How to get on the bridge from a standing position. How to learn how to make a bridge - a simple and effective technique

If you cannot bend forward and reach the ground with your hands, or bend back when you see a wall, then you should definitely do special exercises that increase the flexibility of the spinal column. Otherwise, you may soon begin to feel back pain. In this regard, you should find out how to stand on the bridge. This gymnastic exercise will allow you to significantly improve the flexibility of the spinal column.

To find out the degree of flexibility of the spine, you should fix a mark on the wall (door), placing it at the level of the shoulder joints. After this, you need to perform two movements:

• Take a standing position with your back to the established mark at a distance of one step. After this, start bending back and try to see the mark.
• Turn to the mark with your left side and, raising your straightened left hand, try to touch its mark. Perform in the other direction.

If you can easily cope with these tests, then your flexibility is at a high level. If you have difficulty doing this, then your flexibility is average, and when you cannot perform the movements, it is poor.

Warm-up exercises in preparation for the bridge

Below we will tell you how to stand on the bridge, but before that you need to do a good warm-up to prepare your body.

Exercises for the shoulder girdle

• Perform rotational movements with straightened arms back and forth.
• Bend one arm at the elbow joint at chest level, placing your forearm parallel to the ground. If you bend your right arm, then begin to turn your body to the right, while twisting the spinal column. After this, repeat in the other direction, changing hands.
• Bend your arm at the elbow and lift it up, placing your forearm behind your head. Start pulling the raised hand down with your second hand, and after completing it, repeat the exercise in the other direction.
• Lower your straight arms down and join them in a “lock.” Then lift them up, simultaneously bending your back and shoulder girdle.

Exercises for the lower back and shoulder girdle

• The palms are on the hips. Begin to bend back, throwing your head back.
• Leaning your upper body forward, simultaneously extend your closed, straight arms parallel to the ground.
• Close your hands and begin to tilt your body forward until it is parallel to the ground. Swing your straightened arms above the back of your head, tilting your torso forward and touching your hands to the ground.
• The palms are on the back of a stable chair or the crossbar at waist level, and the legs are straightened. Keep your spinal column as low as possible.

Exercises for back muscles

1. Your legs and backs should be straightened and in this position, begin to perform circular movements with your upper body.
2. The legs are straightened and located at the level of the shoulder joints. Bend to the sides and at the same time straighten your arm, located at the top parallel to the ground.
3. Take a position on all fours and begin to arch your back up and down with the greatest possible amplitude, imitating the movements of a cat.
4. Without changing the starting position, imagine that there is a crossbar in front of you, not far from the ground. Perform the movement as if you were crawling under this bar.
5. Take a lying position on your stomach, clasping your palms at the back of your head and arching your upper body at the lower back with maximum amplitude.
6. Without changing the starting position, extend your arms forward, clasping your palms. Roll from your hips to your chest and back.
7. The starting position is similar to the previous movement, but the palms rest on the ground. Begin to arch your lower back, throwing your head back.
8. Stand on your knees and begin to swing your legs while bending your lower back.

The most common mistakes when performing a bridge

When the bridge is performed correctly, the limbs should be perpendicular to the back. To increase the mobility of the spinal column, when performing a bridge, you need to straighten your legs and arch your back. You can also rock slightly alternately in the direction of your palms and feet. As the mobility of the spinal column increases, you should gradually reduce the distance between your feet and palms.

How to properly stand on the bridge in a prone position?

Tightening your leg muscles, begin to lift your pelvis. After this, you need to bend your back, straightening your legs at the same time as far as possible. Returning to the starting position, the shoulder blade should first touch the ground, and then the buttocks. Perform the movement several times.

How to properly stand on the bridge in a sitting position?

Returning to the starting position, all movements should be performed in the opposite order. As the flexibility of the spinal column improves, it will be useful to master the rollover from the bridge position:

• The upper part of the body must begin to turn to the left, moving the right hand behind the left. After this, you need to place your left leg behind your right. As a result, you will find yourself in a position where your back is pointing up and you are resting on your palms and feet.
• To return to the bridge position, you must simultaneously place your right leg and arm.

How to properly stand on the bridge in a standing position?

Stand about 80 centimeters from the wall, placing your feet at the level of your shoulder joints. After this, begin to bend back until your fingers touch the wall. Continue bending over while moving your fingers along the wall. As a result, you must stand on the bridge. Work against the wall until you master the technique of performing a bridge in a standing position.

