Thanks to my friend, Ben Bergman, owner of Ben’s Power and Might Writings for this guest post on bridging!
When most people think of the bridge they seem to believe it’s just a neck exercise when in fact it goes far beyond that. There are different variations of the bridge which I will discuss in a little bit but they all have one thing in common, it’s a full body workout that will stretch you and the isometric benefits some of them have is incredible.
Like I said it’s not just an exercise for the neck, it can get you breathing harder than being on a cardio machine bar none and its more accessible as well as you can do it pretty much anywhere with a limited amount of space. If you’re an athlete, bridging can give you significant power in your suggested sport for a few examples….
Baseball: You need strong and supple hips and core power to swing the bat or line up the drive to throw the ball.
Football: You’re defending or holding off the line and think of being able to drive the legs powerfully and with speed.
Wrestling: Bridging is the king in wrestling circles for many reasons. Think of your throwing your power when you drive your opponent into the mat, being able to kick over out of a pin or use your neck to slip out of a hold. It’s not jut building a strong neck; it gives your whole body a boost.
Basketball: Now most would never associate bridging with basketball but it has its benefits. Bridging helps build explosiveness and isometric strength so when you jump for the ball to block, rebound or when you getting ready to drive through the lane that explosiveness will come into play.
For the variations I’ll only give you a few since there are a lot of them. First one would be what the general public see’s is the hip bridge where you lie on your back and you raise the hips and only your upper back and legs are on the ground. This is a great starting point for most people and it builds strong hips, legs and calves. Now go onto the head and try to touch your nose to the floor and your feet are on the ground heels up or down doesn’t matter. Next would be on nothing but your hands and feet. This variation is also a yoga pose which is called the Wheel; this variation is one of the toughest of them all and one of the most beneficial, holding this posture takes great strength and flexibility. These variations are my favorites and they have greater benefits than almost any other exercises bar none.
What most don’t know about efficient bridge training is the hormone booster that goes along with it. Yes I’m going to go into sexual energy just for a brief moment. When you hold the bridge or practice Bridging Gymnastics (kicking over on the head and/or hands) it builds up a lot of energy in the lower area of the body and builds fluidity in the spine which is the electrical part of your energy, holding a bridge for as long as say three minutes gives off that surcharge of power from within and puts energy into your spine and your sexual organs and build up your libido.
When you practice Bridging Gymnastics correctly, you’ll notice your workout doesn’t last very long. A workout of this caliber takes less than 30 minutes to be cooked, no more than 15 for most people but that’s a good thing. You’re breathing hard real quickly which makes you take in more oxygen and sends more oxygen to your blood cells. You think the burpee is tough, try kicking over, kicking back and standing up in one sequence. I’ve only heard of a few people doing this and the repetition count isn’t that high, at best, 10 reps would have you say “stick a fork in me I’m done” but it is a an advanced variation and shouldn’t be done until you’ve mastered the other variations and there’s someone who know how to teach it.
Be creative and cross that barrier of being normal to be becoming nearly superhuman. You don’t have to be a gymnast to do this kind of training I’m doing it and I’m over 240 lbs. Crossover to the other side of challenging your body and learn the benefits of bridging at their maximum for you.
Happy Bridging!
Ben Bergman.
Please check out Ben’s blog over at Ben’s Power and Might Writings!!
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