0:01 a common sight in most modern gyms is
0:03 Fitness enthusiasts who are really only
0:05 enthusiastic about enlarging all the
0:07 muscles they can see in the mirror they
0:09 may perform endless repetitions of bench
0:11 curls and crunches but neglect the
0:13 central supporting core of the entire
0:16 upper body the spine we tend to forget
0:19 about the spine until it reminds us with
0:20 pain or dysfunction neck and back pain
0:23 are all too common and can be
0:24 devastating to one's quality of life but
0:27 with a little care and proper training
0:29 the spine can stay healthy and keep one
0:31 feeling strong Standing Tall and feeling
0:33 more present in
0:35 life in this video we're going to go
0:37 over the bridge exercises a group of
0:39 exercises which when done safely and
0:41 properly develop a healthy spine and
0:44 strong posterior chain making you feel
0:46 sturdy stable and more capable in your
0:48 daily
0:50 life the bridge patterns bring with them
0:52 many benefits but here are a few of the
0:55 highlights first Bridges open up the
0:57 anterior chain muscles which are so
0:59 commonly tight and it does this from
1:01 head to toe second when the anterior
1:04 muscles become longer and looser it
1:06 becomes easier to open up the rib cage
1:07 and abdomen and breathe
1:09 properly third Bridges strengthen the
1:12 entire posterior chain of muscles which
1:14 are the creators of real strength and
1:15 Athletics in daily life fourth as the
1:19 posterior chain strengthens it actively
1:20 pulls the body into a taller more
1:22 confident
1:24 posture fifth Bridge positions raise the
1:27 abdomen above the heart and the Heart
1:29 above the head this increases vinous
1:31 return from the abdominal organs to the
1:32 heart flushing out old and stagnant
1:35 blood while taking pressure off the
1:36 heart and allowing it to relax improving
1:39 overall health and often decreasing
1:41 anxiety and six the heart being above
1:44 the head allows more freshly oxygenated
1:46 blood to flow to the brain often
1:48 increasing focus and helping to clear
1:50 the mind and the best part about bridges
1:53 is that they are simple body weight
1:54 exercises with no equipment needed they
1:57 can be done anywhere and at any time
2:02 the first variation of the bridge
2:03 position is the shoulder bridge this
2:05 bridge is one that I would recommend
2:07 starting with as its risk of Ingy is
2:09 very low yet it still provides many
2:11 benefits and teaches the leg hip and
2:13 spine mechanics needed for more advanced
2:15 Bridge variations to perform the
2:18 shoulder bridge simply lay on your back
2:20 with feet flat on the ground knees bent
2:22 and arms at your side The Wider the feet
2:24 are the easier the bridge becomes now
2:27 you're going to lift your hips into the
2:28 air until your back is straight while
2:31 keeping the feet and shoulders on the
2:32 ground if you stop here you've done a
2:34 glute Bridge a great exercise for the
2:36 glutes but we're still going a step
2:38 further from here you will need to
2:39 activate the hamstrings and the
2:41 paraspinal muscles of the back with the
2:43 goal being to evenly activate the
2:45 muscles of the posterior chain this will
2:47 be healthier for the spine while also
2:49 greatly increasing the strength that can
2:51 be created to do this begin pulling your
2:53 feet against the ground towards your
2:55 butt without actually moving the Feet
2:57 arch the back as well and try to feel an
2:59 even bow of tension from heel to
3:01 shoulders this is a static shoulder
3:03 bridge and I recommend holding this for
3:05 15 to 30 seconds at a time in the
3:06 beginning this can also be turned into a
3:08 great Dynamic exercise or warm-up by
3:10 performing it as repetitions while
3:12 reaching over the head with one hand and
3:14 rotating the hips torso and shoulder to
3:17 maximize the reach this is a great way
3:19 to work the glutes and lateral flexors
3:20 of the spine while also increasing
3:22 thoracic rotation this is known as the
3:25 shoulder bridge reach in calisthenics
3:27 but more commonly known as the Jiu-Jitsu
3:28 Bridge or o to martial artist and is
3:31 used in grappling to escape the mount by
3:33 pushing the opponent off of
3:39 you some of the goals of this bridge
3:41 variation are different than those of
3:42 the shoulder bridge it still strengthens
3:45 the posterior chain as with all bridges
3:47 but in this version the spine is kept in
3:49 a straight neutral position as opposed
3:51 to an arch and the body is propped up on
3:53 the arms bringing the shoulders elbows
3:55 and wrists into the mix this bridge is
3:57 important for teaching control over the
3:59 low back back curve in Arch Bridge
4:01 variations the low back can often be
4:03 overarched potentially causing damage to
4:05 spinal discs and resulting in
4:07 significant back pain there are two ways
4:09 to avoid this evenly distribute the
4:11 tension along the posterior chain as
4:13 practiced in the shoulder bridge or
4:15 increase activation of the abdominals
4:17 which helps to flatten out the lower
4:18 back curve and can be taught in the
4:20 tabletop bridge to perform the tabletop
4:23 sit on the ground with your knees bent
4:25 your feet flat and your hands on the
4:27 ground hands can be pointed towards the
