Hollow body holds are powerful ab exercises that can be kind of an alternative for doing plank, but it can be easier and some say overall better holding ab exercise because it is easier to target the right spot, whereas in plank many inexperienced do it wrong when it’s not so effective. Hollow body holds are beginner friendly exercise, but also can and should be done at intermediate level also.
Start doing hollow body hold exercise by laying on your back and lifting your straight legs off the floor and stretch your hands in the air and raise shoulder blades off the floor. Legs at around 20-30 degree angle and hands at around 45 degree angle. The angle of your legs can vary depending on your ab strength – higher the legs easier the hold and vice versa.
The most important thing about hollow body holds is that you must keep your lower back pressed to the floor and in a rounded shape.
This is the position that targets your abs since you must squeeze them to keep your lower back on the floor. If your form collapses i.e. your lower back comes off the floor it’s time to stop, take a 1 to 2 minute rest and hold again for as long as possible.
To make hollow body holds easier try to lift your shoulder blades and hands even more off the floor and legs at a higher degree angle but not straight up at 90 degrees though. If it still feels too hard you can try to bend your legs.
Once you start doing hollow body holds, even though they feel hard at first, they become doable surprisingly fast. At first, I would do them as the first or second ab/core exercise of the workout but as I progressed and did other core exercises, I would leave the hollow body holds as last so I could squeeze out all the remaining strength I have left in me. Do this, and for the next couple days you will always be reminded that you did a good core and ab workout.
So in summary this is how to do hollow body holds step by step:
- lay on your back and press your lower back into the floor
- lift your straight legs straight off the floor at about 20 to 30 degree angle (or higher if feels hard and lower them slowly)
- lift your shoulder blades off the floor and stretch your arms straight back at about 30 to 45 degree angle
- keep squeezing your core to keep your lower back stuck to the floor
- keep this position as long as possible
And remember the lower back rule: The moment your lower back leaves the floor, the exercise is over. Don’t try to squeeze out a few more seconds in a bad form. Quality always beats quantity in these kinds of exercises.
Why Should You Do Hollow Body Holds?
The hollow body hold exercise more than just an ab exercise. It is THE exercise for developing real midsection strength. While ab crunches focus on the surface muscles and people usually do them for the looks, the hollow hold forces your entire core to work as a single, stabilized unit. It builds the kind of functional strength that doesn’t just look good in the mirror but transfers directly to intermediate calisthenic movements
Think of the hollow body as the foundation for advanced bodyweight training. If you plan on progressing to skills such as L-sit, handstands, dragon flags and perhaps eventually to human flags, this hollow body hold exercises are a great way to progress towards those. It teaches your body how to stay rigid and under tension for a longer period times, preventing the lack of holding strength that usually cause people to fail at harder skills.
Regular hollow body hold can also improve your posture overtime and help with stiffness. Unlike many other core exercises, the hollow hold activates also the hip flexors, quads, and lats. Because it activates so many muscles at once, it teaches your body intermuscular coordination, that is the ability for different muscle groups to fire together. This translates to more power and strength in your heavier lifts like squats, overhead presses and deadlifts because your core becomes a more solid and strong “pillar” that won’t fold under heavy weight.
Technique For Hollow Body Hold
The most common mistake while doing hollow body holds is arching your lower back off from the floor. To perfect the hollow body hold, you want to hollow out your core and keep your abs engaged throughout the entire time.
Taking deep controlled breaths in and out of your stomach will totally engage your ab muscles and keep a strong contraction.
Focus on keeping your neck straight and avoid the “goose neck” or “nerd neck”. Tuck your chin in and look at your feet while making a double chin.
Hollow Body Hold Progression
Start from a tucked position. Then aim for longer lever legs being at higher angles more towards the roof at an about 45 degree angle and as you progress try to get your legs lower and closer to the floor while remaining in the correct form with your lower back still pressed to the floor and ab muscles engaged.
If you need, you can keep your hand straight ahead for easier holds but I recommend you to start working toward getting hands straight back behind your head.
3-5 sets of 30-45 second hollow body holds is a good progression.
To make hollow body holds harder, you can try taking a lightweight dumbbell to your hands and while holding the hollow body hold position, move your hand with the dumbbell form over your shoulders to above your stomach and back. This movement will engage your core muscles even more while increasing overall body mobility strength.
Hollow Body Holds Summary:
- Lower back glued to the floor
- Legs straight and squeezed together
- Shoulders lifted off the ground
- Glutes and quads fully engaged
- Controlled breathing
