There are specific exercises where you will have muscle tension from the start, such as the deadlift from the floor, the squat out of the hole, and the hollow hold exercise. The hollow what? The socket hollow. If you have trouble feeling the tension in your abs, the hollow grip is for you because with this exercise the muscle tension is real.
Muscle tension is vital for doing a lift, getting stronger, or adding muscle. Muscle tension is one or more muscles that remain semi-contracted for an extended period of time. Tension could be the missing link in your performance inside and outside the gym.
Here we’ll dive into the hollow hold exercise, how to do it, muscles trained, benefits and programming suggestions, and three hollow hold variations. Here, you will discover the true meaning of simple but not easy.
What is the Hollow Hold Exercise
At the heart of the hollow grip, muscle tension jolted. The hollow grip allows you to balance on your behind with your legs and arms a few inches off the floor. Extending your arms and legs away from the body decreases your stability, so your core works harder to keep you from collapsing to the floor. Think of it like a plank, but only on your butt. The hollow grip builds isometric core and anti-rotational strength and makes you aware of muscle tension.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xRpGgttca8&ab_channel=MarcusFilly
How to do the hollow hold exercise
- Lie on the floor and find a neutral spine.
- With your feet together, bring them four to six inches off the floor.
- Bring your arms overhead with your biceps close to your ears like the referee signaling a touchdown.
- Press your lower back into the ground, contract your trunk and feel the burn.
Muscles trained with the Hollow Hold exercise
The muscles it works are apparent when you enter the hollow hold position. For the uninitiated, here are the upper and lower body muscles it works. All of the muscles listed below work isometrically (muscle contraction without movement).
Lower body
- rectus abdominis
- Transversal abdominals
- obliques
- Quadriceps
- hip flexors
- Loins
Upper body
- Deltoids
- Pectorals
- Neck extensors and flexors
The 4 main benefits of the Hollow Hold exercise
Have you ever heard of someone who has too much base strength? Me neither, which is why you should consider including the hollow grip in your routine for these four reasons (and probably more).
- Ideal for beginners and advanced: You can do this exercise if you can lie on the floor and raise your arms and legs. Nothing is complex about this move, but boy, you will feel the burn and have an internal “discussion” about whether to quit.
- Better spinal stability: Regularly performing hollow grips will increase your spine’s ability to stay neutral under load. The compressive and shear forces exerted on your spine when performing many weighted lower body movements are excellent. By improving the ability to keep a neutral spine while doing hollow grips, you will improve the core’s ability to resist unwanted rotational and shear forces on the spine.
- Improved performance with other complex exercises: Keeping a neutral spine under load and coordinating your abs, hips, and upper body is essential for complex movements like pull-ups, pull-ups, dips, and ring work. Hollow holds are simple (but not easy) for training the strength needed to perform complex, loaded bodyweight movements.
- Improved base strength: Although the Big 3 and other lower body movements strengthen the core, you need exercises that don’t strain the spine while improving core strength. Hollow rocks fit that bill perfectly, as they’ll strengthen your abs, obliques, and spinal erectors while you’re having a great time on the floor.
Common Hollow Plug Mistakes
The hollow grip is simple to perform and not complex like deadlifts or a clean and jerk. But simple doesn’t mean easy, and there are a few things you need to pay attention to when performing this exercise to get the most out of it.
- Keep your head and shoulders up: When you’re tired, your shoulder blades and head tend to drop to the ground, making it harder to keep your lower back above the ground. This problem is easy to solve. Stop the set, rest, and do another quality set.
- Raise them just a little (not too much): Many lifters believe that more is better when it comes to the height of their feet and hands, but that is not the case. Your feet should be about 6 inches off the floor, because beyond that you’ll put your legs in an L shape. And that’s not a hollow grip.
- Keep it on the ground: The lower back must be glued to the floor for the entire duration of the exercise, otherwise the benefits listed above become useless.
HOLLOW OUTLET PROGRAMMING SUGGESTIONS
Hollow holds are a versatile exercise that can be included in your warm-up or as part of a basic circuit before the barbell. For example:
1A. Hollow Hold 30 to 60 seconds
1B. Deadbug Pull 6 reps each side
1 C. Single Leg Hip Extensions 12 reps each side
Hollow holds in layering with a strength move that requires core stability but doesn’t take away from your well-functioning strength exercise. For example.
1A. Dumbbell bench press
1B. Hollow Hold 30 to 60 seconds
HOLLOW HOLD VARIATIONS
The hollow grip is like many good exercises because you can progress when you want to increase your gains. When you’ve mastered the hollow grip and need to be challenged more, try these progressions.
