Hollow hold
The gymnastics trunk position. Your shoulders and legs hover while your lower back stays pressed to the floor.
The movement
Set
01 Set
Flat on your back, arms overhead, low back pressed down.
02 Hollow
Lift shoulders and legs; hold the shallow banana shape.
How to do it
Setup
- Lie on your back with your legs long and your arms stretched overhead on the floor.
- Press your lower back into the floor before you lift anything.
Execution
- Raise your shoulders, arms and legs about a hand's width off the floor.
- Hold that shallow curved position, with your lower back down and your ribs pulled toward your hips.
- Take short steady breaths and hold for time.
Form cues
- Reach long through your fingers and your toes.
- Keep your lower back flat on the floor, and drop your legs if it starts to lift.
Common mistakes
- Lifting your legs and shoulders so high that it turns into a V-sit.
- Letting your lower back arch off the floor as your legs get lower.
Worth knowing
- Bend your knees or hold your legs higher to make it easier. Your back stays down at every level.
General guidance, not medical advice. See how Setkit works.
Notes
Gymnasts build some of the strongest trunks in sport largely on this one position. It braces the whole body at once, with your ribs pulled down, your pelvis tucked and everything long and hovering. It is a plank turned over, and the floor tells you immediately if your lower back cheats upward.
The difficulty adjusts smoothly. Arms overhead with your legs low is brutally hard. Arms forward with your knees bent is manageable for almost anyone. Between those two you can dial it precisely, and you can change it partway through a hold. Start hard, pull the shape in as you tire, and keep your back down throughout.
The position turns up everywhere. It is the body line of a strict push-up, the finish of a kettlebell swing, and the trunk of a handstand. Holding it quietly for thirty seconds improves everything built on top of it.