Elevated Thoracic Bridge
The Elevated Thoracic Bridge is a progression toward the full bridge. It removes the bend from the lower back as the athlete progresses in their upper thoracic mobility.
- Type Of Exercise: Mobility
- Muscles: Shoulders, Trapezius, Middle Back
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Equipment: Stall Bars
Elevated Thoracic Bridge
- Begin seated on the floor facing stall bars.
- Place your feet on a rung at least a foot high and no narrower than hip-width.
- Scoot away from the bars a small amount, lay on your back, and place your palms on the floor next to your ears.
- Press through your feet to get your hips up and engage your glutes.
- Push through your hands and press your elbows as straight as possible.
- As your back arches, be sure you feel the stretch in your upper back and not your lower back.
- If this is not the case for you, come out of position and elevate your feet higher.
- Once you find an elevated bridge position where you feel an upper back stretch, work to straighten your elbows and shrug your shoulders to your ears.
- Next aim to straighten your knees.
- Lastly, try to get your feet closer together, eventually touching.
- Once you can achieve all three, drop your feet down one rung and repeat the process.
- Exercise: Handstand Shoulder Flexion Press
- Type of Exercise: Mobility
- Muscles: Shoulders, Trapezius, Middle Back
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Equipment: Body Only
- Exercise: Elevated Thoracic Bridge Push-Up
- Type of Exercise: Mobility
- Muscles: Shoulders, Trapezius, Middle Back, Triceps
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Equipment: Stall Bars, Elevated Surface, Wall
