How to get on the bridge from the ground up: exercises + step-by-step instruction

The bridge is one of the basic gymnastic exercises. If you want to learn complete this exercise from scratch, you will have to go through three important stages:

To improve flexibility of the back to run the bridge
To learn to get up to the bridge from the prone position
To learn to get up to the bridge from a standing position

Exercises for flexibility of a back

The bridge is not only effective exercise, which demonstrates your flexibility and physical training, but also a very useful exercise for your back. Thanks to the regular implementation of the bridge you will be able to improve posture, stretch the spine, to get rid of back pain.

The bridge can be done from the prone position (it will be the strength and beginners) and from a standing position (this option will suit more advanced). Order bridge received the highest quality and amplitude, in the first place requires good flexibility of the back and a strong muscular corset. In addition, for confident struts in the bridge must be regularly to work on opening the chest and shoulder joints, over stretching and strengthening the quadriceps and on opening the hip joints.

We offer you a series of exercises that will help you improve flexibility in the spinal Department, and to strengthen the back muscles. If you regularly practice yoga or gymnastics, then you can skip this step and go to the development of a bridge from a lying position and standing (following the subheadings of the article). But if your body is not yet ready for full-bridge, we recommend that you complete some preparatory exercises to improve the flexibility of the spine and strengthening the corset muscles.

1. The pose of the Sphinx

The Sphinx is one of the best exercises for developing the flexibility of the back, while it is very easy to learn. Lie on your stomach, stretch the foot and lift the upper part of the body resting on the forearm. The stomach and entire lower body lying on the floor. Take away shoulders back, joining the shoulder blade. Feel the deflection in the spinal Department, do not throw the head back. Hold in the pose of the Sphinx, for 40-45 seconds, repeat 2-3 sets.

2. Cobra pose

A more complex modification of the Sphinx is the Cobra pose. In this exercise you will lean not on your forearms and the palms of the hands. Due to this, the deflection in the back increases, which means the exercise is performed with greater amplitude. The Cobra is a basic exercise for improving the flexibility of the back, and so will help you to get to the bridge faster. Hold the Cobra pose 40-45 seconds, repeat 2-3 sets.

3. Box

If you are confident doing the Cobra pose, this exercise can be difficult. Keep lying on stomach, hands rest against the floor. Do the bending back and bend your knees. Your task is to touch head to toes of feet. Don’t dismiss the much neck, back, movement is accomplished by deflection in the thoracic and lumbar spine. Try to stay in this pose for 20-30 seconds, repeat 2-3 sets.

4. The twist in the pose downward-facing dog

Stand in the pose downward-facing dog. Grab the right hand the left calf or ankle, twisting in the spinal Department. Lengthen the spine from the coccyx to the crown. Distribute the load evenly on both feet, the pelvis remains stationary. If you do not have enough stretch, then bend your knees or lift your heels off the floor. Hold this pose for flexibility of the back for 30-45 seconds and switch sides. Repeat the exercise on each side for 2 sets.

5. The bend in the back

Lie on stomach, arms stretched along the body. Lift your upper body off the floor, bending at the back. Feet are on the floor, hands pulled back. Do not throw your head back, look forward. Note that the deflection is carried out not only through the lumbar, but also through the thoracic spine (mid back).

All kinds of deflections, which are performed lying on the stomach, are an excellent tool for increasing flexibility of spine and strengthen muscle corset. Such deflections can be practiced in various versions, including with hands behind head, hands behind the back, with divorced hands to the side.

6. The pose of Superman

The Superman pose also improves flexibility of the spine and perfectly strengthens the muscles of the back. Lie on your stomach, arms extended forward. Simultaneously raise your upper and lower body up from the floor lifting your chest and hips. Do not bend your knees. Hold the Superman pose for 20-30 seconds, repeat the exercise 3-4 times. If you are still difficult to perform this exercise, you can lower the hips to the floor and raise only the upper part of the body.

7. Swimmer

Exercise swimmer will not only help you to get up to the bridge, but also qualitatively strengthen the abdominal muscles and back. To perform lie on your stomach, arms extended forward. Simultaneously raise your right arm and left leg as high up as possible, hold this position for a few seconds, then return to starting position. Repeat the same movement on the opposite side. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-12 repetitions on each side.

8. Cat pose

Cat pose is one of the simplest and most effective exercises for developing the flexibility of the back. To perform get on all fours, knees and palms are on the Mat. On the inhale maximally rotten back in the spinal division, without straining the neck and back. On the exhale, round your back, feel the relaxation in his back. Repeat 10 times for 2-3 sets.

