Core · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Hollow Rock
How to do the dumbbell hollow rock, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Isometric
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back holding a dumbbell in both hands with your arms extended overhead and legs straight and lifted off the floor. Press your lower back into the ground and hold this dish shape as you rock forward and backward as one rigid unit. The added dumbbell weight increases the demand on your core throughout the rock.
- 1Constant tension in your abs and hip flexors as you rock
- 2Your arms and legs moving together so the body stays in one solid dish
- 3Your lower back pressed into the floor through the whole movement
Common mistakes
- Breaking at the hips or shoulders and losing the hollow shape
- Letting your lower back arch or your heels drop toward the floor
- Using large jerky swings instead of small controlled rocks
Muscles worked
The dumbbell hollow rock mainly works the upper abs and lower abs, with the obliques, glutes, and hip flexors assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- ObliquesSupport
- GlutesSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- QuadsMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell hollow rock for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.