Thoracic bridge beginner - equipment issue

Hey guys

So today was my first thoracic bridge session. Before purchasing I had no idea I would need certain equipment to be able to attempt all of the series and this, coupled with my severe lack of any kind of mobility (heck this is why I'm here) resulted in me barely doing any of the series . I have read many comments suggesting I just do what I can at first so I'm cool with this though. 

On to the equipment ....

The gym ball isn't an issue, but stallbars and the bands seen in the video are proving to be .

After sifting through the forums I understand this topic has been discussed however it was well over a year ago and just wondered if we have any up to date information regarding the best thing to use for the thoracic supine and prone band pulls.

it was mentioned coach was looking at providing bands to sell online however i don't believe this has ever come to fruition. 

I also live in the uk and I noticed the store  was for USA only anyway

What are you guys suggesting the best bands  for us to use would be . Any links would be greatly appreciated.

also in the meantime are there any other exercises I can do that may substitute the band pulls in any form . I noticed Wesley suggests on the technique video to not use the band for the supine curl as a scale back but this puts tremendous pressure on my feet anchoring point as I need to anchor them else my feet lift up and I can't sit up . Is this ok? Anyhow the prone band pull would atill require a band 

any help on any of these matters greatly appreciated 

kind regrads

Leigh 

Hey Leigh,

These have been suggested by Chris Garay, the Washington D.C. Affiliate: http://www.ballsnbands.com/body_sport_studio_series_fitness_performance_tubing.html

Once you get some sort of resistance band and find a solid anchor point, I suggest some form checks for both band pull variations. This is a tough series, especially at first, so stick with it and keep up on your form checks. You will gradually be able to add more and more into each weeks session. 

On 31.12.2016 at 5:13 AM, Everett Carroll said:

Hey Leigh,

These have been suggested by Chris Garay, the Washington D.C. Affiliate: http://www.ballsnbands.com/body_sport_studio_series_fitness_performance_tubing.html

 

Hi,

what band resistance  would you recommend?

In the follow-along video they are using green bands, which would be extra heavy resistance with the brand you recommended. However, in the technique description video they seem to be using a blue one, which would be the lightest one. Could you clarify?

The brand Theraband has different meanings for the colors (blue being here stronger than green). I'm thinking about getting the green one:

Thera-Band Exercise Tubing with PVC Handles

Thanks for some feedback,

C.

Hi Carlos,

You can gradually increase the resistance as your strength increases. Having good form is most important here so the resistance depends on individual abilities. I suggest either purchasing a whole set online or buying some locally so you can feel the degree of resistance. 

I'm still having some trouble figuring out the proper band length and strength for the thoracic band pulls. The standard length you can get on (german) Amazon (with handles included) seems to be 140cm (~55in), but in the instructional video the band they're using seems to be about twice the girl's leg length, or even longer. I also noticed in the video that at the starting position there is no more slack in the band, but it's also not being stretched yet:

So, a couple of questions:

1- Would this be a good criteria for selecting the band length? (No slack or stretch, barely any tension in the band at the starting sitting position).

2- Assuming 1 is correct, should i strive to perform the prone pull with the same band length and strength? I still have very limited shoulder flexion and thoracic extension, so without a band i barely come off the floor. Should i use the same band as in the supine pull, or would my limited mobility mean a stronger/weaker band would be adequate? Should the tension in the band at the starting position of the prone pull help me come off the floor, or should it be 100% my extension strength?

Thanks (and excuse the bad english),

C.

5 hours ago, Carlos Chinchilla said:

Would this be a good criteria for selecting the band length? (No slack or stretch, barely any tension in the band at the starting sitting position).

Sounds like it might be a good way of selecting a good length. 

5 hours ago, Carlos Chinchilla said:

Should the tension in the band at the starting position of the prone pull help me come off the floor

This is a better option. Don't max yourself out Carlos. 

It may take some experimentation to find which band works best for you in each movement. The amount of tension in the band will likely be different for the supine and prone pulls. 

On 1/24/2017 at 3:15 PM, Everett Carroll said:

Sounds like it might be a good way of selecting a good length. 

 

This is a better option. Don't max yourself out Carlos. 

 

It may take some experimentation to find which band works best for you in each movement. The amount of tension in the band will likely be different for the supine and prone pulls. 

I just completed a ton of that experimenting lol. Also, it's good to look at what you already have on hand. I ended up buying some bulk bungee/shock cord (3/8" size to start the series with) on Amazon. Then I tied a bowline knot on a good solid caribiner to each end. I used the bowline because the knot doesn't jam, so it's easy to test and readjust the length as needed. But, it's a fairly secure knot. I already had some handles from a resistance band set, so I clipped those onto the caribiner. Works pretty well so far!

I have kind of a strange solution. I wrap my bands around the handle of a heavy kettlebell, and I hold the kettlebell in place with my feet. It works pretty well for not having any stall bars. 

It took me a while of experimenting with different resistance bands. Make sure your band isn't too short because I've snapped bands a few times and ended up getting whipped - ouch!