the L-sit comes before. None of them names a hold time to reach first.568

  • Hamstring flexibility and hip-flexor strength

    DIE RINGE says the V-sit needs significant core strength and high hamstring flexibility, and GORNATION lists tight hamstrings as a reason the legs will not go high. No source gives a test or a minimum.58

  1. Step 1Intermediate

    Tuck V-sit

    Hold the support with the knees pulled tight to the chest and the trunk leaning back. DIE RINGE calls it an ideal preparation because the shorter lever makes it much easier, and Simple Calisthenics lists it first, with an advanced tuck after it.

    Technical note: The picture shows one tuck; the advanced tuck and the other steps of Simple Calisthenics' ladder are not drawn.689

  2. Step 2Advanced

    One leg extended

    Hold one leg straight at the V and keep the other knee tucked. Simple Calisthenics lists one-leg steps before the full V-sit, and Caliverse lists extending one leg among the ways to progress the tuck.

    Technical note: Which leg is straight is a free choice; the picture shows one side.69

  3. Step 3AdvancedGoal

    V-sit

    Both legs straight and lifted above the hips, the arms straight, the trunk leaning back. Simple Calisthenics puts the V-sit on parallettes or an elevated surface before the V-sit on the floor.

    Technical note: Full describes the position, not a hold time; competition rules count a hold from 2 seconds, and that is not a training target.136

04

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05

Common mistakes

  • Legs stay at hip height

    Simple Calisthenics' first mistake: keeping the legs at hip height turns the V-sit into an L-sit, which is a different element in the rule books.16

    NoL-sit: legs level
    YesV-sit: legs above the hips
    Legs level with the hips are an L-sit; the V-sit lifts them above that.

  • Bent legs

    GORNATION says bent legs reduce the compression; Simple Calisthenics lists bending the knees in the straight-leg steps as a mistake.56

  • Collapsing shoulders

    GORNATION, Simple Calisthenics and Caliverse all list collapsing shoulders or shoulders that are not pressed down. GORNATION and Simple Calisthenics say to push them down; Caliverse, for the tuck V-sit, also asks to protract them (push them forward), while CaliContest's definition asks for retracted shoulders, so the sources differ on forward or back.2569

  • Not leaning back enough

    GORNATION and Simple Calisthenics both list too little lean back; the raised legs are balanced by the trunk.56

  • Letting the trunk give way

    Andre Miller notes that when you pull the shoulder blades back, the abdominals often release and the lower back extends, and he presents the V-sit as a way to train against that. Caliverse lists the hips dropping in the tuck V-sit. Simple Calisthenics lists holding the breath.679

06

Variations and related skills

  • Floor, parallettes or bars

    Equipment

    Simple Calisthenics lists the V-sit on parallettes or an elevated surface before the V-sit on the floor, which it treats as harder. DIE RINGE sets the parallettes about shoulder-width apart.68

  • On rings

    Equipment

    FIG's code lists the V-sit among its ring elements, including a kip to V-sit and a press from a V cross to V-sit, and says V holds on rings must be performed with the legs vertical. This page does not draw rings.1

  • Manna (a higher V-sit)

    Range

    FIG lists the Manna as a separate element and calls it a high V-sit; the code expects a clear difference between a V-sit and a Manna. The Manna has no page in this Atlas.1

  • The hold with the straight legs level with the hips, which GORNATION presents as the position the V-sit starts from.5

Related skillsHanging Leg RaisePlanche

On Calisthenics Balkan

07

Sources

11 sources

What this page relies on. Titles and publishers are written as published.

The small numbers in the text point to the entries below

  1. Men's Artistic Gymnastics Code of Points 2025-2028Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), Men's Technical Committee · PDF, 137 pages; re-read as text 19 Oct 2026; floor element table, the special-repetition rule and the rings rules (Article 12.2.2); the pictograms could not be read as text, so no drawing was used (research S-0022)
  2. Regolamento CaliContest 2025-2026CaliContest (Italian calisthenics competition circuit) · PDF in Italian; re-read 19 Oct 2026; the element list and the one-sentence V-sit definition (the translation here is this page's); the points are the circuit's own values and are not used (research S-0083)
  3. Calisthenics Championships 2025: Freestyle Calisthenics Regulations V.2.0Calisthenics & Street Workout Association Austria (SWA) · PDF; re-read 19 Oct 2026; section 6.1 (statics, the 2-second hold rule, the V-Sit named as an example); it defines no technique (research S-0082)
  4. Overcoming Gravity, 2nd edition: progression charts (public spreadsheet)Steven Low · Google Sheets export; re-read 19 Oct 2026; the ladder 'L, Str-L, V, Manna' and the sheet's key; the book itself was not read and the sheet gives no description of a movement (research S-0093)
  5. Learn The V-SitGORNATION (author bio: Phil, founder) · 30 Mar 2026; read 19 Oct 2026; steps from an L-sit, a mistake list and one line on the shoulders; a commercial blog that points to its own legal disclaimer for safety (research S-0192)
  6. V-Sit ProgressionsSimple Calisthenics (Exercisable GmbH), no individual author · read 19 Oct 2026; the one page found that lists a full ladder and says the lean back is required; a company page without medical text (research S-0193)
  7. The V-Sit: The Ultimate Movement for Posture, Power, and StrengthBreaking Muscle · Andre Miller (personal trainer with a master's in exercise physiology, per his bio) · last updated 22 Nov 2021; read 19 Oct 2026; used for the definition and the shoulder and trunk cues only; its list of benefits is the author's claim and is not repeated here (research S-0191)
  8. V-Sit with parallettesDIE RINGE (calisthenics app and shop), no individual author · read 19 Oct 2026; parallette set-up, the tuck V-sit as the easier step, the confusion with the boat pose and the cautions about flexibility and strength (research S-0194)
  9. V-sit tuck (exercise page)Caliverse (Caliverse AS, Norway), no individual author · read 19 Oct 2026; the tuck V-sit on parallettes, its mistakes and a few safety lines (research S-0195)
  10. V-Sit (Motra exercise page)Motra (formerly Train Fitness), no individual author · read 19 Oct 2026; describes a different movement, a V-hold on the tailbone with the arms forward (research S-0196)
  11. V-Sit: How to Do the HoldCalisthenics Corner, no individual author · read 19 Oct 2026; a hold with the arms extended forward, naming overlap only (research S-0197)

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