One of my least favorite moves when it comes to Pilates classes? Hollow holds. This sounds relatively simple — sit on your sit bones and raise your arms and legs — but it’s a cost-effective isometric exercise that really works your core hard.
like many best pilates ab exercisesThe hollow hold works your abs while also working your lower back muscles. Done correctly, the hollow hold strengthens the transversus abdominis (the deepest core muscle), the rectus abdominis (the outer “six-pack” muscle), the obliques, the erector spinae, the hip flexors, the quadriceps, and the internal muscles. thigh. To learn more and really dig into the exercise, I did 3-minute hollow holds every day he did for a week.
Looking for more weird and wonderful workout inspiration? Read what happened when I drank a gallon of water a day for a month. and when Performed 50 walking planks daily for 1 month here.
How to do a hollow hold
To perform a hollow hold with proper form: best yoga mat, with arms and legs extended. Inhale your navel toward your spine to tighten your abs, lifting not only your head and neck but also your arms and legs a few inches off the ground, tucking your chin into your chest. Please wait here.
Make sure your hips are pressed against the mat at all times during the hold. If this is too difficult, choose Dead Bugs instead. (here how to deadbug Or, if your back is peeling off the mat, place your arms at your sides instead, pointing toward your feet.
If a hollow hold is too easy, you can go for a hollow body lock and rock back and forth while holding the hold position or hold and add weight. adjustable dumbbell Or hold a weight plate in your hand.
This is a challenging sit-up exercise, but if you have lower back problems, it’s worth checking with your doctor or personal trainer before practicing the Hollow Hold.
I did 3 minute hollow holds every day for a week and was amazed at the results.
To test my core strength, I did 3-minute Hollow Holds daily for a week, and here are the results:
3 minutes has never felt so long
On the first day of this challenge, I wondered why I set myself a 3 minute challenge.this is long For the first few days of the challenge, I divided my sets into three 1-minute holds with short breaks in between.
I also learned that I had to really think about my core during this move. Your shoulder blades should be off the ground during this movement, and the lift should be coming from your stomach, not the arms or legs themselves.
2. I learned to find joy in my rocking core
This shook my core. By the end of the week, I was able to hold his three-minute hollow hold without a break, but my entire midsection was trembling the entire time. I could feel my abs really working to stabilize my body. The overall goal of this exercise is to keep your body still. This wasn’t a heart rate spike, but I could feel my abs working hard to do so.
3. Increased core strength and trained inner thighs
Of course, exercising for a week won’t make any noticeable difference to your body. (here How Body Fat Percentage Is Calculated and Why It Matters.) That being said, by the end of the week I was confident I could hold my hollow hold for longer.
As I said at the beginning, this is more than just a sit-up. As I focused on extending my legs and pointing my toes, I noticed that my inner thighs were also getting quite a bit of exercise during the hollow hold.
4. Practice makes perfect (so-so)
Do you like this exercise after doing it for 21 minutes over the course of a week? But after digging into my form and practicing for a week, I was so confident in my hollow holds that I even managed to add a set of 3kg dumbbells on the final day of the challenge. Core strength is important for running faster, stronger, and avoiding injury-related days off, so this is definitely an ab exercise you’ll want to incorporate into your routine going forward.
Looking for more ab workout inspiration? Check this out 15 minute dumbbell ab workout.plus this Pilates workout for abs and glutes.
