YouTube Transcript:
BULLET PROOF Spine w/ Bridge Progressions & Variations

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