Stop doing traditional abdominal exercises.. "hollow push-ups" are your safe choice

Many people consider traditional abdominal exercises essential to get a flat stomach, without realizing that they are exhausting themselves and exposing their bodies to injuries in the long term.

Getting tight abs can be very expensive. If you do abdominal exercises incorrectly, or over-stress your abdominal muscles, this can expose you to a painful back injury, and your exercise will do more harm than good.

young man doing abdominal exercise in a park in the city — Getting toned abs can be very expensive, if you're doing your ab exercises wrong (Getty Images)

These exercises place a “destructive load” on the spinal discs, warns Stuart McGill, a back pain specialist and professor of spinal mechanics at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

To avoid the negative side effects of traditional abdominal exercises, McGill recommends static abdominal exercises derived from yoga, which are in line with the body's natural mechanics, making them “ideal for pain-free abs.”

Certified yoga instructor Jessica Schatz also stresses the importance of learning how to properly activate your abdominal and pelvic muscles to build a stronger core.

At the forefront of these exercises is the “hollow push-up,” which is one of the secrets of professional gymnasts' excellent core strength, as it helps them maintain consistency, train the core in the right way, and build abdominal muscles and strength more effectively. It is a great exercise, “not only for the abs, but for the benefit of the heart as well,” American gymnast KJ Johnson tells Insider.

Hollow push-up exercise

The hollow press is an abdominal exercise that targets the core muscles, and focuses on creating maximum tension through the abdominal muscles, making it excellent for athletes.

It is a simple bodyweight movement that can be done at home in a few minutes without any equipment, and without the need for a gym. It involves lying down and pressing your lower back against the floor to stimulate your core muscles, while raising your legs above the floor, and extending your arms above your head.

According to Johnson, who recommends focusing on consistency, “Try it, and you'll feel the burn in your abs within 30 seconds.”

How to do the exercise

To get the most out of your hollow push-up, follow these steps:

Start by lying on the floor, extending your legs, and placing your arms at your sides.
Practice tightening your abdominal muscles, by engaging your core and pushing your lower back into the floor.
Squeeze your inner thighs together to help initiate the movement.
There should be no space between your lower back and the floor.
Tighten your abdominal muscles and lift your legs 7 cm above the floor, making sure your lower back is in line with the floor.
Lift your head 5 cm off the ground, extend your arms above your head and behind you, and stick your back to the ground.
Hold this position for 30 seconds (or as long as you can) before lowering your legs and shoulders to the floor.
You can make the hollow press more challenging by holding a small weight in your hands during the exercise.
Another way to challenge your body is to lower your legs close to the floor without losing form.
Don't fall into the trap of tucking your chin into your chest, as this can strain your neck and reduce muscle tension.

Develop the exercise

“Once you master the basic movement of the hollow push-up, you can add more challenging variations of the exercise,” says Johnson, such as:

hollow rock: Gently rock back and forth, while maintaining the hollow push-up position, and keeping your core muscles tight.

V position: This is done by extending your feet up above your hips, while extending your hands up towards your toes in a V shape.

Scissor kicks: From a hollow push-up position with legs extended, bring your legs together and cross one leg over the other, then return to the starting position, and repeat with the other leg on top.

Benefits of hollow push-ups

According to experts, the hollow push-up is an excellent move to “target the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and obliques, quadriceps, hip flexors, inner thighs, and spinal muscles,” and it also helps build strength and stability in the core and lower back.

When done correctly, they can help strengthen the muscles needed to prevent lower back pain, train the core to resist arching the lower back, “build a strong and stable midsection, and provide the kind of stability needed during movement.”

Research also suggests that such exercises “can help strengthen the core more than traditional exercises, thereby supporting the back and increasing endurance in both daily life and sports.”