Essential Body Shape Series, Part 1: Hollow Hold

Essential Body Shape Series, Part 1: Hollow Hold
by: Coach Kaitlin Most coaches, both in the gymnastics world and the crossfit world, teach hollow holds on the back with the legs, upper shoulders, head, and arms extended off of the ground. The most common mistake with this position is the allowance of a small arch in the lower back creating a space between the lumbar spine and the floor. Unfortunately this space is often difficult to notice.

This weekend, at The Outlaw Way Para Bellum Series Training Camp, I had athletes flip over to their stomachs and hold a hollow hold on their hands and feet, a little trick I took away from 10 year old gymnastics strength conditioning. Resting the feet against a wall or step, I had the athletes slide their hands out as far as they could from the wall while maintaining a hollow body shape. The goal is to have a perfect round shape from hands to feet. In this position you will be more able to fine-tune the body shape. The most common mistakes are a pike in the hips, broken shoulder angle, and sagging mid-section. Focus on squeezing the glutes and extending through the shoulders as far as possible while maintaining a rounded back. Performing the hollow hold on your hands and feet also gives the athlete a chance to drill the extended shoulder position essential to all other crossfit gymnastics movements

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 Study the differences between the positions below:

The goal is to have arms shoulder width apart, and not have any space between the shoulders, neck, and ears. In this position the athlete should be actively working to push the floor away.

Work on moving your hands further and further away from your feet to make your hollow hold increasingly lower to the ground. 

Tabata hollow holds anyone??