Most of us in the gym have a love hate relationship with Hollow Holds (and Hollow Rocks). Why? Well because they are hard! BUT they have so many applications and help us learn to activate our core properly which keeps our back in a good posiiton in many other lifts. So here are some tips to make sure you are doing them properly:
1. Upper body. Arms should be placed straight overhead, as you crunch up to raise shoulder blades off the ground. (Too difficult? Have arms straight in front of you, while still crunching up to get shoulder blades off the ground).
2. Use your abs; nothing else. Think about pinching your ribcage towards your pelvis/hips.
3. Lower Body. Keep legs as straight as you can and slightly elevate them off the ground to engage your lower abs. (Raise legs a bit higher if it is too difficult to maintain at first. The stronger you get, the lower you can keep your legs during this movement.)
4. Turning a hold into a “rock”. Key is to maintain that hollowed-out position you just achieved in the hollow hold. Then start rocking. 🙂 Pop up your hips and then shoulder blades. That equals one rep. Continue rocking in that boat/banana like position. Avoid simply moving arms or legs to make it appear that you are rocking from your core.
Hope these tips help you get the most out of this movement. This is a great one to add in to an at-home workout because they require no equipment! Thanks for tuning in, see you in class soon!!