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Core strength is crucial for everyone, not just athletes or individuals aiming for six-pack abs. A strong core is fundamental for performing daily activities such as sitting, standing, walking, and lifting. It plays a vital role in maintaining spine health, supporting proper posture, and enabling balance, ultimately reducing the risk of pain and injury.
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But here’s the catch: most traditional core exercises like crunches or basic planks don’t give you a complete picture of how strong and stable your core is. That’s where this 60-second challenge comes in.
This one-minute test is simple, safe, and requires no equipment. All you need is your body and a little floor space. But don’t let that fool you. In just 60 seconds, it reveals how well your core muscles work together to keep you stable and strong.
This 60-second challenge reveals how your body handles tension, control, and fatigue, and where you have room to improve. Whether you’re just getting started with fitness or looking for a simple way to measure your progress, this challenge is a great place to begin.
Let’s break it down step by step and show you what your results mean.
What Is the 60-Second Core Challenge?
The challenge is built around the hollow body hold, a fundamental position in gymnastics that demands full-body engagement. While it looks simple on paper, holding it for a full minute is a serious feat of strength and control.
When done correctly, the hollow hold lights up your deep core muscles, locks in your posture, and forces your body into one continuous line of tension. You’ll know within seconds whether you have what it takes.
The Test:
- Exercise: Hollow Body Hold
- Duration: 60 seconds
- Goal: Hold perfect form for as long as possible.
How To Do the Hollow Body Hold Correctly
To get the most out of this challenge, strict form is everything. Sloppy positioning means you’re not genuinely testing your core.
Step-by-step:
- Lie flat on your back with arms extended overhead and legs straight.
- Press your lower back into the floor by bracing your core.
- Lift your shoulders and legs a few inches off the ground, forming a gentle banana shape.
- Keep your arms extended by your ears and legs fully extended with toes pointed.
- Breathe through your nose, and hold tight.
Form cues:
- Your lower back should never arch off the floor.
- Keep your ribs tucked and avoid flaring them out.
- If you can’t hold the full version, scale by bending your knees or bringing your arms to your sides.
What This Challenge Actually Measures
The hollow hold reveals how your core performs under tension, and where you’re compensating.
- Core Strength and Endurance
The hollow hold taxes your deep core musculature, including the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and internal obliques, which provide stability and protect your spine.
- Body Control
You must generate full-body tension from head to toe to maintain the position; it’s about more than raw strength. It’s about owning your position under fatigue.
- Postural Integrity
Many people break down because their posture can’t hold up. If your shoulders shrug, your ribs flare, or your back arches, it’s a sign your postural muscles aren’t pulling their weight.
What Your Score Means
- Held for 0-20 seconds: You’ve got some work to do. Your core is likely untrained, disengaged, or has mobility limitations. Start building core endurance with bent-knee versions and progress slowly.
- Held for 20-40 seconds: Not bad, but not elite. Your core strength is average. Build capacity with dead bugs, leg lowers, and progressive hollow holds.
- Held for 40-60 seconds: You’ve got strong core endurance and excellent control. Keep it up and challenge yourself with more advanced movements like L-sits, V-ups, and hanging leg raises.
- Perfect 60 seconds with strict form?: Beast mode. That’s elite-level strength and control. Now let’s see how you do under load or movement.
How To Train for the Hollow Hold
If this challenge exposes some gaps, here’s how to close them.
Hollow Progression Circuit (3x/week):
- Tucked Hollow Hold – 3 sets of 20 seconds
- Dead Bug – 3 sets of 6 reps per side
- Leg Raises (hands under glutes) – 3 sets of 10-12 reps
- Hollow Rockers – 3 sets of 10 reps (if able)
Gradually increase your hold time each week, working toward 60 seconds with strict form.
Other Core Tests To Try
Want to expand the challenge or test other areas of your core strength? Try these:
- Plank Shoulder Taps (60 seconds): Tests anti-rotation and control.
- Dead Hang Hold (Timed): Tests grip and spinal alignment.
- Side Plank Hold (30 seconds per side): Assesses lateral core strength and oblique endurance.
- L-Sit Hold (on parallettes or floor): For those seeking the next level.
Jarrod Nobbe, MA, CSCS
