Core · Bodyweight
Hollow Body Hover
How to do the hollow body hover, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- time
- Movement
- Isometric
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Lie on your back with your arms overhead and legs straight. Press your lower back into the floor and lift your head, shoulders, arms, and legs just a few inches off the ground so your body hovers in a shallow dish shape. Hold this low hover, keeping your lower back pressed down and breathing steadily.
- 1Press your lower back into the floor and feel deep core engagement
- 2Keep arms and legs hovering low in a long hollow shape
- 3Hold steady while breathing through constant ab tension
Common mistakes
- Do not let your lower back arch off the ground or ribs flare
- Avoid letting your legs drift so high the tension eases
- Do not hold your breath; breathe to support the hold
Muscles worked
The hollow body hover mainly works the upper abs and lower abs, with the obliques, hip flexors, and glutes assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- ObliquesSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- QuadsMinor
Kovo programs the hollow body hover 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.