Bridge Progressions

I just wondered what kind of progressions people used for developing a proper Bridge. I did a forum search and didn't find what i was looking for so if this has already been addressed somewhere i missed it.

I have found progressions for Bridge on youtube that Carl Paoli put up which are nice, but i lack the basic ability to press up with straight arms. I can press up but its ugly as all hell and my arms can't get straight.

I was thinking very basic progressions might begin:

Seal Stretch

Cobra Stretch

Basically i am not sure how to go from a Cobra pose to pressing up into a bridge with legs elevated with straight arms. (the beginning of Carl Paoli's progressions). I seem to lack the shoulder mobility to 'open' up.

Alternatively, is it possible just to begin with Coach's Wall Walks and over time build the requisite mobility and strength form doing those a couple of times a week?

Could be wrist problems. To see, try having a partner stand by your head and grab their ankles - attempt to push up from there (or use a railing or something)

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You sure that doesn't help? In addition to that, I would put one more preliminary step in which would be a bridge with feet on an elevated surface. I have some fairly tight shoulders so a lot of my bridge work with my feet on a higher surface. As I get better, I reduce the height.

The reason that grabbing ankles works is more often also do to shoulder mobility . Grabbing someone's ankles lets you push in the horizontal plane, rather than straight down. Another very good way to accomplish that is to set up with your head next to a wall, with your wrists butted up against the wall. In a bad case, you can put a couple of blocks slanted against the wall to push against. It can often help just to turn the fingers more out, away from each other.

I also do a drill where you set up on your back with the arms straight overhead against the wall. Fingers will need to turn out to do this also. See arms over head shoulder bridge photo to get the idea. Then with completely straight arms pressing strongly into the wall, lift onto your head, or all the way up.

The final position looks something like this, if his hands were on a wall and fingers pointing away from each other.

Doing feet elevated bridge is also very good for getting on top of your hands.

Finally, any shoulder opener you would use for handstands will also help with bridge. One of my favorite is the downward facing dog position from yoga. It's sometimes more appropriate to begin with wall dog pictured below.

Down dog in all it's variations is one of the greatest all-around stretches there is, and is worth including in any stretching routine.

If I were to make it into a sequence it might look something like this -

Wall dog

Down Dog

Seal

Cobra

Shoulder Bridge - arms overhead

Shoulder Bridge - grab ankles (or a strap around the ankles)

Straight Arm - Hands on Wall bridge lifts

Feet Elevated Bridge

Over time adding progressively adding -

Feet on Floor Bridge - wrists at wall

Feet on Floor Bridge

Wall Walks - Partial

Wall Walks

Hands Elevated Bridge

Limbers

Cole Dano said:

The reason that grabbing ankles works is more often also do to shoulder mobility . Grabbing the ankles lets you push in the horizontal plane, rather than straight down. Another very good way to accomplish that is to set up with your head next to a wall, with your wrists butted up against the wall. In a bad case, you can put a couple of blocks slanted against the wall to push against. It can often help just to turn the fingers more out, away from each other.

This is really interesting. I actually have a very hard time pushing directly from the floor into a bridge due to some sort of rotation issues (my hands point almost completely out to the sides). I can, however, push up onto my head, re-adjust the hands, and push up into a bridge. As I lower back down, my hands like to rotate, still...

The block things works amazingly for me, though (thanks for the tip), as I can initially place my unrotated hands against the side of the block, and roll onto the top of the block as I push upwards.

Do you have any advice for someone like me?

I should have said shoulder / spinal mobility. If you look at the shoulder bridge pictures you can see how their chest is already almost vertical, this is a big part of what is needed to push directly up.

Phrak what you are doing by first coming onto the head re-setting and then finishing the press up is good and also part of the way I teach the progression. Like with yourself, most people will do this naturally without being told.

Basically it's just doing it, working on opening without letting the arms bend once you are up and time will take care of the rest.

The other reason I like using the wall is it will actually let you be in a position where the shoulders aren't over the hands without fear of the hands slipping out. The way I teach full bridge is first get the arms straight then slowly work on the mobility to get the arms over the shoulders.

Bridging is tough in the beginning because it's so much about the thoracic spine and shoulders in a position where we are blind. Not only that, but there are even fewer nerve endings so we have less neural connection to that part of the body. However the control can be built with patience.

I was absolutely horrible when I started.

So should I continue pushing up from the head? Is the block thing better, or worse?

Also, how do you work "over the hands" when near a wall? Does your face end up pressed into the wall?

I think the best way to answer that is just try them, you can do both in the same session, I'd start with the blocks as it requires less opening.

Yes your face will be up against the wall, but the trick again is doing it with arms perfectly straight. At that point the wall is only a warm up.

Ya know, there is a reason I made this video a long time ago.

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Doing bridges on a set of stall bars if you have access to them allows you to crank open the shoulders a bit more than just floor or grabbing a partner's ankles. I've had a few inflexible gymnasts that liked doing them on the stall bars, especially for bridge wall walks.

This is one of the most informative boards on the internet. Thanks for all the responses. Sometimes its hard to find the great bits of information floating around on the board.

I'll start working on these progressions

Ok so i figured out what i was doing wrong. I was keeping my legs bent a lot and it prevented me from straightening my arms out. This is my attempt at an elevated bridge and demonstrates the limits of my flexibility / strength in the position. I can hold this for 3 - 5 seconds. Its a bit ugly and i would like to work on it.

Any feedback would be appreciated. I'm wondering if i should work some earlier progressions more before doing this or if i should just build up from this position. If people tell me this position is all over the place and really bad i will start a few progression below and work up through some of the series Cole mentioned.

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I hesitated to post yesterday in this thread and I'm glad I did because now that you've posted a video it's easier to comment. I don't really think you have a flexibility issue, I believe you are just like everyone else in the world and learning about active flexibility in the shoulder and upper thoracic. Most people understand the concept of passive flexibility, ie; raise your arms over your head. But since active flexibility requires both the passive flexibility underpinnings as well as muscle tension most people tend to avoid it. Active flexibility poses are, as you see in your bridge effort, fairly difficult to maintain.

Looking at your bridge I think you're actually pretty darn "open" and flexible in the shoulders. I don't think it will require much time/effort before you have a fully functional bridge/upward bow. It might take a while to get to the Blairbob/Gumby level but he's uber rubbery in the upper throacic.

BTW, it's not your bent legs that were keeping you from straightening your arms. When in a full bridge/upward bow with your feet on the ground you generally see a strong tendency for the knees tend to bow out. This is especially true for guys. The limits of your present flexibility will let you either fully straighten your arms overhead actively or bend your legs as you raise your hips while keeping your knees together/parallel but not the two at the same time. Eventually, with time and practice, you will increase your flexibility all along the sides of your body so that you are able to keep your knees together/parallel while stretching your arms fully over your head and supporting your weight actively. Often, as you progress, you will hear instruction to keep your knees together (easier said than done as you grunt and huff), but that conscious thought turned into effort is what will help you progress.

So, what next? Keep doing what you're doing to build up that active flexibility endurance. Then progress to start lowering your feet onto progressively lower flat surfaces. You want to maintain that push through the shoulders and also the press of your hips toward the sky. Eventually, you will get to Blairbob world.

Well that's great news! Thanks for the feedback. I will do as you say and work this position to build endurance before moving down a rung on the chair.

I really enjoy the bridge, feels really good afterwards on my middle back / upper back.