9. Gripper feet on all fours

This is a simple static exercise well develops flexibility of the back and strengthens the entire muscular system. Get on all fours, drawing on hands and knees. Raise your bent left leg up and your right hand behind your head. Grab a hand for a foot, caving in the spine. Neck try not to strain. Hold the pose for 20-30 seconds, trying to increase the deflection in the thoracic spine. Repeat the exercise for 2 sets on each side.

10. Bow pose

Bow pose is one of the best exercises for those who want to get up to the bridge. If you are still difficult to perform this exercise, then with high probability a quality bridge will not work. To perform the bow pose lie on your stomach, arch your back, put your arms back and grabbed the legs of the ankles. The maximum bend, lifting your legs and chest off the floor. The body weight is transferred to the stomach. Hold the bow pose for 20-30 seconds, repeat 2-3 times.

11. Pose of a camel

Get on your knees, body straight, hands along the body. Arch your back, grab hold of the foot. Relax your neck, not throwing much back. The tilt is due to the bend in the back. Hold the pose of a camel for 30-40 seconds, repeat 2-3 times.

12. The position of the table

Table pose is a great preparatory exercise for the execution of the bridge. This is a static exercise strengthens the muscles, opens the chest and shoulder joints, thereby helping to prepare the body to the bridge. It is very accessible even for beginners. To run sit on the buttocks, legs extended in front of you, arms along the body. Leaning on the palm of your hand, push up the pelvis, thigh and lower leg form a right angle, the body weight is transferred to the straight arms and legs. Hold in the pose of a table for 30-40 seconds, repeat 2-3 times.

13. Posture puppy

This exercise may seem complicated at first glance, but it is quite easy to learn. To perform puppy pose get on your knees, arch your back, lie with your chest on the floor, hands pull ahead. Imagine that you need to crawl under the low stick. Make a nice deflection in the spine. Hold the posture for 30-40 seconds, repeat 2-3 sets.

14. The pose of the half-bridge

Lie on your back, legs bend in knees, arms along the body. Lean on hands and lift the pelvis up, caving in the thoracic and vertebral region of the spine. Upper back, neck, head, hands and feet remain on the floor. The pose of the half-bridge is a basic preparatory exercise for those who want to get up to the bridge.

15. The bridge on fitball

The fitball is an affordable sports equipment that will help you get on the bridge. Lie on fitball back, arms and legs rest on the floor, mimicking the classic bridge. This exercise is not only useful for those who want to learn to get up on the bridge, but to soothe your back after a hard day. Hold this position for 45-60 seconds.

The position of the body when performing the bridge on the fitball will largely depend on the ratio of your height and the diameter of the fitball. Adjust the position to comfortable position and a deflection in the spine.

How to choose a fitball

16. Child’s pose

Child’s pose it is desirable to perform throughout the workout to develop flexibility of the back, and also after the execution of the bridge. This exercise takes the load off the spinal Department and helps to relax the back. Hold child’s pose for 30-40 seconds and go on to the next exercise. Enough to take child’s pose once in 4-5 minutes, but can do it more often if you feel the need.

If you are new to the sport, then follow the above exercises for 2-3 weeks (4-5 times a week) before moving on to the practice run of the bridge. Do not just try to get up to the bridge, if you are not confident in their abilities. Awkward movement can cause injury to the unprepared back.

The bridge from the prone position

If you perform the above exercises with good amplitude, you can immediately go to practice the bridge from the prone position. Good natural flexibility of the back, past the sports or young age give you an advantage in the practice of gymnastic exercises.

How to perform the bridge from the prone position:

Lie on your back, bend your knees.
The palms of the hands put near the head, elbows to look at the ceiling.
On the exhale, reach up, pushing your pelvis and fully straightening the elbows.
When you feel that next bend can’t hold the pose its limit.
Possibly adjust the position of the legs, placing the foot closer to the hands.
Gently get down on the floor in its original position, without making any sudden movements.
To start, hold the bridge for 5-10 seconds, gradually increasing the time up to 30-60 seconds.

What is important to know about the bridge:

When you run the bridge spread trough around the spine. This means that you have to bend not only in the lumbar spine, but in the chest.
For deflection in the thoracic spine you need to stretch your chest forward. This will help to relieve pressure off the lumbar spine and properly distribute the load on the spine.
Try to gradually reduce the distance between your hands and feet to the bridge was more flexible and amplitude.
The smaller the distance between the hands and feet, the more stable will be the bridge.
During the bridge, look up at the ceiling, not the floor, not create tension in the neck.
When performing the bridge, your arms should be fully straightened, so the first time it is advisable to perform this exercise in front of a mirror to control the correctness of the implementation.

