IF you can perform directly this variation from the beginning then yes you can move lower, if you need some time to stretch out your spine you should stay here some more weeks.
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Elevated thoracic Bridge push up TBSSE19
Started by Leigh Kettle, February 25, 2017 · 74 Replies · 1,557 Views
Hi Alex. I can get here from only the prior exercises of the tb series but Yes I think I’ll stick here for few weeks then with legs locked as always prefer to take things steady
Hey Leigh,
Nice work getting your feet together here. I suggest you wait a little longer and aim to get your shoulders stacked over your wrists. You'll have to move your hands slightly closer to the stall bar to be able to push out far enough. Hanna makes the same adjustment in the technique tip video and you can see it is a just a small scoot toward the bars that allows her to achieve a really nice shape.
Edit: I had this tab open and didn't see the latest replies before this went in.
On 20/02/2018 at 4:44 PM, Everett Carroll said:Hey Leigh,
Nice work getting your feet together here. I suggest you wait a little longer and aim to get your shoulders stacked over your wrists. You'll have to move your hands slightly closer to the stall bar to be able to push out far enough. Hanna makes the same adjustment in the technique tip video and you can see it is a just a small scoot toward the bars that allows her to achieve a really nice shape.
Edit: I had this tab open and didn't see the latest replies before this went in.
Thanks everett
as suggested ill be staying here for some time until my shoulders stack better over my wrists
apologies I’ve only just seen this reply today as I’ve said on other posts this is due to me no longer getting emails notifying me of replies even though I turned on notify me on the original thread post . This is strange as I always use to get emails but for some time now this doesn’t happen not sure why
many thanks once again
Leigh
1 hour ago, Leigh Kettle said:apologies I’ve only just seen this reply today as I’ve said on other posts this is due to me no longer getting emails notifying me of replies even though I turned on notify me on the original thread post . This is strange as I always use to get emails but for some time now this doesn’t happen not sure why
Yeah, it happens to me too... Let me know if you find why please!
14 hours ago, Leigh Kettle said:
as suggested ill be staying here for some time until my shoulders stack better over my wrists
Btw, nice elevated bridge! How's the progress doing?
*Sorry for the last post, completely out of subject.
hey @Étienne Lajeunesse Many thanks
the above is me working in making the shoulder wrist stack better as @Everett Carroll suggested .. this was my hold tonight ... I made sure I started with butt closer to the feet to help achieve this
is this ok ?
also below is two angles of my push up at this current level
again critique is much appreciated as always
leigh
15 hours ago, Leigh Kettle said:hey @Étienne Lajeunesse Many thanks
the above is me working in making the shoulder wrist stack better as @Everett Carroll suggested .. this was my hold tonight ... I made sure I started with butt closer to the feet to help achieve this
is this ok ?
also below is two angles of my push up at this current level
again critique is much appreciated as always
leigh
Nice bridges Leigh!
It seems pretty all fine to me. Keep working on pushing your chest out and straightening your legs. I don't know if it's required but maybe try to keep your elbows in while doing your pushups. You're obviously stronger than me, but, even if I don't reach the floor, I try to keep them inward.
Apart of that, good job man! Are you going to a seminar?
17 hours ago, Leigh Kettle said:also below is two angles of my push up at this current level
From my own experience, when the head is lowered to the ground, I prefer creating the tripod by placing the head in front of the fingertips (similar to the bottom position of a freestanding HSPU), instead of head being almost in between the hands. I found it a lot easier to engage whatever muscles needed to push back up. At the top, I then push the chest out hard to have the wrists aligned with the back of my neck. So the head is traveling in a angle when view from the side, instead of straight up and down. The tripod also helps to keep the elbows in when pushing up. Just my experience. I'm interested to hear what coach says.
It is possible to keep the head out (with wrists aligned behind the neck) throughout the pushup. That's similar to a behind-the-neck press. Much harder to do in a back bend, both strength-wise and mobility-wise, and your elbows will have to flare out if your hands are placed narrow. It emphasizes much more the back muscles than the chest...
7 hours ago, Étienne Lajeunesse said:Nice bridges Leigh!
It seems pretty all fine to me. Keep working on pushing your chest out and straightening your legs. I don't know if it's required but maybe try to keep your elbows in while doing your pushups. You're obviously stronger than me, but, even if I don't reach the floor, I try to keep them inward.
Apart of that, good job man! Are you going to a seminar?
Thanks mate I will do for sure
and as for the keeping the elbows in I’ll work on that in my next practice
many thanks once again
Hi jin
Many thanks for your guidance
yes when I used to perform free hspu I was always very keen to perform them in this manner . It certainly helped keep my elbows from flaring . When in the thoracic hold invert I feel it takes more thinking due to the unnatural position of the legs in relation to the torso but will strive for this in my next practice ...
many thanks
Leigh
Hey @Jin Liu and @Étienne Lajeunesse
Ive taken your advice on board
is this looking any better ?
many thanks
also etienne in answer to your question I’m unable to make any seminars this year - I’m gutted as I’d love to but finances are tight -
Nice suggestion about the head position @Jin Liu
@Leigh Kettle These are coming along nicely. Now try scooting your hands a little further away from your feet. You are looking a bit too scrunched.
HEy @Everett Carroll
thank you
However Here I have purposely moved my hands closer to the stall bar as per your suggestion earlier in this thread (dated February 20th) to enable a better shoulder /wrist stack - is this not what you meant
are you saying I should move my hands back out again ?
20 minutes ago, Leigh Kettle said:are you saying I should move my hands back out again ?