4:29 back or towards the front but I
4:31 recommend hands out to the side as it's
4:32 usually the easiest on the shoulders and
4:34 wrist from this position straighten your
4:36 back and stabilize Your Shoulders by
4:38 pulling your shoulder blades down and
4:40 back causing your chest to stick up and
4:42 out then press your hips up using the
4:44 glute muscles maintain a straight spine
4:46 the entire time and stop the movement
4:48 once the spine and legs are both
4:50 horizontal hold this position for 15 to
4:52 30 seconds to start with in the tabletop
4:55 position your shoulders will be an
4:57 extreme extension and for many people
4:59 lack of shoulder Mobility will be the
5:00 limiting factor in this exercise however
5:03 you can gain the necessary shoulder
5:04 Mobility by turning this into a dynamic
5:07 exercise for repetitions with each
5:09 repetition only going as far as your
5:11 shoulders will allow with consistency
5:13 you will gain Mobility rapidly and
5:15 quickly reach the top
5:18 position the third variation we're going
5:20 to talk about is the iconic back bridge
5:22 this position has been used in martial
5:24 arts gymnastics calisthenics and yoga
5:27 all of which seek it out for its many
5:28 potential benefits and as a test for
5:30 one's ability to integrate and mobilize
5:32 the entire body into one unified
5:34 movement the back bridge is similar to
5:36 the shoulder bridge except now the hands
5:38 go over the head to act as a base of
5:39 support along with the feet this creates
5:42 a high demand on the shoulders for
5:43 strength stability and plenty of
5:46 flexibility though you can make the
5:48 bridge easier on the shoulders and the
5:49 hips by widening the feet and hands
5:51 especially in the
5:52 beginning to perform the back bridge lay
5:55 on your back as if you're going to do a
5:56 shoulder bridge then reach your hands
5:58 overhead and place them flat on the
6:00 ground with the fingers pointed towards
6:01 the feet from here you'll begin to push
6:04 the hips up off the ground first
6:06 followed by a push through the hands to
6:07 lift the upper body up off the ground
6:09 done properly this will activate the
6:11 hamstrings glutes spinal muscles
6:13 shoulders and triceps at the top of the
6:16 movement you should feel an even bow of
6:18 tension going from heels to Palms and
6:20 again be careful not to put too much of
6:21 the bend just into the lower back
6:24 attempt to hold this for 15 to 30
6:26 seconds before carefully lowering
6:27 yourself back down this can be a ult
6:29 movement for a number of reasons and
6:31 should be attempted mindfully the most
6:33 common limitations are wrist flexibility
6:35 shoulder Mobility abdominal tension and
6:38 tight hip flexors each of these
6:40 components can be worked on individually
6:42 to help improve the back bridge and I
6:44 would also recommend that each of these
6:45 areas be warmed up and lightly stretched
6:47 before you attempt this
6:49 exercise a great way to turn this into a
6:51 dynamic exercise is to perform this with
6:53 a reach similar to the Jiu-Jitsu reach
6:55 in fact the back bridge reach gives you
6:58 most of the benefits of the back bridge
6:59 with fewer demands on wrist and shoulder
7:01 flexibility it pulls together the
7:03 lessons learned from all previous
7:04 variations into one concise movement I
7:07 add it into every upper body warmup to
7:09 prepare my shoulders and spine for the
7:10 upcoming exertion to perform the bridge
7:13 reach put yourself in the beginning
7:14 position for the table toop from here
7:16 you're going to lift one arm in front of
7:18 the face while the other is still on the
7:20 ground begin to raise up just like the
7:22 tabletop but this time supported on just
7:24 one hand the other hand will begin to
7:26 reach back behind the head as the eyes
7:28 follow it you will will push past the
7:30 neutral spine position and into a full
7:32 spinal Arch while also rotating the
7:34 shoulders and hips to maximize reach
7:36 before finally returning back down into
7:38 the starting position be mindful to
7:40 stabilize the supporting arm and
7:41 shoulder blade throughout this movement
7:43 these Bridge variations will build
7:44 strength and Mobility around the spine
7:46 while teaching the body to integrate its
7:47 strength and work
7:50 together if you try these movements and
7:52 find that you are already athletic and
7:54 mobile enough to perform them with ease
7:56 and you would like to push yourself
7:57 further consider trying back bins an
8:00 extreme test of full body strength and
8:02 Mobility as seen in gymnastics if enough
8:04 people comment that it's something they
8:05 would like to try I'll do a video on
8:07 progressing to the back bend soon as it
8:09 can be a rather difficult variation to
8:11 progress to at first and a more
8:12 accessible progression for many people I
8:14 would also recommend is trying a back
8:16 bridge walk a great full body control
8:18 exercise with all the same mobility and
8:20 integration benefits of the back bridge
8:22 if you like this video be sure to
8:24 subscribe and hit the Bell icon for
8:25 further notifications thanks for
8:27 watching and until next time keep movie
8:29 my friends
8:31 [Music]
Chrome Extension