The hollow body is a position found in gymnastics strength training. It's an excellent tool for improving your midline stability, core strength, and abdominal function. It's a great addition to other midline and core work such as planks, side planks, supermans, and table tops etc. It also helps develop the strength and stability required to perform such movements as chin ups/pull ups, front support on rings or bars, levers and handstands ... just to name a few. "Hollowing out" is a must if you're intending on being able to hold a straight handstand!
The clip above shows you a few different progressions of the hollow body position (or Banana Holds as one of my clients has named them!). Try adding them into your workouts by choosing a progression that is challenging to hold for 10-15 seconds, then build up to a 1min hold and move onto the next progression.
A few tips when performing your hollow body hold are as follows ...
- Your lower back must, at all times, be pressed firmly into the ground. DO NOT allow your back to lift from the ground. If it does, you're most likely using a progression that's fat too advanced for you at the moment.
- Squeeze your legs together hard, with the exception of the straddle holds. This will help create more tension and stimulate core muscles.
- Point your toes! This creates more tension, it doesn't just look pretty!
- The shoulder blades do not touche the ground, but don't crunch yourself up too much.
- When the legs are extended the knees are locked out.
- The whole body it tight.
- When your arms are over head and extended, be sure to "hug the ears" and fully open the shoulders. DO NOT relax the lower back by arching while trying to open the shoulders. This is a sign of tight shoulders and lack of mobility, allow them to open up as full as possible without allowing your back to lift.
- Tim
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