After this, you need to stop using the wall and for this you should use a mat. It will also be very good if you are insured. You need to face the person insuring you, placing your legs at the level of your shoulder joints. Start raising your hands, and at this moment your friend can already begin to back you up, holding you under your back.

When leaning back, it is necessary to pause for a second at the end point of the trajectory and, avoiding sudden movements, stand on the bridge. To return to the starting position, you should push off the ground with your hands and straighten up. Don't give up on the belay until you have fully mastered this technique.

Very often, when performing a bridge in a standing position, the same mistake is made - the movement is performed with the back and shoulder joints. You only need to move your arms to make a bridge. Also, often the bridge is performed only due to the movement of the back and the shoulder girdle is not involved in the work at all. As a result, you will not be able to fully straighten your arms and this will significantly reduce your stability.

How to properly warm up and do a bridge, you will learn from this story:

The gymnastic bridge, or as it is called, the bridge, is a basic exercise in gymnastics, which serves as the foundation for performing complex acrobatic tricks. The bridge is quite beautiful from the outside; it allows you to show people around you how great the level of flexibility of your body and overall physical fitness is.

Getting ready to step onto the bridge

Before making a bridge, you need to do a short warm-up, warm up the muscles of the joints and back. In the future, once you realize that you can get on the bridge quite easily, you will not need to prepare and warm up. However, for beginners, warming up muscle mass is not only recommended, it is necessary.

To get on the bridge as quickly as possible, you should regularly perform special gymnastic exercises:

• Lie on your stomach, stretch your arms forward. Raise your legs and arms at the same time, trying to bend as much as possible. Keep your knees straight. Try to hold this position for about one minute to begin with.
• Get on the horses. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and raise your arms up. Lean back very slowly until you can touch the floor with your hands. Do this exercise until your fingertips touch the floor.
• Lie on your stomach on the floor. Place your arms in line with your hips and straighten them. Bend your back. Next, bending your knees and raising your head, reach your toes to your head.
• Now lie down on the floor with your back down. Bend your legs at the knees, bend your arms in the same way and place them as close to your shoulders as possible so that your elbows are directed towards the top. From this position, carefully straighten your legs and arms, and, arching your back, try to make a bridge. Having reached the maximum point of the exercise, fix the position and stay in it for several seconds.

If you learn to confidently do the preparatory exercises, and even the very last one (bridge from a lying position), you can gradually begin to do a bridge from a standing position. If you do this in the training room, then you can use the Swedish wall. If your training takes place at home, then choose a convenient place near the wall.

Bridge exercises

Standing against a wall bars or a regular wall with your back, raise your arms to the top and place your feet at shoulder level. Start from this position by leaning back until your hands touch the surface of the wall. Without ceasing to bend over, move your hands along the wall and continue to lower yourself onto the bridge. Having fixed it for a few seconds, you can return to the original position, making the same movements with your hands. Do the exercise until you get it right.

The following exercise will also help solve the main problem - how to stand on the bridge. Lay out a soft mat for this, and first ask for help from an assistant or trainer. Stand facing him, spread your legs at a distance equal to shoulder width, raise your arms to the top. The assistant should belay you, holding you under your back. Lean back, fix the position for a while, and slowly lower yourself into the gymnastic bridge. Stay in this position for a while, and then return to the starting position. You can refuse partner support when you can stand on the bridge yourself.

Who among us in childhood did not try at least once to stand on bridge?

I think that you won’t find such people, even in distant Africa. Although, it may be there that there may be more of them than in all other parts of the world.

There is something we really like about this movement, which pushes us to try to lie on the floor at least once and push off with our arms and legs.

Some people stop there, while others continue to master it. And after not much time he does something that is simply incomprehensible to the mind!

But if you look at it, the whole difficulty of the “bridge” is in the flexibility of the back, which needs to be developed.

If it is already there, then the movement is achieved almost immediately and we “terribly” enjoy doing it!

If the back is stiff, then almost everyone’s desire disappears immediately after the first time.

Back flexibility is like stretching into a split, it doesn’t fall from the sky. Therefore, if you really want to, then you can do it!

Learning to make a bridge.

On the one hand, there is nothing complicated in the bridge: lie on your back, place your palms on the floor near your ears, and your feet not far from your buttocks, and push your body up with your stomach as much as you can.

