Two abdominal bracing drills to improve push-ups & pull-ups

Last week I explained the hollow position and mentioned that learning and practicing it would make almost any physical activity easier. This week I'm going to cover two more simple ways to practice the position that will directly improve your push-up and pull-up capabilities: the Superman plank and the hollow hang.

If you can already do push-ups from the floor and unassisted pull-ups, practicing these drills should immediately increase the number of reps you can perform. And if you're not yet able to do push-ups from the floor or unassisted pull-ups, these drills will get you closer to your first rep by helping you build the foundation of strength and timing of muscle contraction that are necessary to perform the movements well.

In either case and if you regularly train at TNT, don't gloss over the Superman plank section. It covers a slightly different way of getting into position that will activate muscles you may not have previously used when doing the exercise.

Let's get to it!

Superman Plank

A Superman plank is basically a face-down hollow hold. Based on the name, it's also obviously a plank variation. As such, the same two adjustments that make the plank more effective will also make the Superman plank more effective (steps 2 & 3 below). So that's exactly what you're going to practice before adding the last step to finalize the position.

1. Assume the plank position on your feet and elbows.
2. Lock your knees—imagine pulling your kneecaps up into your thighs—and squeeze your glutes.
3. Without actually moving your arms or feet, "pull" your elbows and feet toward each other. You should feel your abs and lats contract. (The lattisimus dorsi, or "lats" for short, are the big muscles in the back of and below your armpits.) If you keep your knees locked and glutes squeezed, this should flatten out your lower back exactly like what happens in a hollow hold.
4. Finally, straighten your arms overhead without losing the contraction in your lats, abs, glutes, or thighs. Hold the position for 5 to 15 seconds while taking shallow breaths. (Note: This isn't the best drill if you have high blood pressure. So if you do, make sure to consult your doctor or physical therapist before attempting this.)

If you've been following along, take a short break to shake out the tension in your limbs and torso. Then repeat the first three steps but from the top of a push-up position. When you get to step 4, do a push-up instead of stretching your arms overhead. While you may feel more tired because of the increased muscular tension held throughout your body, you should notice that the push-up itself feels easier.

Practicing your push-ups this way will produce greater strength improvements from your training efforts, so add it in to your routine at least occasionally. But try to find a happy medium of less (but still some) total body tension if you challenge a friend to a push-up contest! 😉

Hollow Hang

People often view the pull-up as strictly an arm and back exercise. If you're strong enough, you can certainly do pull-ups while paying minimal attention to the rest of your body. But if you're not yet able to do a pull-up or if you want to knock off a few extra reps, learning to hollow your body when hanging from a bar will give you an extra boost.

If you found the steps above somewhat challenging, stick with practicing the Superman plank for awhile. But if you're ready for the next step, find the nearest (pull-up) bar and try the following:

1. Hang on the bar with your feet not touching the ground, hands slightly narrower than shoulder width, and palms facing forward.
2. Squeeze your triceps and pull your shoulders into their sockets. If it helps, visualize pulling your ears away from your shoulders.
3. Just like in the Superman plank, lock your knees and squeeze your glutes. Take care to not flex your hips. Your legs will drift forward if you do either, but the feeling will be entirely different. Remember that the hollow position is what we're after (glutes squeezed, tailbone tucked), not the appearance of a hollow position (hips flexed). As an added bonus, squeeze your feet together, and let me know how much more your abs contract!
4. As one more added bonus, imagine bending the pull-up bar by rotating your pinkie fingers forward and your thumbs backward. This will produce just a little more lat contraction, making you feel even stronger.
5. Hold the position for a few seconds before relaxing.

Again if you've been following along, take a short break to shake out the tension. If you're not yet able to do pull-ups, continue practicing the hollow hang. If you are able to do pull-ups, go through the steps above a couple more times using a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip and compressing the time between each step. On your final set, perform steps 1–4 quickly, and immediately follow them up with a pull-up.

Like the push-up, this method will require more energy because of the muscular tension created throughout your body, but you should also notice either touching the bar lower on your neck or chest—i.e. you pulled up higher—or performing the rep faster than normal. Either way, both are good if strength development is the goal!

Putting it into practice

After learning new exercises or drills, it can be very easy to add more and more into your training program and not remove anything until your routine becomes a bloated multi-hour adventure. Of course, few people have time for that, and it's not necessary in order to see improvements anyway.

Here are a few ways that you can apply these (and past) drills based on your experience and strength levels:

Beginner/starting again after long layoff: (A) Practice the regular plank on MF or MWF. (B) As it gets easier, progress to alternating days of planks & hollow holds. i.e. Plank on M, hollow on W, plank on F, etc.

Intermediate (can do a few push-ups and/or pull-ups or are actively working toward them): Start with option (B) above. Progress to hollow practice on M, Superman planks (and optionally hollow hangs) on W, and regular planks on F. This is a practical medium-, hard-, and easy-day rhythm.

Advanced (can do multiple push-ups on the floor and unassisted pull-ups): Practice Superman planks on easy push-up days or on days that you don't do push-ups, hollow hang on easy pull-up days or days that you don't do pull-ups, and regular planks and/or hollow holds on one or two other days each week depending on your goals.