Hollow Body Hold
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A face-up hold with the lower back pressed flat to the floor and the arms and legs extended off the ground — the gymnastics core position underlying levers, handstands, and the L-sit.
Detail
Lie face-up, posteriorly tilt the pelvis to press the entire lower back flat into the floor, then lift the shoulders/arms and the straight legs off the ground so the body forms a shallow banana/"hollow" curve. Keep the low back glued down throughout — that contact is the whole point. The Rectus Abdominis and Transverse Abdominis (with the hip flexors and obliques) hold this braced, slightly flexed position.
The hollow body is the core shape used in nearly every gymnastics-strength skill — it keeps the body rigid in the Front Lever Progression, handstand, and L-Sit Progression. Regress by tucking the knees or keeping the arms by the sides; progress by extending the limbs longer, adding hold time, or "hollow rocks." If the low back lifts off the floor, regress immediately.
Key facts
- Low back pressed flat (posterior pelvic tilt); arms and straight legs lifted into a shallow curve.
- Core shape behind levers, handstands, and the L-sit.
- Regress: tuck knees / arms down. Progress: longer limbs, more time, hollow rocks.
- Keep the low back on the floor — lift = regress.
Connections
- Plank Progression — companion core training.
- L-Sit Progression / Front Lever Progression — skills that use this shape.
- Rectus Abdominis / Transverse Abdominis — prime movers.
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