You repeat it over and over again, and you see that the body rises higher and higher. And if it’s not laziness, mother, then it’s as if there’s nothing to do here.

Another thing is to stand on the bridge from a standing position. Here, in addition to the oak back, you also have to fight fear.

Therefore, we will take all precautions!

Let's provide a hard surface under our feet and a soft one behind our shoulders.

We should also mark the vertical surface in front of us, as indicated in the figure, even if we do not need it right away.

Let me note now that we will need this surface when we start learning to get up from the bridge. It will stop our fall forward in time if we do not calculate our strength correctly and rush forward in an attempt to get up from the bridge.

The soft surface at the back will protect us from hitting our heads if we forgot to extend our arms or did not bend our back enough, or sometimes simply lost our balance.

This is not required in the gym, since there are all the conditions for training and there is a coach who will provide backup at any time.

At home it’s a completely different matter! At home, if you don’t make a pillow, it’s your own fault!!!

Most often, when learning a bridge, they fall backward and very rarely forward. I want to scare you, falling forward is worse. Beware of them. This of course does not mean that you should avoid doing exercises. You just need to be smart about it.

God saves man, who save himself!

How to insure a child?

If you are a parent, then secure your child by standing at his side, extending one hand under the arched back and the other, bringing it closer to the child’s knees. There is no need to touch these parts of the body. Only in case of a fall, when the child loses his balance.

Usually, when children bend back, their knees bend first. Without controlling the body, instead of bending in the back, they bend, or rather bend their knees, and in the best case, fall backwards. Therefore, we hold the forward motion of the legs bent at the knees.

It happens that everything is fine with the knees and there is a good deflection in the back, but for some reason we do not stretch our arms up above our heads, but leave them in front of us. It’s hard to say why this happens, but I can say for sure that in this case they usually land with their heads.

Of course, nothing bad will happen if the child is supported by pillows.

If the child feels your hand at the very beginning, he will definitely try to lean on it. And this will not lead to the desired results.

Adults, speaking about insurance, must make do on their own (and pillows).

Learning to climb from the bridge.

After we have learned to stand on the bridge from a standing position, we begin to learn how to rise from the bridge to a vertical position.

To do this, from a position on the bridge, you need to consciously push the entire hip part forward, while transferring the weight of the body from your arms to your legs. At the same time, you need to keep your legs strong, controlling your knees, which should not relax.

To remove excess weight from the upper body, first, we move our hands through the bottom.

In the final version, the “bridge”, or rather the acceptance of its position, is performed with raised arms.

Imagine a staircase in the entrance. Could you step from the first step directly to the ninth step? It’s unlikely... No matter how much you try to take this huge step, you will remain on the first step

It works the same way in training. If we take small steps, we will reach our goal faster.

We do not rise from the bridge from the lowest position. We are gradually approaching this. And our body only becomes even stronger.

Watch these steps shown in the video.

Let's learn to walk... on the bridge.

This lesson is more about coordination. But nevertheless, it will not be useless to you. On the contrary, it is he who best strengthens our position on the bridge. In general, we are learning to walk.

Of course, many years ago we already learned how to do this. And, thank God, everything is fine with coordination. But the moment we cave in, an interesting thing happens. At that moment when it seems to us that we are moving forward, we must not forget to move our feet back.

At first, everyone finds themselves in such a situation that when starting to move, they practically spread out on the floor. Since our brain perceives forward movement, it gives the command to our legs to move forward. When we walk in a vertical position, that is, with our feet, we have not thought about it for many years. But when we just started walking, every step was a serious brain activity for us.

This is what I am calling you to do today. Think! Stepping forward with your hands, stepping backwards with your feet. And vice versa. Stepping your arms back, your legs move forward. Happy learning!!!

You can get on the bridge in another way.

It’s also a bridge, but it looks different.

In addition, this option is more suitable for those who have not been able to overcome the fear of bending back into the unknown. This is what is scary about entering the bridge through standing on your feet. After all, we do not see what is happening in the place where our hands and head should be in a moment. And yet, we do not feel the distance remaining between our hands and the floor. Who knows when you can stop bending and just fall on your outstretched arms.

In this second option, from a sitting position, we place our hand in advance in the place where it should be in the “bridge” position. And there is no fear for the other hand either. And most importantly, hitting your head from this position is simply impossible!

Well, now, we can move on to the “aerobatics”.

