Straight Bridge

I will give a long answer so please bear with me. I have divided my analysis into three phases. They can happen to you one after the other or simultaneously, it doesn’t matter.

Details about the straight bridge: -

1. In the 1st Phase: - Usually, after 1- 4 training sessions, you will find that your triceps are quite sore from doing straight bridges. That is completely normal. You will also have a wobbly and sagging looking straight bridge. Just keep doing those as they will reap you a lot of benefits as they are building straight arm strength.

Here are my few tips on doing them: -

• Stop doing them if you have any pain in the elbows. You should only have pain in the upper part of the arm, the triceps and shoulders to be specific. By pain I mean soreness.

• If you find that this move is difficult, do tabletop bridge instead. I have linked it below. Also, follow the same rep and set scheme as the straight bridge. But if you can do 10 good quality reps of this movement on your first try, the tabletop variant is a waste of time.

• You can also try different hand placements if you have wrist pain. They won't change much in terms of the overall aim of the exercise. I suggest you use the hand placement opposite (i.e., fingers away from the body) to what Hampton has done in his routine page on the website. It provides a greater stretch in the chest and also adds an element of rotation, for the ball and socket joint of the shoulder.

• You can also try doing them with your hands on a bench or chair of knee height. This reduces the amount of weight you need to push to complete the rep.

2. In the 2nd Phase: - Usually, after 4-10 training sessions you will find that your middle and lower back are stiff after an intense session of straight bridges. This is also normal, as you are building strength in the back side of the body. You are getting used to the movement pattern of doing a straight bridge. Here don’t aim to progress very fast in terms of reps. I suggest only adding 5 reps in each set of every workout. If you feel that you are falling behind in terms of reps. Just stop adding any more reps, until you improve your form. Ultimately reps and sets are not the only means of progressing in strength training.

Here are a few tips for this phase: -

• I usually felt stiff in my lower and mid back in the mornings after doing them, for that, I would suggest bending forward, and trying to touch your toes. It will open up the back and is a good counter stretch.

• To make this exercise easier, you can also change the width between the body and palms. You can start by having roughly 10 inches for an easier switch from short bridges to straight bridges. Try getting to 6 inches or less, that is the sign of perfection. I am yet to reach there.

• Also, if you find that this exercise is particularly hard, just do isometrics for a few weeks. Push your hips as high as you can and stay in that position for 30 seconds. I suggest doing just 2-3 good quality sets of isometric holds.

• Leading with the hips. If you feel intense pain in your lower back after doing a set or as if your tailbone is crushing into the pelvis, I am sure you are leading with your lower back. Visualize each muscle of the back of the legs and their relation with the lower back. Think of it as if your anterior body is a rubber band, that you are pulling the two ends together. If it happens to you, just do 2-5 intense focused reps trying to work out that problem.

3. In the 3rd Phase: -Usually, after 8-16 training sessions you will start to feel it in the hamstrings and glutes. Your hamstrings and glutes will be extremely sore after doing them. But this usually happens after finishing the progression standard and becoming an expert in that move. This is where most people stop and move to the next step, I suggest keeping this exercise when you do bridges because it is such a productive exercise.

Here are a few tips to tackle this phase: -

• At this phase, most people are already able to do the next step and are keen to do a newer exercise. But I suggest that you continue doing them because it is such a productive exercise. I suggest doing them at the end of the workout. Do only one, but a hard set of 20-40 reps. This will be easy to do as you have already built the skill to do them. Also, one more thing, I am telling you to do this after you have done the main workout of whatever bridges (i.e., full bridge, stand to stand bridge etc.) you do.

• You are not limited by the range of motion in this exercise, so I suggest you can also push your pelvis higher, like an arch. It will do wonders as it will cause you to work harder to maintain that position. You will start to feel as if you are pulling your legs towards you.

• Also always keep your knees locked out, it will build much strength in your hamstrings. Also, try to keep the feet together, this will build strength for the single leg squats. At first, it will feel different but in a training session or two, you will start to like them.

• Keep the ankle facing the ceiling and not pointing forward. It is a very hard trick to do, but use it, it puts all the emphasis on the hamstrings. This trick alone makes this an excellent hamstring developer. One thing to note, all your weight is going to be on the heels, so only start doing them, once you feel you have that strength.

• Bridges are essentially a pulling exercise; you will find about this hidden thing when you will have done this exercise for more than a year. I know it’s a bold statement, but I stand to it. To prove my point, you just need to do them wearing socks, and on wooden floors. You wouldn’t be able to lift yourself up if you just push. If you know about arches and how they work, you will understand this concept best. So, what you need to do, is to think as if you are a bow. Try bringing your legs and arms towards each other, but keep your legs straight. You will feel this technique directly hit the erector spinae muscles in the back of your body. You will get the gist of this idea when you apply this properly in your training.

4. Going Beyond: - There are a million more techniques that you can apply, these are just the ones I have discovered on my own trial and error. Here are a few ideas on progressing forward: -

• Feet Elevated Straight Bridge. Here you just put your legs atop a chair or a bench of knee height. This is a better version as it increases the range of motion.

• Single Leg Straight Bridge. Here you just support yourself with one leg instead of two. If you feel cramping in the knee, just back off. Again, use the technique of isometrics to help you progress faster.

• Single Leg Feet Elevated Straight Bridge. This potentially might be a variant. I don’t know if it is any good and also the name is longer than a lot of quotes on the internet.

• Single Arm Straight Bridge. This variant unlike the previous one is well within the reach; it focuses more on the upper body. I haven’t tried it yet.

• Single Arm Single Leg Straight Bridge. Simply call it gecko straight bridge. This might be a good variant but doing the same in a full bridge, or as you call wheel pose or Chakrasana is better. That gives more bang for your buck.

• Crab walk. You can find the demonstrations on YouTube; it is also a good posterior chain exercise that works well.

Reading this you might have understood my love for this exercise. I love it so much that it usually takes me about 10 minutes just to complete one set of 40 reps. I do them at a slow and controlled pace, but you need not do them that way. I find them to be meditative, so that's why they are a cornerstone in my workouts.

I will be happy to get suggestions and ideas to further add to my armamentarium of training ideas. I have attached my mail. Thank you for reading and do reply to me, it boosts my morale to work harder.

-Ishan Mudgal

-mudgal0019@gmail.com

Links: - 

1. Table top Bridge: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7dwu5H6c_0

2. Carb Walk: - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rG6EThtULA