Form Check | Hollow Hold

The hollow hold is a core training staple — but are you sure you're even doing the exercise correctly?

For this basic gym necessity, you shouldn't settle for anything other than perfect form—especially because it's such a simple, essential movement when done properly. Let Men's Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. and associate fitness editor Brett Williams guide you through the exercise's subtleties, saving you from the bad habits that are keeping you from unlocking your fitness potential.

Before you drop down to the floor to get going, take note that it's extremely important to pay attention to the subtleties of the position here. You're not just lifting your legs and arms up with no other cues—you're going to have to pay attention to more than just your limbs. That will make even more sense as you apply the position elsewhere in your training, since the fundaments of the move will teach you how to position your body for gymnastics moves like the handstand.