A huge number of elements are performed through the “bridge”. Among them are those that are included in the program of gymnastics and acrobatics competitions. And there are those that are in no way inferior in complexity to the first ones, but for some reason are not included in the program. But they are widely used by “dancers of the people.”

By the way, “dancers of the people” is the most respected category among dancers. These are the guys and girls who go out into the street with music and do all kinds of crazy things. Here you can see such a variety of elements that sometimes you want to check if, like us, they have two arms and legs.

Of course, we don’t yet know how to do the same as “dancers of the people,” but we can show you something. And if you want to learn how to do this movement, then we will be happy to tell you how you can learn it.

lesson by with .

We usually learn how to do a gymnastic bridge at school. Well, how, we learn - some quickly and easily get into it, either from a lying position, or from a straight stance without any walls, others try to push an unyielding body into the desired position, and still others, the most unlucky and stubborn ones, also get injured in the process.

Just four years ago, gymnastic bridges as a lifting exercise were of interest only to dancers, and even to a narrow group of the population who wanted to bench press more than their own weight. Today, the bridge is promoted by almost every sports publication. Yes, the ability to perform it is an indicator of the flexibility of the spine, shoulder and hip joints, and an indirect indicator of the youth of our body. And if you are afraid, you should still do the bridge, but... This is one of the most traumatic exercises for an amateur, and you should not “push” your own body into the bridge at any cost.

Why is it not given to everyone

The most important thing to understand before doing all the popular exercises is that not everyone can do it. Some people can’t bench press more than 40 kg for years, some can’t do pull-ups, and some can’t stand on the notorious bridge. Which is totally fine unless that someone makes a living teaching yoga and pole dancing. In general, a full gymnastic bridge performed independently is contraindicated until:

• you cannot, in a straight stance, with a straight back and a non-bent thoracic spine, raise your straight arms up and move them back so that the line connecting the palms passes at least 2-3 cm beyond the top of the head;
• you are not able to lift a light stick with a grip slightly wider than your shoulders and move it behind your head;
• you cannot bend your lower back in the opposite direction and pull your pelvis towards your shoulder blades just by lying on your back.

These are mobility restrictions; they are the same for children and adults. Those who want to know how to teach a child to make a bridge should take this into account. If this is the case, you need to do building exercises and return to the bridge only when the restrictions cease to be so. If the matter is complicated by the presence of hernias in the spinal column, as well as arthrosis of the main working joints, it is worth consulting with a doctor about the possibility of bridge training. The same applies to injuries of various origins.

Warm-up and warm-up

In the process of performing a bridge, not only increased joint mobility is required, but also the preparation of muscle tissue and fascia. If you do strength training in your free time from bridges, and/or do serious amounts of cardio, you should start not with stretching in the spirit of school physical education, but with joint warm-up and myofascial release.

The complex could be like this:

• 8 rotations clockwise and counterclockwise with the wrists, then a figure of eight with the hands gathered in a finger lock, then rotation with the elbows clockwise and counterclockwise, arms to the sides, circles with the shoulders back and forth, lifting and lowering the thoracic spine, circles with the pelvis, deep squats without weight to the full amplitude, bending forward with a straight back and maximum flexion at the hip joint, foot circles with a weightless leg;
• Separately, you should perform a set of head rotations and lowering the chin onto the chest;
• Next, you need to take a foam roller or a hard ball and “roll” the calf muscles, the back of the thigh, the back from the sacral to the cervical, the front surface of the body, and separately the triceps, quadriceps, hips and shoulders;
• after this, you can perform about 10-12 minutes of light cardio exercise of any available format to improve blood circulation and increase body temperature.

• half-bridges - that is, the separation of the spine and pelvis in a supine position, the heels are brought to the buttocks, the support is on the shoulder blades, then the exit is on the shoulders, the head lies on the floor, and the heels rest against the floor;
• deflections in the thoracic region - from a lying position, you need to collect your shoulder blades and, as it were, lower them into the back pockets of your trousers (push them towards the lower back), while the pelvis remains on the ground, and the lumbar and thoracic regions are lifted off the ground;
• squats with a light stick behind the head - perform a regular weightlifting jerk (dynamic lifting of a light stick behind the head and a deep squat, literally “buttocks to the floor”) and, stretching the pectoral muscles and lowering the shoulder blades to the pelvis, try to bring the stick behind the head.

