In our blog series #team asks. #coach answers. we’re focusing on the pull-up and our preferred scaling option – the low-bar pull-up – compared to assisted pull-ups with a band.
Have you ever wondered why the hollow hold or hollow-body position is “sacred” to us and why we continually practice and emphasize it?
Unlike pull-ups with bent knees, which you might have seen in traditional gyms, the hollow position activates the entire core (trunk, abs, back), creating full-body tension. This way, we also work the abdominal muscles with every pull-up.
Why? It provides core stability, ensuring that your lower back isn’t overly strained during the pull-up. Bent-knee pull-ups or dips, of course, have their purpose too – they mainly target isolated hypertrophy of specific muscles (like the lats), which is more for aesthetic purposes.
However, breaking the “posterior chain” reduces muscle activation from the lumbar region, thereby increasing the strain on the lower back.
The hollow hold is one of the most essential foundational exercises in CrossFit and is a prerequisite for most gymnastic movements.
On our YouTube channel, we demonstrate the low-bar pull-up.