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Bridging Your Way to Stronger butt
 Conditioning your
core properly requires patience and a
willingness to spend a fair amount of
time working on exercises that
may not look like they're doing much.
Every movement in your life is an
extension of the core, and
every muscle above and below eventually
feeds into the core (or more
specifically the pelvic
floor).
Muscles in the body are not separate,
but connected, one turning into the
next.
Why The Bridge?
Pelvic bridging is a great exercise that
strengthens the paraspinal muscles, the quadriceps muscles
at the top of your thighs,
the hamstring muscles in the back of the
thighs, the abdominals and
the gluteal (butt)
muscles. The bridge exercise is often
used as part of physical therapy for
people who have had back problems in an
effort to safely restore strength and
prevent recurrences.
Bridge: Types
Lay on your back with your hands by your
sides, your knees bent and feet flat on
the floor. Make sure your feet are under
your knees. Tighten your abdominal and
buttock muscles. Raise your hips up
to create a straight line from your
knees to shoulders.
Squeeze your core and
try to pull your belly button back
toward your spine. If your hips sag or
drop, lower yourself back on the floor.
The goal should be to maintain a
straight line from your shoulders to
your knees and hold for 20 to 30
seconds. Begin by holding the bridge
position for a few seconds, slowly
building on time. It's better to hold
the correct position for a shorter time
than to go longer in the incorrect
position.
Lie on your side with your ankles
together and your torso propped up by
your upper arm. Lift your hips upward
until your body forms a diagonal plank
from ankles to neck. Hold this position
for 20 seconds -- don't let your hips to
sag towards the floor (watch yourself in
a mirror to stay honest). Reverse your
position and repeat. Progress by
increasing the duration you hold the
bridge position. To increase the
challenge further, perform several hip
abductions from the bridge position.
 Lay
on your back with your hands by your
sides, your knees bent
and feet flat on the floor. Make sure
your feet are under your knees. Tighten
your abdominal and buttock
muscles.
Raise your hips up to create a straight
line from your knees to shoulders.
Squeeze your core and try to pull your
belly button back toward your spine.
Slowly raise and extend one leg while
keeping your pelvis raised and level. If
your hips sag or drop, place the leg
back on the floor and do a double leg
bridge until you become stronger. Begin
by holding this bridge position for a
few seconds and switching sides.
Sit with your legs straight in front of you, almost like an L-sit except you�re not in the air. From here, lift your hips by contracting your hamstrings, glutes and other posterior musculature. Drop your head back, press your chest up and try to look behind you. You�ll wind up looking like an upside-down plank.
Start off in the same position as the
beginner back bridge except your hands
are placed on either side of your head,
palms down and wrists bent back. From
here, press yourself off your back and
onto the top of your head. You might
want to place a towel or other soft
object between your head and the ground
when starting out. For an added
challenge, try taking your hands away
and supporting your upper body with just
your neck. This variation is sometimes
called a �wrestler�s bridge.�
 Start
by lying face down on the exercise mat.
Place your elbows and forearms
underneath your chest. Prop yourself up
to form a bridge using your toes and
forearms- forming, the elbow bridge
plank. Your toes and your forearms are
the only parts of your body touching the
ground. Keep a flat back by tightening
your core. This exercise targets the
core, hips, and back.
You can hold the bridge position by
focusing on keeping your abdominal
tight. You can start by trying to hold
this position for 10 seconds. You can
try to hold the bridge position for a
minute. It is important to keep your
posture good by keeping the bridge up.
Tighten your abdominal muscles. After
you hold the position for 10 seconds to
a minute, you can go back down. Repeat.
Get the postural muscles fired Up.
Dated 12 November 2012
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