Too much lower back activation in bridge work-quite frustrating..

Hello !

I have problems with activating my mid an upper back in bridge work as I can't understand how to do it..

After every TBs session my lower back is ruined and get sore for the next few days.

Let's say that my elevated bridge 60s is not a static hold at all as I'm trying to get a feeling inmy mid and upper back instead of lower back during the whole 60s, it's frustrating that I can't work my bridge as needed and make good progress because of this.

I've already opened a thread about this, and Cole told me about the wheel thing, that you need to first open the shoulders and then upper back and then mid back and so on, but it does not seems to help me..

My bridge wall walk are suffering too from too much lower back activation although I can go pretty close to the floor..

Any thing to get me out of this annoying situation?

Thanks!

If your lower back is trashed, you are pushing too hard, though I think you already know that. Back off, even cut sets sort and do more repetitions.

Below are a couple of classic methods I use from Iyengar Yoga to help open my upper back. 

Stretch block between shoulder blades and under head. This is very comfortable, you can lie like this 5 minutes or more. Think of slightly lifting your vertebrae off the stretch block. This will start to activate the muscles needed to bend from the T spine.

Lie over a chair, bed or sofa. Think of actively trying to lift the part of your back that on the edge up.

And remember, Rome wasn't built in a day. Getting upper back mobility is a process that takes some time. Keep listing to the feed back from your lower back to know when you are pushing beyond your current limits. 

The last thing you want is a painful lower back. Very often once it sets in, it can take months or years to heal.

Cole Dano said:

If your lower back is trashed, you are pushing too hard, though I think you already know that. Back off, even cut sets sort and do more repetitions.

Below are a couple of classic methods I use from Iyengar Yoga to help open my upper back.

Stretch block between shoulder blades and under head. This is very comfortable, you can lie like this 5 minutes or more. Think of slightly lifting your vertebrae off the stretch block. This will start to activate the muscles needed to bend from the T spine.

Lie over a chair, bed or sofa. Think of actively trying to lift the part of your back that on the edge up.

And remember, Rome wasn't built in a day. Getting upper back mobility is a process that takes some time. Keep listing to the feed back from your lower back to know when you are pushing beyond your current limits.

The last thing you want is a painful lower back. Very often once it sets in, it can take months or years to heal.

Thank you Cole.

I'm doing the Thoracic Bridge series as my bridge work so there are no sets..

I will try the back opener drills that you have mentioned,

My lower back is trashed because when I'm in the bridge position I'm always trying to get a feeling in my upper back and thoracic spine instead of my lower back, and it resultes in more activation in the lower back for some reason..

Great stretches Cole!

You can also Google "Elliot Hulse thoracic extension", it has some very good videos on how to open up the upper back on the youtubes.

Itamar sha said:

... I have problems with activating my mid an upper back in bridge work as I can't understand how to do it..

After every TBs session my lower back is ruined and get sore for the next few days ...

Simple to understand and easy to correct.  If your lower back is experiencing excessive DOMS, your feet are too low during your elevated bridge work.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Coach Sommer said:

Simple to understand and easy to correct. If your lower back is experiencing excessive DOMS, your feet are too low during your elevated bridge work.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Thanks Coach.

I will try and see how that feels.

Make sure your hands are not close to the wall/stall bars too. I don't exactly have the same problem you do, but having your hands farther out kinda forces you to bend at the thoracic spine. You're quite flexible already from what I've seen, so elevate the feet a bit more and try to play with that. One cue that helped me is trying to keep the abs horizontal.

I saw a video on Facebook that made this click for me. I'm not sure I could find it, but here's the gist: belly is on the floor, hands up on a bar or wall. Kind of an upside down bridge. Press the bottom ribs into the floor. The closer you are to the wall, the more intense the stretch. There should be no lumbar involvement due to the bottom ribs pressing into the floor. After doing this once, I was able to feel correct activation in inverted cat and elevated bridge.

Thanks everyone for your great tips!

I still don't know how to activate my thoracic spine in bridge wall walks instead of getting excessive DOMS in the lower back after doing it..someone here knows a wy to do it and would want to share?

For now, it's the same advice as Coach Sommer gave, in reverse. 

Don't walk as far down the wall. Put more focus on how to reach back.

Only go one or two rungs down. 

Have every point of the walk be 'reversible' in other words you should be able to lift out of the walk on your own power.

And remember - Rome wasn't built in a day! It takes time to gain thoracic mobility, work hard but work smart.

Two things that have helped me with the bridge wall walks are to forcefully push the hips and arch in the back and to flex the shoulders so that the arms are just out of the peripheral line of vision. Also, not going as far down the wall helps to focus the effort being on your upper back and not the lower back.