All exercises are static, the fixation should be held for 40 to 120 seconds, and 3-4 sets of each should be performed.

So-called exercises for developing spinal flexibility

Strictly speaking, the spine cannot be inflexible. If you have pain in certain areas and are unable to bend yourself into a bridge, the reasons can be very different:

1. hernias and protrusions that you don’t know about. Yes, this happens to most adults, some blame it on incorrect posture and weak muscles, some blame it on deadlifts performed off the platform, in general, neither athletes nor those who play sports are immune from this. despises. If there is a stabbing or aching sensation around one or two vertebrae, arms and legs go numb, and there is discomfort when running and walking, you should consult a doctor and not do bridges at home;
2. low mobility in the shoulder joints. If your hands do not move behind your back with a straight back, you should develop mobility in the shoulder joints, and not “spine flexibility”; any training should begin with joint warm-up and mobilization of the shoulders;
3. weak back extensor muscle. It’s like this for everyone who doesn’t deadlift and doesn’t bend over with a barbell;
4. atrophied latissimus and rhomboid muscles and a “round” habitual back posture, that is, “office posture”;
5. curvature of the spinal column - the reason here is not the “inflexibility of the structure”, but the uneven development of the muscles of the back and legs, which can significantly affect the biomechanics of movement and complicates the bridge with a raised leg;
6. arthritic changes in the joints (unfortunately, there’s nothing much you can do about it, if you stubbornly want to exercise, do more warm-up, and if you follow the classic recommendations, sign up for swimming and massage);
7. the banal fear of “breaking your back”;
8. changes in the thoracolumbar fascia, they are called “tension nodules” in sports medicine, they appear due to too active strength training. You can knead the nodules with a self-massage roller, or periodically go to a massage therapist.

Complex for shoulder joints

• Rotations

Stand up straight and rotate the heads of your shoulders back towards your shoulder blades, making a very slow movement, literally for 12-15 straight counts. Repeat 9-15 times, then work back. The pace should be such that one set of rotations takes at least one minute.

• Rotations with straight arms

Remember the exercise with a light dough stick? You do the same thing, only without the stick. The goal is to minimally raise the shoulders towards the ears. We begin the rotation with straight arms lowered along the body, bringing them out in front of the body, and bringing them behind the head, and then lowering them along the same trajectory in front of the body.

• Rotations with rope

The same option, but we take a rope or jump rope in our hands with a wide grip, the grip is 20-30 cm wider than the shoulders, the amplitude is comfortable, but the goal is again not to bring the shoulders to the ears.

• Rods of rubber shock absorbers in front of you

We attach the shock absorber to a hook at chest level and pull it towards the face, with the elbows placed behind the back as much as possible. It is enough to do this exercise in 3 sets of 15-20 times at an average pace.

Exercises to correct weak back muscles

If the reason for the lack of a bridge is weakness of the latissimus and rhomboid muscles, it is necessary to master (these muscles work as stabilizers), pull-ups on the horizontal bar and rows of barbells or dumbbells in an inclined position towards the waist. Exercises should be done in strength mode for 5-6 repetitions, followed by hypertrophy, that is, 8-12 repetitions.

Techniques for making various bridges

• From a sitting position

You need to sit on the floor on your buttocks, feet near the pelvis, start by bending in the lumbar region and placing your hands behind your head, support yourself with your hands and lift your pelvis off the floor. Despite certain aesthetic advantages (can be used in some types of dance, for example), this is biomechanically the most incorrect and dangerous type of bridge. It creates greater compression in the lumbar region, and is safer the faster you can lift your pelvis off the floor. In general, this option is not recommended for beginners.

A variation of this bridge is the bridge while sitting on a gymnastic bench. In this case, you should sit as vertically as possible, straight, so that the pelvic bones are in a plane perpendicular to the floor. After this, the abdominal muscles are relaxed and there is a strong bend in the lower back. Then we lower our shoulders onto the bench, and arch our back upward, supporting ourselves with our shoulders. If this bridge is done for the needs of the bridge, you should actively “bring” the pelvis with your feet to the shoulder blades, after the position of the bridge has been accepted. There is no need to make sudden movements, this is not useful.

Important: do not do bridges on narrow and slippery gymnastics benches. Cover standard gym equipment with a terry towel to ensure stability of the body position and make sure that the shoulder blades do not slip.

