Difficulty in Elevated Bridge Thoracic

Hi guys
  are 3 months that I train with the course Stretch series - Thoracic Bridge ..
In many series I have improved, but others are very distressed, some exercises I can not do, because they are too difficult for my current ability to mobility and flexibility ...
Can you suggest progressions easier?
The exercises are :

- 60'' Elevated Thoracic Bridge

-10R Thoracic Bridge Elevated Pushup

-10R Thoracic Elevated Bridge Hip Tap

In all these, still all the  body weight is too much for me ...
Can you help with simpler progressions with less body weight?
Thank you

Hi Francesco,

Don't worry. At first, it is totally normal to have trouble with these final movements in the TB series. In some cases, a spotter can help you begin to feel comfortable with the difficult positions towards the end of the series. However, don't feel like you MUST be working on them right now. The earlier stretches in the series will eventually prepare you to be able to get further and further along in the series. 

@Francesco Macchniz, I had such problems too. On my week 17 of TBS, I found a solution of a thick rubber band, that I hooked around my waist, and it helped me to push myself into the elevated bridge. Yay. Since then (I have now done 24 sessions), I was able to develop 60 seconds hold, 10 mini-pushups, and 10 taps (not hips yet, somewhere between the shoulders and hips, I did 10 for the first time yesterday, yay). I am now thinking that maybe next time I will try a lighter band, and eventually start transitioning into band-less version, if I can. This band-help (I don't have a spotter) really helped me to start building my strength in that elevated position. Maybe it could help you as well?  On the forums here somewhere, I posted a video of my set up)

Thanks Everett and Suzanna for your valuable advice, I'll try to train this way.

Hi Francesco

to start practicing the elevated bridge position you can kick up to Handstand with your back facing the wall. Keep slightly distance. Then you gradually start to walk your feet further down and press your chest out and lean into the Stretch. Make sure that your arms are completely locked. Feel free to submit a form check!

Looking forward to see your progress  I do recommend before and after photos! Always fun to look back  

Thanks Pauline!

Francesco,

A limiting factor for the elevated bridge exercises may not be a lack of strength, but poor shoulder flexion.

If you look at the attached image, you want to be the person to the left. His shoulder flexion is relatively okay (*note his posterior pelvic tilt). If yours does not come close to this, try doing extra "elevated cat" stretches on a more frequent basis to loosen your shoulders in that area. Note that you shouldn't over do it and think that your shoulders will loosen up in a week or two weeks. You should aim for a longer time frame and thus do the stretches a little bit lighter.

Other stretches in H1 will also help with poor shoulder flexion, particularly Pe1>iM.

Thank you
I'm working a lot on the shoulder flexion, my biggest problem is in the right shoulder, which Suffered surgery years ago and it is locked down, but mainly in external rotation ...
in the drive to extend the upper -Elevated Thoracic Bridge and -Elevated Thoracic Bridge Pushup, elbows remain very open, so I can not nor to support the palm of my hands on the ground, nor even to push

thank you

Hi Francesco,

First of all, are you experiencing any pain in your shoulder? Can you post a photo/video of your shoulder flexion and the elevated Thoracic Bridge? It's important that you're able to get into the right position before attempting the push ups. 

I would add the cat stretches to your cool down after your workout or even daily. I would also consider to add Handstand One to your schedule, this course have some great additional exercises for shoulder flexion   

I am having similar issues to Francesco. Thanks for asking, Francesco, and I appreciate all the great advice here!  I will start utilizing these suggestions right away!

On 2/2/2017 at 0:27 AM, John Kiggundu said:

Francesco,

A limiting factor for the elevated bridge exercises may not be a lack of strength, but poor shoulder flexion.

If you look at the attached image, you want to be the person to the left. His shoulder flexion is relatively okay (*note his posterior pelvic tilt). If yours does not come close to this, try doing extra "elevated cat" stretches on a more frequent basis to loosen your shoulders in that area. Note that you shouldn't over do it and think that your shoulders will loosen up in a week or two weeks. You should aim for a longer time frame and thus do the stretches a little bit lighter.

Other stretches in H1 will also help with poor shoulder flexion, particularly Pe1>iM.

Actually deficit on mobility and strenght are closely connected, reduction on shoulder flexion will lead to the impossibility to generate the necessary strenght to hold at least the flexion.

Hi Pauline
here the videos of shoulder flexion, extension, and the elevated Thoracic Bridge ...
In addition to the all Stretch series, I'm also training Foundation One, Handstand One and Movement ...
I hope that with time and training, in the future I will be able to find a good flexibility, especially in parts of the body where I have deficit for previous injuries (Hips, ankles, lower back, shoulders)
Thanks

Thanks for the submission, Fransesco. 

For the elevated TB, I would reccomend to keep your feet even more elevated so that you avoid arching your low back. You could try the tip I gave you earlier to get into the position. This way you won't need to press into the bridge to start with. Stand a little bit away from the wall/stall bar, kick into a handstand and push your chest out. Press from your heels and make sure that you're engaging your glutes. 

3 hours ago, Pauline Taube said:

make sure that you're engaging your glutes. 

I only started doing that recently but man, that totally changed the exercise for me. I feel it much more and much more comfortably in the thoracic area.

I am having same problem lifting up - I feel like it is shoulder weakness ie no strength, no ability to push up. Is that the problem, or is it flexion/tightness? If it is strength, I am doing Foundation one; will I get to a point where this helps, or do I need to be doing specific handstand course (which I haven't yet bought).

Hi Jean-Paul,

The difficulties you are having could be strength or mobility or a combination of both. The best way that we can help advise you is for you to submit a video for review either through your course or on the forums. That way one of our coaches will be able to provide much more specific guidelines for improvement. Handstand 1 is indeed filled with lots of strengthening and mobilizing exercises for the shoulders and is definitely worth the investment.

I had similar struggles. I started the stretch series in Sep 2016, and I could not do an elevated bridge at all — although I could do a lumber-only bridge from the floor. I had to go into a pool to get in the proper elevated bridge position. When I took my daughter swimming, I spent some significant time at the ladder part of the pool, doing the elevated bridge (face underwater) with the buoyancy of the pool to support me. It helped so much! From there I tried some modifications over a ball near my stall bars. On land, I can now do the 60s elevated bridge, 5 mini push ups, and (for the taps) I can now lift my hands (not yet to shoulder taps, but it took me a while just to be able to lift my hands). If you are comfortable in the water, I highly recommend trying the moves in a pool. 

On 01/02/2017 at 11:27 PM, John Kiggundu said:

Other stretches in H1 will also help with poor shoulder flexion, particularly Pe1>iM.

This ought to be included in the Thoracic Bridge course.

Why did Coach Sommers have the shoulder stretch exercises in both the handstand and the thoracic course different to each other? Shouldn't they be the same?

Hi Anthony simply because they are different, since handstand it is about building up the ACTIVE range of motion the stretch series it is about build up AVAILABLE RANGE OF MOTION for the future ACTIVE range of motion development. the best result can be obtained by coupling them together.