Elevated bridge feels impossible

Hi all

I started the bridge course a couple of weeks ago and am finding the elevated bridge impossible. I don't have the strengh to push from the floor so i kick up but it look and feels completely wrong. Will this improve from the other stretches and should I leave this for now untill i improve with them?

Thank you 

Not bad Garry!!!!

now in order to build up strength for future bridge push up you can consider to hold the elevated bridge and then, instead of kicking out from the bridge, simply move down closer to the floor making a little pause of 1-2 seconds on some angles. the more frequent the pause the better it is.

Ah ok, thanks Alessandro. Not sure why i didnt think of that.

I look forward to looking back and remembering how difficult this was.

Garry I am exactly the same! Elevated bridge seems both impossible and terrifying, and I've been doing what you are doing. I can push up into a regular bridge just fine, but it feels like it jams my lower back, so have been avoiding it completely. I'll go for your handstand approach and see how it goes

13 hours ago, Fiona Silk said:

I can push up into a regular bridge just fine,

I can't even do this at the moment!

I look forward to bridge night, wish I could say the same for MS.

Lets see were we are a year from now!

You're not alone in this! While I can push up into a bridge, I have to have my feet pretty low to do so, which makes it a lumbar bridge instead of a thoracic bridge. So I don't... to protect my lower back. I do the handstand bridge you're doing in the video, and I recover better for it. I, too, look forward to looking back on this some time when I can push up into a bridge without pinching my lower back!

For me it was totally impossible when I started in July 2017. I used rubber bands attached round my hips to scale down.

Last week I tried without the bands and YES, I can push into the elevated bridge !

Hip taps are still impossible for me but I shift my weight from shouldet to shoulder trying to keep one as light as possible.

The progress seems slow but it´s definately getting better with patience.

On 30/03/2018 at 4:17 PM, Jennifer Marie said:

I, too, look forward to looking back on this some time when I can push up into a bridge without pinching my lower back!

I definitely feel the back pinch. 

Should the concentration be on pushing the chest out rather than lowering the legs?

3 hours ago, Garry Barker said:

I definitely feel the back pinch. 

Should the concentration be on pushing the chest out rather than lowering the legs?

Both. Remember to look down at your hands (similar to handstands, you will find yourself closing your shoulders and moving the bend lower in the spine if you allow the chin to come up), keeping the arch as high as possible in the back. I swear by the twisting bear stretch from the t-spine stretch series in every warmup.

Rather than pushing my chest towards / over my hands, which I find is more productive in subsequent sets when I am pushing my flexibility, I think more of facing as much of my chest towards the ceiling as possible, whilst maintaining open shoulders/straight arms. This pushes the stretch more through my chest and shoulders.

10 hours ago, Jon Douglas said:

Both. Remember to look down at your hands (similar to handstands, you will find yourself closing your shoulders and moving the bend lower in the spine if you allow the chin to come up), keeping the arch as high as possible in the back. I swear by the twisting bear stretch from the t-spine stretch series in every warmup.

Rather than pushing my chest towards / over my hands, which I find is more productive in subsequent sets when I am pushing my flexibility, I think more of facing as much of my chest towards the ceiling as possible, whilst maintaining open shoulders/straight arms. This pushes the stretch more through my chest and shoulders.

Thanks @Jon Douglas

These small tweeks make huge differences!

My main focus while doing the elevated bridge is squeeze my glutes and shoulder blades toghether. When I started to do this I never failt pain in my lower back.

Always pay attention on performing the retraction in the bridge position.In case of tight rotator cuff the result is an increased internal rotation and the risk of impingement increases and this is something we need to avoid .

35 minutes ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

Always pay attention on performing the retraction

What does performing retraction in the the bridge position mean? 

Sorry this is all new to me.

2 hours ago, Garry Barker said:

What does performing retraction in the the bridge position mean? 

Sorry this is all new to me.

Pulling shoulders back, pinching shoulder blades together 

Ah ok got it!

Thanks @Ronnicky Roy 

Yes, squeezing glutes -- a lot! 

My internal cue for pinching shoulder blades is pushing chest through arms, but I can see where thinking about the blades would click better. I like it.  

I love form checks for this one -- even if you don't post it, video and watch yourself. I thought I had a tight, straight line, but was actually piking my hips. (Hence the "a lot" on squeezing glutes.)

Don't worry about lowering feet until you have that nice solid line from toes to ribs. You're still getting a good stretch with the feet higher, as long as your PPT is solid, and your legs and arms are straight. (At least for me.  If my knees start to bend, my butt dips, and I don't feel the stretch in the right place.)

15 hours ago, Jennifer Marie said:

I love form checks for this one -- even if you don't post it, video and watch yourself. I thought I had a tight, straight line, but was actually piking my hips. (Hence the "a lot" on squeezing glutes.)

Yeah I think lots of advice and form checks are needed on this one. I've picked up alot just from this topic!

On 03/04/2018 at 11:36 PM, Alessandro Mainente said:

Always pay attention on performing the retraction in the bridge position.In case of tight rotator cuff the result is an increased internal rotation and the risk of impingement increases and this is something we need to avoid .

Reinforcing this - it took significant time and confusion to fix this in me.

@Garry Barker great thread, my thoracic stretch series has been limited by my mobility and strength to get into a bridge.  Finally I've become comfortable in the handstand with wall assist and this highly elevated bridge suggestion will be golden!

Today was spent in the highly elevated bridge focusing on squeezing the glutes, looking at the heands while thinking about pinching the  scapulas together. 

14 hours ago, William Trask said:

Today was spent in the highly elevated bridge focusing on squeezing the glutes, looking at the heands while thinking about pinching the  scapulas together. 

 

By the time I've thought about these ive collapsed in a heap on the floor!

I haven't reached the wall in HS1 yet (currently on PE5) so should we hold back on the shoulder flexion press untill we reach the wall in HS1? 

9 hours ago, Garry Barker said:

By the time I've thought about these ive collapsed in a heap on the floor!

I haven't reached the wall in HS1 yet (currently on PE5) so should we hold back on the shoulder flexion press untill we reach the wall in HS1? 

You should be fine with this provided you have nothing physically impeding reaching a handstand position

On 3/24/2018 at 9:03 PM, Alessandro Mainente said:

Not bad Garry!!!!

now in order to build up strength for future bridge push up you can consider to hold the elevated bridge and then, instead of kicking out from the bridge, simply move down closer to the floor making a little pause of 1-2 seconds on some angles. the more frequent the pause the better it is.

Hi do you mean move your feet to the floor, not sure i follow this.

Nope, perform a slow eccentric pushup until your reach the floor with the shoulder.