• From a lying position

The starting position is the same as for a straight twist, you need to lie on your back and place your feet at a distance of 2 feet from the buttocks. We place our palms behind our heads, support ourselves with our hands and lift our pelvis up, arching our back.

You need to get up from the bridge smoothly, carefully performing the sequence of movements in reverse order. You should not accelerate, much less fall on your back.

Learning to do a handstand from a bridge is even more difficult. To do this, you must, in principle, already be able to stand on your hands. Beginners are advised to stand with their head to the wall in the bridge, and throw one leg at a time onto the wall, while using the help of a belayer.

• From a standing position

Another option, not intended for a beginner in principle. Stand up straight, push your pelvis forward, put your hands behind your head and, pushing your pelvis forward, lower them to the floor. The deflection should be deep, and the position of the palms and feet should be such that it is stable.

Important: you should not train the bridge more than 2 times a week. If you do strength training, it is logical to do it at the end of a bench press workout, since after deadlifts or back exercises, you are unlikely to be able to properly assemble your shoulder blades and make a good arch of the spine.

In yoga, a bridge on the elbows is practiced, this is when the deflection in the thoracic and lumbar region allows you to bend so as to place your forearms, and not your palms, on the floor in the bridge. It is correct to master this bridge after sufficient mobility has been achieved in the so-called fish pose, a backbend in the thoracic region while lying on the back.

Typical beginner mistakes

Beginners usually perform bridges without warming up, trying to learn quickly, and, moreover, without increasing the amplitude in the joints. Stretching is not a light exercise; you need to warm up before it, otherwise the benefits are lost. This is the most important mistake.

In addition, you should not make “springs” throughout the entire range of motion, especially when performing a bridge from a standing position. Ballistic stretching is harmful to joints in principle, and when performed this way it can lead to serious injury. Lead-up exercises should not be neglected. But if the mobility of the joints is normal, but the bridge still doesn’t work, the problem is not with you or the bridge, but with the fact that your feet or palms are positioned incorrectly. Try a wider or narrower stance to increase core stability in the exercise.

And the most important mistake is haste, trying to “do the splits in a month, stand on a bridge in a week,” and in general almost complete the CMS in gymnastics in 2 days. All these girls from the beautiful pictures walked to the bridges with a relaxed expression on their faces for more than one month. Be patient and develop your body holistically and you will definitely achieve your goal.

The article was prepared by Anna Tarskaya (trainer, nutritionist)

The bridge is a gymnastic exercise that can strengthen your back muscles, straighten your posture, develop flexibility and improve blood circulation in the tissues surrounding the spinal discs.

In bodybuilding, the bridge is rarely used, since the very specifics of this sport mostly involve assessing the appearance of the athlete. For many, the goal of going to the gym is to have the most beautiful body possible, but not always the most healthy one.

Meanwhile, a strong back and flexible spine will allow any bodybuilder to achieve significantly greater results in training. And this is not to mention the fact that the main bonus of regularly performing the “bridge” exercise is the absence of back problems and good mobility.

Benefits of exercise

Good mastery of the bridge technique and its regular implementation leads to a number of positive changes in the body:

• The muscles that straighten the spine (back extensors) are strengthened. These are long muscular “ropes” that run along the entire spinal column on both sides.
• Many small muscles of the back and core are trained, as well as muscles of the arms, legs and buttocks.
• The flexibility of the spinal column and overall mobility of the body increases.
• The abdominal muscles stretch, the chest opens.
• Blood circulation in the tissues surrounding the intervertebral cartilage is activated. This prevents premature wear of the spinal discs.
• A rush of blood to the head increases cerebral circulation and simulates mental activity.

In addition, when performed cleanly, this gymnastic element allows you to demonstrate your flexibility and physical fitness.

Contraindications

However, the bridge also has contraindications. It should not be done if:

• diseases of the spine, gastrointestinal tract, high blood pressure or headaches;
• pregnancy;
• injuries or diseases of the joints.

You should master the exercise gradually, starting with its simplest variations. Then your body will have time to adapt to the hitherto unusual load.

Execution technique

Before we talk about how to stand on the bridge, let's determine what exactly the body position should be in this pose:

• When performing a bridge, your back should be arched. A bridge with a straight back, made at the expense of the limbs, is incorrect.
• The buttocks should be higher than the head and shoulders.
• The limbs should be as straight as possible, the hands should be on the palms, and the legs should be on the feet. The distance between the palms (as well as between the feet) should be equal to the width of the shoulders. Achieving this level of performance is not easy, but we are now talking about the ideal option.
• Breathing should be free, without delay.

