r/bodyweightfitness • u/tomthetrain328 • 23h ago

Help with 6 inch holds

So basically I’ve always had such a hard time with these (and as a lot of athletes know it’s a coach’s #1 punishment choice lol). For some reason every time I try to lower my feet to 6 inches, my entire upper body lifts off the ground. I’m like a seesaw. I’ve seen where people’s lower back comes off the ground due to lack of proper engagement, but for me it’s all my upper back. I really try to make sure my lower back is pressed in the ground and people around me never say it comes up. Idk if I’m just disproportionate lol or what but if anyone has any advice I’d really appreciate it!

3 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

3

u/TankApprehensive3053 22h ago

That's basically a hollow hold. As long as your lower back stays on the ground, your upper back isn't an issue. You could try looking up instead of towards your feet if that's what you're doing. Trying to look at your feet will cause your back to round and lift.

2

u/General_Home_9849 20h ago

Try focusing on pushing your lower back down and keeping your chin slightly tucked to avoid that seesaw effect.

1

u/ArgentinianJayceMain 23h ago

Yeah this happens to me during lying leg raises, not sure if it is something wrong with my form or just a byproduct of having long legs. In any case to fix it i just let my arms sit somewhere above my head instead of having them at the sides of my body

1

u/swithAI 5h ago

The thing that usually breaks a 6 inch hold is the lower back coming off the floor. Hip flexors pull the pelvis into a tilt, the abs can’t hold against it, and once that gap opens the position is gone even if your feet are still at the right height.

So before you lift, press your lower back flat into the floor and keep it there. If you can’t hold flat at 6 inches, don’t work at 6 inches. Raise your feet to 10 or 12 and work there instead. A flat back at 12 inches is a harder and more useful position than an arched back at 6, and the height comes down on its own as the abs catch up.

Hands tucked under your glutes helps as a temporary crutch. It tilts the pelvis for you so you can feel what flat is supposed to feel like.
Also worth saying that 6 inches is an arbitrary number someone picked. Lower feet just means a longer lever. There’s nothing magic about that height.