Say "HOLLOW" to Rock Hard Abs

Abs are like the output of a high-quality stereo—fine tune the dials, and you’ll get a crisp, clear sound. When you dial in the right balance of “Ab” settings, you’ll get leaner, stronger Abs. Exercise is one of several dials you can adjust towards toned abs, and overall fitness.

Fine tune your “Ab Settings” to dial in leaner, stronger Abs

Fine tune your “Ab Settings” to dial in leaner, stronger Abs

Checkout KinetiCoach’s nutrition guidance here, and our lifestyle (sleep/stress) guidance here.

Today, let’s unlock the gymnast’s secret to rock hard abs: the Hollow Rock. “Hollow” is a neutral position that relies on a squeezed butt (to hold a neutral pelvis), a belly full of air (to support the spine), and flexed abs to lock it all in place. We can take advantage of the hollow position in a series of exercises to develop an incredibly strong core, and defined abs.

The Hollow Rock is the culmination of several building block exercises progressing from a "tuck” position, through a “straddle” position, and ending in the full “hollow” position. But they all share 3 initial steps: 1) Fill your belly with air; 2) Press your lower back into the ground; 3) Crunch your abs to raise your shoulders off the ground.

The Hollow Rock combines squeezed glutes, a belly full of air, and crunched abs into a dynamic gut-buster

The Hollow Rock combines squeezed glutes, a belly full of air, and crunched abs into a dynamic gut-buster

Here’s KinetiCoach’s progression to master the hollow rock. BE PATIENT! Gains in core strength and ab definition accompany the process. Don’t move on until you achieve each milestone. Include these exercises in your warmup 2-3 time each week, but not more than 2 days in a row.

MILESTONE 1 : 3 sets of 60 Second TUCK HOLD with 1 minute rest between sets

Tuck Hold GIF with notations.gif

  • Week 1: 3 Sets of 10-15 second Tuck Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 2: 3 Sets of 20-30 second Tuck Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 3: 4 sets of 30-35 second Tuck Hold. Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 4 (Recovery): 3 sets of 10-15 second Tuck Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 5: 5 sets of 45 second Tuck Hold. Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 6 (MILESTONE): 3 sets of 60 second Tuck Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

MILESTONE 2: 3 sets of 45 Tuck Rocks with 1 minute rest between sets

Tuck Rock GIF with notations.gif

  • Week 1: 3 Sets of 10-15 Tuck Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 2: 3 Sets of 20-30 Tuck Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 3: 4 sets of 30-35 Tuck Rocks Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 4 (Recovery): 3 sets of 10-15 Tuck Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 5: 5 sets of 35 Tuck Rocks. Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 6 (MILESTONE): 3 sets of 45 Tuck Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

MILESTONE 3 : 3 sets of 60 second STRADDLE HOLD with 1 minute rest between sets

Stradde Hold with notations.gif

  • Week 1: 3 Sets of 10-15 second Straddle Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 2: 3 Sets of 20-30 second Straddle Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 3: 4 sets of 30-35 second Straddle Hold. Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 4 (Recovery): 3 sets of 10-15 second Straddle Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 5: 5 sets of 45 second Straddle Hold. Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 6 (MILESTONE): 3 sets of 60 second Straddle Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

MILESTONE 4: 3 sets of 45 STRADDLE ROCKS with 1 minute rest between sets

Straddle Rock with notations.gif

  • Week 1: 3 Sets of 10-15 Straddle Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 2: 3 Sets of 20-30 Straddle Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 3: 4 sets of 30-35 Straddle Rocks Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 4 (Recovery): 3 sets of 10-15 Straddle Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 5: 5 sets of 35 Straddle Rocks. Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 6 (MILESTONE): 3 sets of 45 Straddle Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

MILESTONE 5 : 3 sets of 60 second HOLLOW HOLD with 1 minute rest between sets

Hollow Hold with Notations.gif

  • Week 1: 3 Sets of 10-15 second Hollow Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 2: 3 Sets of 20-30 second Hollow Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 3: 4 sets of 30-35 second Hollow Hold. Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 4 (Recovery): 3 sets of 10-15 second Hollow Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 5: 5 sets of 45 second Hollow Hold. Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 6 (MILESTONE): 3 sets of 60 second Hollow Hold. Rest 1 minute between sets

MILESTONE 6 : 3 sets of 45 HOLLOW ROCKS with 1 minute rest between sets

Hollow Rock with Notations.gif

  • Week 1: 3 Sets of 10-15 Hollow Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 2: 3 Sets of 20-30 Hollow Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 3: 4 sets of 30-35 Hollow Rocks Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 4 (Recovery): 3 sets of 10-15 Hollow Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

  • Week 5: 5 sets of 35 Hollow Rocks. Rest 75 seconds between sets

  • Week 6 (MILESTONE): 3 sets of 45 Hollow Rocks. Rest 1 minute between sets

KINETICOACH has more than 300 unique exercises and 1000 workouts to develop whole-body strength & conditioning. Checkout our Movement Library for more core exercises.

KINETICOACH is the best fitness App for business travel, vacation, and home.  It was developed by business travelers and fitness professionals with more than 30 years of personal coaching experience and decades using hotel gyms.

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Exercises, Fitness, Gymnastics, Core StrengthCoach JAbs, core, six pack, gymnastics