← EXERCISE LIBRARYCalisthenics
Hollow Body Hold
Supine hold with the lower back pressed flat and the limbs extended, the shape underneath every straight-body skill. Three holds of thirty seconds with the back flat before you lower the limbs.
- 01Lie on your back with the knees tucked and the arms at your sides.
- 02Press the lower back into the floor and hold that contact.
- 03Lift the shoulder blades slightly off the mat and look toward the knees.
- 04Extend the legs and arms only as far as you can hold the back flat.
- 05Hold while breathing shallow, and tuck back in when the spine lifts.
- 01Low back glued to the floor, that is the rep.
- 02Ribs down toward the hips.
- 03Long through the fingers and the toes.
- 01Letting the lower back arch off the floor, which turns a trunk exercise into a hip flexor exercise and irritates the spine.
- 02Extending the legs too soon, which guarantees the arch and means the hold never trains the right shape.
- 03Holding the breath, which makes the position feel stable but hides whether the trunk is actually doing the work.
Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.