Weighted Hollow Body Hold
Also known as: Weighted hollow hold, Hollow body hold with plate, Hollow hold with medicine ball
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Description
Lie on your back with a plate locked out overhead, lift your shoulders and straight legs, and hold the hollow shape still to build a stronger midsection. Your whole abdominal wall works to keep the lower back pinned to the mat, from the ribs down to the pubic bone and along the sides of your waist. The front of your hips holds the legs up and your shoulders hold the plate, but they only keep the shape. Move on to it once a strict bodyweight hollow of about 60 seconds feels easy: a plate at the end of your arms makes 20 seconds hard work.
How to Perform
- Lie on your back on a mat. If you use a medicine ball (2–4 kg), squeeze it between your shins just above the ankles.
- Grip a light plate (2.5–5 kg to start) by the rim, one hand on each side, and press it up over your chest, arms straight.
- Tilt your pelvis back until your lower back presses flat into the mat. That contact comes first; nothing leaves the floor before it.
- Curl your head and shoulder blades up, chin slightly tucked, then take the plate back until your upper arms are beside your ears.
- Raise your straight legs until your heels hover 15–30 cm off the floor, the lowest height at which your lower back stays down.
- Now hold still: elbows locked, legs pressed together, toes pointed. Take short breaths behind a braced stomach and don't let it bulge.
- When time is up, bring the plate back over your chest first, then bend your knees, lower your legs and head and set it down.
What Muscles Work
Primary Muscle:
Tips
- You work in seconds here, not reps: usually 3–5 holds of 10–20 s with a plate that makes 20 s hard, or 3–4 holds of 20–40 s. Add time first. Once all your holds reach the longest time with your back still flat, go 1.25–2.5 kg heavier (or use a ball 1–2 kg heavier) and go back to the shortest.
- Expect hard, even work across the front of your stomach and the sides of your waist, plus the front of your hips and the inner thighs squeezing the ball. Feeling it in your lower back means the back has come off the mat: end the set there.
- Too hard? Hold the plate straight up above your chest and raise your legs higher, or bend your knees. Too easy? Lower your legs or reach further back before adding kilograms; later, try weighted hollow rocks or the dragon flag.
- Substitutes: Hollow Body Hold without load to build the base, Weighted Dead Bug or Dead Bug with Ball when the long lever arches your back, and Weighted Plank if you'd rather work face down or want the same plate without the overhead reach.
Common Mistakes
- Lower back lifting off the mat as the legs drop or the plate goes overhead. Raise your legs or bring the plate closer to your chest until the back stays flat.
- Bent elbows that let the plate drift toward your face and shorten the lever. Lock your arms with the biceps by your ears; if you can't, take a lighter plate.
- Head resting on the floor, or the chin cranked onto the chest so the neck does the work. Lift your shoulder blades, keep the neck long and look up between your arms.
- Legs up at about 45°, where the hold gets easy. Bring your feet down to the lowest height your lower back allows, roughly 15–30 cm off the floor.
- Knees bending, legs drifting apart or the ball slipping out. Squeeze it with your inner thighs and shins, legs straight and toes pointed, or start with a smaller ball.
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