Help with Thoracic spine mobility

Hi guys, I'm actually going trhough low bridge right now and after checking coach sommer's facebook I noted that he recomends improving thoracic spine mobility on people lacking it prior to really work on bridges, I need help to fix this issue as I don't know how to tackle it and not get hurt. I know that low bridge is F2 but I think some of you are more advanced and the problem is thoracic spine and not the low bridge itself as I performed full bridges in the past.

You are not alone having this problem

Start doing elevated bridges. Put your feet on a box, soffa etc, now press out your chest so the chest goes past your hands.

So, should I suspend the bridge progression and work on the feets elevated version until I meet coach sommer's requirements?

 

 

My recommendation is to focus on developing the physical elements of a bridge in the following order:

- Elevate the feet as needed for the first three items and then gradually work them down to the ground while maintaining the thoracic mobility.

- First getting up off the ground into some sort of a bridge.

- then being able to straighten the arms

- then increasing thoracic mobility (get that chest in front of those hands!). 

- Now bring the hands in to a least shoulder width. Note: I required my athletes to do their bridge work with their hands in a diamond shape.

- Now bring the legs together. The knees may still be bent at this point.

- Now straighten the legs. 

- Now get those heels down flat on the ground.

Yours in Fitness,
Coach Sommer 

  

 

Or should I double up the work and keep working on both my current progression and the elevated?

You should want me to finish up the last few details on the Bridge Stretch series.  Ask Mats if it hits thoracic extension.  

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

p.s.  The last few details of the new stretch courses should be completed within the next week or so.

Hey mats, does it hits thoracic extension? I can't wait for it.

Coach Sommer said:

You should want me to finish up the last few details on the Bridge Stretch series. Ask Mats if it hits thoracic extension.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

p.s. The last few details of the new stretch courses should be completed within the next week or so.

Just a quick question, are the Stretch courses meant as a way to speed up progress in Foundation (for us zombies) or will they take us beyond the flexibility that we will eventually gain in Foundation?

Foundation focuses on active flexibility and the stretch courses focus on passive flexibility.  All of my athletes train both and you will need to train both as well for maximal progress.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

I see. I am looking forward to the release of them.

falconpawnch said:

Hey mats, does it hits thoracic extension? I can't wait for it.

All I can say is that at the last Seminar ( a week ago in Denver) we went through some excellent upperback stretches for bridge. These will be released soon as Coach says above. That said, it will still take me alot of hard work and time to get my brigde. My upper back is made of steel or something. 25 years of deskwork . Luckely it will not take 25 years to get it back. What i´ve started doing since the seminar is to have one day a week when I do hard stretch but also on the other days I train, I make sure to do one bridge stretch.

Well, the time where I got the most flexible on my back was when Training everyday at it and even if not training it I just played with backbends for the sake of feeling good, at some point tho I think I overdid it and not only did I lose the flexibility but even regressed a little. There's a fine balance. Thanks for your answer!

Am I the only one who just peed his pants a little after coach said the final touches will be done Ina week or so? I assume that means stretch course release dates will be up soon?

Well gentlemen, it's out, so, so... I need money, yep