Hollow Holds

What exactly should be felt during hollow holds? I do them a lot because they're such a fundamental position, and although my body is about 3/5 legs and not the best leverage, I have been making progress. I wonder, should I tense the glutes, keep my hands above my head, or what? Should curl my spin to maximize the crunch-like move, or should I keep my body as straight as possible? Any video or picture would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Google will find you plenty of pictures, its a very common position, the foundation of all gymnastic body line work.

The most important feature is that the lower back is completely pressed into the floor. The upper body is just off the floor so the shoulder blades aren't touching, but its not a crunch. Find an angle for your arms and legs that allows this, and then work on the strength and ROM to extend more and more.

Oh! I've been doing it all wrong! I had my back arched big time... no wonder it was so hard.

Also, during a handstand, should I tense my entire body?

Keep your glutes and shoulders off of the floor, tense your abs like crazy. What you basically want to achieve is to have your lower back flat on the floor and your ribcage pulled down to your hip.

Practice these often, daily if you can.

As for handstands, you basically want to a similar position, as rigid as possible (Tighten abs, pull ribcage towards hip, squeeze your glutes as hard as you can and tilt your pelvis forward into the back-flat position.). The most important focus points are glute and abdominal tension combined with actively pushing the shoulders down.

Two great drills to practice the body line are the Hollow Hold and the drill described by Blairbob in this post;

Blairbob said:

If your shoulders are less than completely open, your back will have to arch to compensate.

If your hands are all the way to the wall in a stomach to wall handstand, you shoulders would probably have a somewhat closed angle.

Here is a good drill:

Lay on the ground on your stomach. Extend your arms like a handstand. Point your toes and keep your legs together. Now squeeze your butt.

Now, try to suck your belly button off the ground. This will create the pelvic tilt you need for a HS.

Squeeze your butt, suck your gut!

Necro post, but...

You're supposed to tense your glutes and trunk very hard, right? That makes it so easy that it makes me unsure that I'm doing it right. :roll:

Yes its all about full body tension.

Its one of the more basic forms though, so it should get 'easy'. The big thing with it is the fact that the hollow shape is used in one way or another in many other ways that aren't so easy, we want to drill the shape into the nervous system.

Mr Brady said:

Yes its all about full body tension.

Its one of the more basic forms though, so it should get 'easy'. The big thing with it is the fact that the hollow shape is used in one way or another in many other ways that aren't so easy, we want to drill the shape into the nervous system.

That makes so much sense. I have just tensing my abdominals and have found it so hard. I estimate that my maximum hold with the proper form is about 30-45 seconds instead of the poor form's 15-20!

Thanks a lot!