You're more flexible now so let's try it 
11 minutes ago, Everett Carroll said:You're more flexible now so let's try it
Ha ha ok will do
New video pending
21 hours ago, Leigh Kettle said:Hey @Jin Liu and @Étienne Lajeunesse
Ive taken your advice on board
is this looking any better ?
many thanks
also etienne in answer to your question I’m unable to make any seminars this year - I’m gutted as I’d love to but finances are tight -
Looking good! When you move your hands farther away as @Everett Carroll suggested, I believe you can also lower your head further away from the fingertips, if you are comfortable. If mobility is not limiting, I like to place my head as further away from the fingertips as I can. When I first switched my form from head being in between hands to being away from the fingertips, I feel a big difference.
Your form reminds me a lot of how I started out. The bridge pushup used to be a big pain in the butt, but a tweak in the form made it almost enjoyable. I went back and compared my videos when I just started out doing the bridge series (top video, around Sep 2017), and now (bottom, Jan 2018). Notice the different head position at the bottom. I felt much at ease doing the bridge pushups now mostly due to the tweak in the form, and improved shoulder mobility. Strength-wise I don't think it changed much now and then. I still have to keep improving my shoulder mobility...
Hope it helps. Keep up the good work!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yis69D7JY_4
AH yeah Jin some really nice work and Inprovement . I already felt better doing it the way you suggested so moving my hands further away i thinks gonna be better for sure
I’ll the submit a video when I get chance next practice and thanks so much for your help here
this whole bridge series is seriously challenging for me with my mobility as I started out
On 27/03/2018 at 4:15 PM, Jin Liu said:Looking good! When you move your hands farther away as @Everett Carroll suggested, I believe you can also lower your head further away from the fingertips, if you are comfortable. If mobility is not limiting, I like to place my head as further away from the fingertips as I can. When I first switched my form from head being in between hands to being away from the fingertips, I feel a big difference.
Your form reminds me a lot of how I started out. The bridge pushup used to be a big pain in the butt, but a tweak in the form made it almost enjoyable. I went back and compared my videos when I just started out doing the bridge series (top video, around Sep 2017), and now (bottom, Jan 2018). Notice the different head position at the bottom. I felt much at ease doing the bridge pushups now mostly due to the tweak in the form, and improved shoulder mobility. Strength-wise I don't think it changed much now and then. I still have to keep improving my shoulder mobility...
Hope it helps. Keep up the good work!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yis69D7JY_4
Hey guys @Jin Liu
here is my latest video as promised taking Into account what you both said
what do you guys think please
2 hours ago, Leigh Kettle said:Hey guys @Jin Liu
here is my latest video as promised taking Into account what you both said
what do you guys think please
I like it! Keep it up! Just wondering, you clearly pushed yourself up from neck on the ground in the very first one (with feet so high up too), why didn't you lower yourself fully (head touching ground, easier than from neck-touching-ground!) in the subsequent reps? I can't think of anything that can stop you from doing that.
25 minutes ago, Jin Liu said:I like it! Keep it up! Just wondering, you clearly pushed yourself up from neck on the ground in the very first one (with feet so high up too), why didn't you lower yourself fully (head touching ground, easier than from neck-touching-ground!) in the subsequent reps? I can't think of anything that can stop you from doing that.
Thanks jin
id done quite a few reps before these (as well as my series reps ) as I was trying to find the right position both in terms of hand placement from bars and feet height. What I will say tho is when I focus on keeping elbows in tight during the push up I find It difficult to push through with the whole oF my hands and it makes pushing up quite hard. It’s hard to explain but it’s almost like keeping elbows in only allows me to have weight through the outside of myhand like I need to turn my hands out to get better connection with the floor ( does that make sense )
43 minutes ago, Leigh Kettle said:Thanks jin
id done quite a few reps before these (as well as my series reps ) as I was trying to find the right position both in terms of hand placement from bars and feet height. What I will say tho is when I focus on keeping elbows in tight during the push up I find It difficult to push through with the whole oF my hands and it makes pushing up quite hard. It’s hard to explain but it’s almost like keeping elbows in only allows me to have weight through the outside of myhand like I need to turn my hands out to get better connection with the floor ( does that make sense )
Try slightly wider hands. I think it has to do with shoulder rotations, but I’m not sure. Ideally you want hands at shoulder width, just slightly wider is ok too. Start from slightly wider hands, and narrow them in over time. And keep the elbows in (vertical from the wrists) the whole time.
2 hours ago, Jin Liu said:Try slightly wider hands. I think it has to do with shoulder rotations, but I’m not sure. Ideally you want hands at shoulder width, just slightly wider is ok too. Start from slightly wider hands, and narrow them in over time. And keep the elbows in (vertical from the wrists) the whole time.
Thanks Jin will do
its a strange feeling really obvs some mobility issue there cos also at the top when I lock in this position I sometimes feel a small impingement in my shoulder - nothing of any note tho . Will try your hands slightly wider tip tho
thank you
leigh
1 hour ago, Leigh Kettle said:Thanks Jin will do
its a strange feeling really obvs some mobility issue there cos also at the top when I lock in this position I sometimes feel a small impingement in my shoulder - nothing of any note tho . Will try your hands slightly wider tip tho
thank you
leigh
Sorry to repeat if this has already been discussed in the previous posts. Just did the bridge series myself, and tried different shoulder rotations in the later elements from elevated bridge to hip tap. I think the shoulder should be externally rotated in order to keep the elbows in and the weight throughout the whole palm. If the shoulders are internally rotated, the elbows will be pointing outwards to start with, and the weight will be distributed mainly on the outside of the palm. With the shoulders externally rotated tho, it takes more effort to push the chest out. But, I believe it's the goal to increase mobility with externally rotated shoulders, just like in the elevated cat & shoulder flexion, etc..
Got ya Jin makes sense to me
thanks so much once again
will take all this forwards
leigh