If you want a simple method to assess your core strength and conditioning without the need for flashy workouts, try the following sequence:

Perform the following exercises in one continuous sequence without resting:

1. Hollow hold

2. Flutter kicks

3. V-ups

These three bodyweight movements are a progression that challenges your core through static tension, dynamic control, and movement. Each one targets your muscles a little differently while building on the demands of the last. You start by holding tension, then maintain it through movement, and finish with a high-effort test of coordination.

If you can complete all three without dropping your legs, losing form, or needing a break, it’s a clear indication that your core is well-developed and capable of performing at its best. Here is what makes each move so effective, along with the proper technique for executing them.

7 Strength Tests That Show Whether Your Body Is Still Young

Move 1: Hollow Hold

The hollow hold is a fundamental core exercise that builds full-body tension. It teaches you how to engage your deep abdominal muscles while resisting spinal extension, a skill that carries over to almost every weightlifting movement and athletic activity. This move sets the foundation for core control.

Muscles Trained: Rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques, hip flexors, quads

How to Do It:

1. Lie on your back with your arms extended overhead and legs straight.
2. Lift your arms, shoulders, and legs a few inches off the ground.
3. Press your lower back into the floor and tighten your core.
4. Hold the position while keeping your body in a smooth curve from fingertips to toes.

Form Tip: Keep your lower back pressed into the floor the entire time. If it lifts, raise your legs slightly or bend your knees.

Move 2: Flutter Kicks

Flutter kicks take the hollow hold to the next level by adding constant lower-body motion. This builds muscular endurance and challenges your ability to maintain a braced core under dynamic tension. It’s a key movement for developing lower abdominal strength and hip flexor control.

Muscles Trained: Lower rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, hip flexors, quads

How to Do It:

1. Stay in the same hollow body position with your shoulders and legs off the ground.
2. Keep your arms by your sides or tucked slightly under your hips for support.
3. Raise one leg slightly while lowering the other toward the floor.
4. Alternate your legs in a fast but controlled motion, like a fluttering kick.
5. Keep your core tight and legs straight throughout.

Form Tip: Move from the hips, not the knees. Small, fast kicks with rigid legs are more effective than big, sloppy ones.

Move #3: V-Ups

V-ups are a high-effort explosive core movement that demands power, timing, and coordination. They combine the benefits of a leg raise and a crunch into one efficient motion. You build strength through a full range of motion and reinforce your ability to generate force from your midline.

Muscles Trained: Upper and lower rectus abdominis, hip flexors, obliques, quads, lats

How to Do It:

1. Lie on your back with your legs extended and arms reaching overhead.
2. Engage your core and lift your legs and upper body simultaneously.
3. Reach your hands toward your feet at the top of the movement to form a “V” shape.
4. Lower back down with control and repeat for the specified number of reps.

Form Tip: Keep your legs and arms straight. Use your abs, not momentum, to lift your body.

The Bottom Line

Most people can fake their way through crunches, but this three-part test doesn’t lie. Completing all three exercises consecutively demonstrates control, endurance, and the ability to generate force through multiple planes of movement.

Try the challenge:

• Hollow Hold: 30 seconds
• Flutter Kicks: 30 seconds
• V-Ups: 15 reps

If you’re daring enough to kick it up a notch, see how many rounds you can perform, with a little bit of rest in between, before tapping out.

Jarrod Nobbe, MA, CSCS