Victorian

## Description

The victorian goes by many names. Previously known as "victorian front", the skill can also be called "parallel bars victorian (cross)" or shorter pbar vic, "forearm assisted victorian (cross)", it consists of holding your entire body horizontal, belly facing up, at the level of your arms, with the arms straight and the forearms resting on a surface.

The victorian can be executed on many different surfaces. More often done on parallel bars, it can be performed on a single bar (with the belly touching the bar), on a flat surface (only for the forearms, or resting the arms too), or directly on the floor.

Victorian is one of the rare skills where having longer arms is actually an advantage.

## History

This exercise has been used by gymnast as an accessory for the Victorian cross, and generally as a posterior strength exercise.

French athlete Flolit held his first victorian on the floor on Nov 7th, 2016.

On March 19th, 2018, he posted a video of him performing a dragon press to floor victorian with only one elbow on the floor.

On October 1st, 2020, French athlete Rémi Laget posted the first video of his named skill, consisting of going from a dragon press to a floor victorian.

## Diving into the variations

### Parallel bars

This version is surely the most popular and coveted. In this movement, having a straight body is mandatory. The height of the body can vary depending on your strength, however your hips should at least be on the same line as your arms. It is preferrable to have straight arms, however a slight bend is acceptable (to gain height for example).

On parallel bars it is possible to perform an overcorrected victorian, which is considered the hardest variation of victorian (harder than floor).

The bar grip depends from person to person, from neutral hand position, to index pointing forward, to not holding the bar at all. The forearm position can also change. Usually, a pronation position is used, with a slight external rotation of the shoulder to keep the elbow safe from brutal pressure of the bar.

A harder variation is doing what is commonly called a "high victorian", with the whole body (including butt and heels) over the bar.

### Single bar

Sometimes called "elbow frontlever", this version is considered the easiest as the pelvis is way under the arms compared to other variations. However it is quite painful on the forearms, and a misadjustment can hurt the elbows pretty bad. Arms are straight in this variation.

It is possible to use two parallel bars as one single bar, with space between them, to perform this variation with the belly between the arms (respecting the main canon of the skill). This variation has been performed on low bars by Rémi Laget.

### Flat surface

This is performing the lift between two leveled flat surfaces. It can also be called a "box victorian", as it is usually performed on boxes, but it can also be done between two beds or two dictionnaries. Depending on the length of the surfaces, you can put your forearm only, or your whole arm on the surface. Putting the whole arm allows for an easier wider hand placement and is a good exercise for the Victorian cross. With only the forearm, you can train the forearm position of the floor victorian.

The arm position in these variations is preferrably slightly externally rotated, as too much internal rotation causes a forced internal rotation (especially if the arm is on the surface), and thus, protraction, loss of line and pelvic position. It is advisable to stay as extended and retracted as possible in any variation of the victorian.

### Floor

Performing a victorian on the floor is an impressive feat of strength, especially if done with a straight body.

It can be done with different hand positions: flat hand, fist, fingertips (5 or less), on the back of the hand (this grip changes the position of the forearm on the floor), or even without the hand on the floor. However, part of the forearm still has to be in contact with the ground (only elbow is impossible and very painful to attempt).

It can also be done with only one elbow resting on the floor. Having one arm straight gives a great height bonus, but more of the weight will be on the resting elbow.

Variations where the forearm is lifted off the ground eg fingertip place a greater load on the elbow and can be more painful, but are considered slightly easier due to the elevated forearm position.

## Prerequisites

Having a good frontlever is advisable before training the victorian. However, training easier progressions such as advanced tuck victorian can greatly help the retraction power in frontlever. For some people with extremely long arms, a low victorian can even feel easier than a frontlever.

The easiest variation should be either a box victorian with arms on the surface, or single bar victorian.

Before getting a floor victorian, it is advisable to have experience with a high victorian.

## Carry-over

The victorian is a great posterior strength builder, but the movement is still very specific. At best it helps with retraction, and regular frontlever. Athlete Rémi Laget unlocked a floor victorian before frontlever touch.

In the world of victorian, the elements greatly help each other.

## Difficulty

The difficulty of the movement depends greatly on the variation performed. In the Burningate code of points, it is worth 2,2 points on a single bar and 2,8 points on parallel bars, making it an intermediate movement. Performing a high victorian gives a 25% bonus on the skill (3,5 points), making it an advanced movement.

The floor victorian is not present in the Burningate code of points, but is considered an elite movement.