In order to learn how to perform a bridge correctly, you need to consistently practice all the exercises leading up to it. Let's list these exercises, and then give a description of each of them. They are arranged in order of increasing difficulty:

1. Straight bridge (you may have heard of this exercise called the “reverse plank”).
2. Classic full version.

Actually, you can stop at the fifth point, however, there is no limit to perfection. Therefore, we move further towards complexity:

1. Bridge along the wall down and up.
2. Entering the bridge from a standing position.
3. Lifting from the bridge to a standing position.

Lead-up exercises

Shoulder bridge

To perform this exercise, lie on your back and place your feet on the floor, bending your knees. Your arms can be extended along your body or folded over your stomach. This is the starting position.

When you can complete this exercise for 3 sets of 50 repetitions, move on to the next one.

Starting position: sitting on the floor, legs straight, extended in front of you. Palms rest on the floor on either side of the body, fingers pointing forward. Your back should be kept absolutely straight.

Next, lift your pelvis off the floor and straighten your body to a straight line. The feet in this position will rest on the heels, and the gaze will be directed upward diagonally. We do not press our head to our chin and do not bend our neck. The entire body is one straight line.

When you can do 3x40 times cleanly, move on.

Exit to the bridge from the bench

To practice this exercise, you will need a bench, low box, or other stable support. Sit on a bench, place your palms on the edge on either side of you. Walk your feet forward and lower your shoulders onto the bench. Rearrange your hands so that your palms are completely on the bench and your fingers are pointing towards your feet. In this case, the feet should be on the floor and the knees should be bent at right angles.

Rise up from the bench using the strength of your arms and arch your back as much as possible. You're almost on the bridge! Do 3 sets of 30 repetitions.

Take a ball or a small ottoman. Any low item will do. Sit on the floor and place the ball behind you. Then lie on it with the middle of your back.

Place your feet on the floor and bend your knees. Place your hands over the top on the floor near your head, fingers towards your feet. and lower your head down. From this position, straighten your arms and legs and arch your back as much as possible.

2 approaches of 20 times will be enough.

Classic bridge

This exercise is performed exactly the same as the previous one, only without the ball. In a backbend, you rise straight from the floor. At the same time, the head is freely lowered down, there is no tension in the neck. The distance between the legs (as well as between the arms) is equal to the width of the shoulders. Try to arch your back as much as possible and straighten your limbs completely.

We do 2 sets of 15 times.

Practicing the perfect bridge from a prone position can take some time. You can stay with this way of doing the exercise or make the task even more difficult.

Bridge complication

Having thoroughly practiced the classic version of the bridge, you can try to perform the exercise from a standing position.

Descent and ascent along the wall

Stand with your back to the wall at a distance of 2 steps from it. Bend back and press your palms against the wall. Point your fingers down.

Take small steps with your hands along the wall and thus lower yourself to the floor. You can step back a little with your feet so that the distance to the wall is comfortable. Stand on the bridge for a few seconds.

Now you need to climb back onto the wall with your hands. This is more difficult than descending and requires more effort. All movements are performed in reverse order. At the end point, you must return to the starting position - standing with your back to the wall.

Step back and forth 8 times, do 2 sets.

Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, hands on your waist. Further:

• Bend your knees and bend your pelvis forward, tilt your head back. You must see the space behind you.
• When you feel that further deflection will lead to loss of balance, raise your arms and bend your hands so that your fingers are pointing back.
• Move your arms back as far as possible, bend your back, move your pelvis forward and spring your legs. Your task is to overcome the fear of falling and land softly with your palms on the floor behind your back.
• When your hands touch the floor, hold the bridge for a few seconds and lower yourself to the floor.

You can ask your partner to secure you by holding his hand under your back. This exercise requires good .

When you manage to complete it in 2 sets of 5 times in a row, you can proceed to the last step.

Raising to a standing position

So, the final task. Now you need not to fall into the bridge, but rather, to rise from it. Get back to the starting position. Push your hands off the floor, swing your pelvis forward and bend your legs. At the same time, using the powerful force of your abdominal muscles, lift your body to a vertical position.

You can try combining this and the previous movement. We go down into the bridge and rise out of it. Do the descent and ascent three times, rest a little and repeat the approach.