Thoracic Bridge

Hi!  I am seeking tips for a thoracic bridge progression.  I am in the beginning phase and feel my wrists are tight.  I can't push up and am wondering if there are some points to implement within this beginning period?  Thank you!

Hi Krissie, we have in GB a wonderful stretch series which will take you progressively on the bridge, in the beginning exercise we have some great tools where we can provide the necessary spine extension with arms overhead without necessarily involve the wrists.

Hello Alessandro, thank you for your prompt response.  

I've been following the Thoracic Bridge Stretch series (in addition to making some headway in Foundation 1) and can bang out (flexibility/mobility relative to where I'm at now) all of the stretches leading up to the thoracic bridge part (where the athletes have their feet elevated) but cannot push up yet.  It's something I've never done.   Are there specific form/timing/position pointers which might prove helpful?  There is plenty of such specific progressions on uTube, however, I wanted to check with GB (homies!) first.  I am patient, of course, (& I even pushed up once!) but wonder if I ought to just practice the bridge (it's the pushing up with my wrists/arms that is problematic) alone to get that part down, so to move on with the series?  Unless you're referring to a different Stretch series?

Many Thanks!  

Yes Krissie, you can kick up like for a handstand to the wall (maybe with the hands more away from the wall) and then hold the position, for the push up you can do some partial rom so that you can buil up it progressively or perform a negative.

negative: begin standing 1 - 1.5 meter from the wall, hands on floor, kick up and reach the wall with th legs, try to push a bit and move the shoulder over the hands, if necessary move the feet down on the wall. then slowly bend the arms until you reach the liying supine position.

2 hours ago, Krissie Kunkel said:

(where the athletes have their feet elevated) but cannot push up yet.  It's something I've never done.   Are there specific form/timing/position pointers which might prove helpful?

Krissie, it took me 18 weeks before I was able to push up into the elevated bridge. And using a thick rubber band still… Just to give you some reference point (maybe not so helpful). Just keep trying each week. One day you'll be up!

56 minutes ago, Suzanna McGee said:

Krissie, it took me 18 weeks before I was able to push up into the elevated bridge. And using a thick rubber band still… Just to give you some reference point (maybe not so helpful). Just keep trying each week. One day you'll be up!

Thanks for the encouragement, Suzanna!

Krissie, I'm in the exact same situation. I've been moving through F1 and H1, and just bought the stretch series last month as I'm hitting some walls in F1.

Alessandro, thanks for the tips, I really appreciate it and I will certainly insert those in place of the stretches in the bridge stretch series. I just discovered that there's a course library! Might I suggest that a link to the course library, which provides scaling options, be added to the stretch series video pages? This would have saved me some frustration in all of the courses. 

Suzanna, would you provide a description of how you used the band? I have thick bands used for weightlifting and would love to put them to good use!