Hollow Body Hold

The hollow body hold is the core position every bodyweight skill is built on. Pull ups, handstands, muscle ups and front levers all ask you to hold one rigid line under load, and this is where you learn it. It looks easy written down. Thirty honest seconds will tell you otherwise.

How to Perform

1. Lie on your back with your arms overhead and your legs straight.
2. Press your lower back flat into the floor and keep it there. This is the whole exercise.
3. Lift your shoulder blades and your legs a few inches off the floor at the same time.
4. Squeeze your glutes, point your toes and hold your body in a shallow banana shape.
5. Hold for time, breathing shallowly, and stop the set the moment your lower back lifts off the floor.

Tips

• If your back arches, tuck your knees or bring your arms to your sides. Shorter lever, same position, real training effect.
• The set ends when the position breaks, not when the clock does. A hollow hold with an arched back is just lying down badly.
• Build to three sets of forty five seconds before adding rocks or weight.