Compare the correct and incorrect execution:

It is not recommended to get up to the bridge:

During pregnancy and immediately after birth
In the presence of a hernia
If you have problems with blood pressure and cardiovascular system
In diseases of the eye due to increased ocular pressure
During exacerbation of diseases of the spine
After a meal (within the hour) and immediately after waking up
It is better not to stand on the bridge without a warm-up and performance of the body

If you feel back pain when performing the bridge, it is best to stop the practice of this exercise. Continue to work on strengthening the back and developing her flexibility by performing a set of exercises from the beginning of the article. Gradually your body will be better prepared to perform quality bridge.

Top 30 exercises for a health back

Bridge with straight legs

It is believed that the bridge with straight legs safer for the back. This position ensures uniform load distribution in the spinal Department, better reveals the thoracic spine and reduces pressure on the lower back. However, in this position it will be difficult to work on reducing the distance between your hands and feet for a more flexible bridge.

We recommend you to try different options of position of the feet and observe the sensations in the back. Don’t forget that for a uniform distribution of the load and the deflection in the thoracic (not lumbar) you need to stretch your chest forward.

As you can complicate the bridge?

If you confidently stand in the bridge, you can complicate its implementation. We offer you several modifications of the bridge, which involve additional muscles and will help you to go beyond its capabilities.

1. The bridge on tiptoe

The bridge on eggshells – this is a more difficult position from the point of view keep the balance and load on the muscles of the legs. This position will help you even more to use of the muscles of the lower body part during the bridge, including the adductors, quads and glutes.

2. Bridge with raised leg

To perform this modification of the bridge pull the straight leg up. The complexity of the position is to hold a balance on three limbs, instead of the usual four.

3. The bridge hand-foot

Even more challenging version of keep the balance in the bridge is to capture the hand opposite of the foot. This option is useful to practice for those who want to develop a sense of balance and coordination, as well as to further increase the flexibility of the back.

Be careful! Do this exercise only if you are fully confident in their abilities or with the safety net of another person to lose balance and fall.

4. Super-flexible bridge

This version of the bridge can be achieved if you will gradually shorten the distance between the feet and the hands. Of course, this situation in bridge is not available to everyone. But if you have good natural flexibility and gymnastic past, the super-flexible bridge you will be able to do.

The bridge from a standing position

If you don’t want to stop there, the next step towards the full development of the bridge exercise is to learn how to get into it from a standing position.

Go to the development of a bridge from a standing position is possible only when you are confident doing the bridge from a lying position. If your bridge from a lying position do not end up sustainable or you do not fully straighten arms and open chest, then continue to follow the lead of the exercise and improve body position in the bridge.

First stage: deflections against the wall

Stand with your back to the wall at a small distance from her. Feet apart on shoulder width, arms down, heels firmly pressed to the floor. The muscles of the abdomen, thighs and buttocks tense. At the next breath lean back, place hands on the wall. Hold this position for 15-30 seconds. Push away from the wall and return to starting position. You can gradually try to go lower, increasing the deflection in the spine.

Second step: bridge the wall

After sufficient practice the previous exercises, when you without fear leans back with support, you go to the bridge wall. Stand with your back to the wall at a small distance from her. As in the previous exercise, you lean back, place hands on the wall. Slowly walk along the wall down to the floor.

The first time you can only descend down the wall back up to its original position, if you have difficult or uncomfortable. The constant practice of the bridge the wall will allow you to perform this exercise more confident each time. Gradually move away from the wall and use it only as a backup.

Third stage: the bridge with a safety net

For this exercise you will need a family member or partner who will be able to hedge. Ask the belayer to support you round the waist, and a second hand to hold the belly. In the process of development of the bridge standing, it is very important to overcome the fear when you lean back in the bridge. It would be great if the belayer will help you at any stage of deflection in the bridge, and at the stage of returning from the bridge to standing.

Fourth stage: the bridge with chair

This exercise will further bring you closer to the confident execution of the bridge from a standing position. To run it you will need a stable chair or sofa. In this exercise, it is important to understand that the higher the chair, the easier it is to get up to the bridge. So you can begin the practice exercises with higher sofa and finish low table or platform.

Fifth step: the bridge standing

After completing all of the exercises you can move on to the bridge from a standing position. Follow the bridge slowly, controlling every movement. Try looking down between your hands in order to notice the floor. The first time it can be difficult to come back from the bridge to a standing position, so we recommend the assistance of a belayer or to lean on the wall.

In order to feel more confident in the early stages of self-run bridge, and put himself under the back cushion. You will be psychologically easier to go down to the bridge, if you will know that protect yourself from falling on a hard floor.

Do not hurry and force the load in the process of development of the bridge. This is a difficult exercise for beginners, so be patient and prepare yourself for regular practice, if you want to get up to the bridge from the prone position and standing.

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