We all want to have a toned stomach and a visible six-pack is the epitome of fitness and health. But let's be honest - after a long and tiring day at the office, we just don't feel like going to the gym. And that's not a bad thing at all, as long as you still stay active in some way. After all, a quick workout or just an exercise in between is much better than not moving at all. Luckily, there are now plenty of home workouts that are just as effective. Do you do hundreds of crunches and sit-ups every day and still nothing happens? Then we have the perfect solution for you! Hollow Holds and Hollow Rocks exercise are ideal for toning the abdominal muscles and a great alternative to sit-ups! We'll tell you how to do abdominal exercises correctly and the mistakes you should avoid in our article!
Positive Effects of Hollow Rocks Exercise
The Hollow Rocks exercise looks super simple at first glance, or at least until you try the exercise and realize that you have the core strength of a jellyfish. In order for the whole thing to be effective, a certain degree of body control is required to execute it. The abdominal exercise is performed lying down, which not only works the abdominal muscles but also the core muscles as wellstrengthens your back. Since Hollow Rocks focuses primarily on body tension, the exercise forms the basis for all movements and also supports other abdominal exercises.
Hollow Rocks exercise execution
The Hollow Rocks exercise is anything but easy and to avoid possible injuries and pain, thecorrect techniqueessential. You don't need any special equipment to perform it - just a fitness or yoga mat. So add some variety to your workout routine and learn how to do Hollow Rocks right here.
- Lie on your back on the yoga mat.
- Tense your core and pull your belly button towards you to activate your abdominal muscles.
- Then stretch out your arms and legs and make sure that your back remains firmly on the floor and does not form a hollow back.
- Raise your shoulders, arms and legs a few centimeters from the floor and rock back and forth slowly and in a controlled manner.
- Repeat the movement for at least 20-30 seconds and return to the starting position.
- Do 4-5 sets total.
With weights
Once you have mastered how to perform the Hollow Rocks exercise correctly, you can increase the difficulty by adding weights. Seems logical, right? The extra weight means our core has to work even harder to stay stable.
Hollow Holds for Beginners
Are you new to the fitness world and find the Hollow Rocks exercise too strenuous? Then you should start with hollow holds first and slowly work your way up. Like the plank exercise, this is a static abdominal exercise - so you have to maintain abdominal tension for a certain amount of time without moving your torso. How to do hollow holds correctly:
- Lie on your back and stretch your legs and arms away from your body. Make sure your back stays on the floor.
- Tense your abdominal muscles and then lift your shoulders, arms and legs 10-20 cm off the floor.
- Hold the position for as long as possible and return to the starting position.
- If this is too difficult for you, you can do the exercise with your legs bent.
- As soon as you notice that you can no longer hold the tension, stop the hollow holds immediately.
You should avoid these mistakes
No matter whether it's squats, planks or the hollow rocks exercise - to get the most out of our training we need to focus on correct execution. There actually islots of errors, which can ruin our workouts and lead to permanent injuries in the long run. To avoid this, we have put together some of the most common Hollow Rocks mistakes for you.
- The back comes into a hollow back– this is actually one of the most common and dangerous mistakes in Hollow Rocks. To avoid back pain, you should ensure that your back always remains on the ground when performing the exercise. So, to achieve this, you need to keep your core engaged all the time. If you lose connection to the ground, change your arm and leg position. Keep your arms at the side of your body and bend your legs - this will significantly reduce tension.
- Tuck in your chin– While performing the Hollow Rocks exercise, you should always pull your chin towards the pit of your throat. Otherwise, you will move the neck out of neutral alignment, which in turn increases the risk of neck injuries.
