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First Modification
Glute Bridge
Beginner Level
3 Sets of 10 Repetitions
Novice Level
3 Sets of 20 Repetitions
Advanced Level
3 Sets of 50 Repetitions
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Start on the ground, on our backs and place our feet roughly a hand’s length away from our butt.
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If we find it difficult to get our body aligned when we lift our hips, try pressing through the palms of our hands that should be by our sides.
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Keep our feet roughly shoulder width apart but don’t point them inward.
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Let’s make sure to remind ourselves to keep our movements controlled and to allow our breaths to guide us.
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Inhale from our starting position and exhale while we lift out hips, keeping our feet, hands, arms, shoulders, and head on the ground.
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Hold for moment and take a short breath if we want.
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Inhale back down to the starting position and voilà, Michael Jackson meets Elvis Presley.
Second Modification
Wall Bridge
Beginner Level
2 Sets of 15 Repetitions
Novice Level
2 Sets of 25 Repetitions
Advanced Level
3 Sets of 30 Repetitions
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Start with our backs against a solid structure and step out about the length of our foot and another half or two full feet. We’ll know where’s comfortable for us when we get our reps started.
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Let’s place our hands against the wall on each side of our head by bringing our arms up and allowing the elbows and wrists to bend naturally to allow our fingers to be pointed down.
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We must breathe naturally and evenly during this exercise. We’re going to be putting the fluid that is vital to our equilibrium in places that it usually doesn’t go while standing. Dizziness may occur.
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As we press ourselves away from the wall, let’s begin concentrating on extending the spine one vertebrae at a time – nice and slowly – while we bring our heads back, bringing our gaze to the wall.
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Pause for 1 second and return to the starting position.
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This can feel very unnatural compared to the other exercises. The bridge is very underutilized because of this but is an essential exercise for the spine to find balance in its everyday flexion. Stay with it. If we get dizzy? Let’s take a break. Sit down if we need to. Maybe come back to it after a bottle of water.
Third Modification
Incline Bridge
Beginner Level
2 Sets of 10 Repetitions
Novice Level
2 Sets of 20 Repetitions
Advanced Level
2 Sets of 25 Repetitions
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This exercise must be done on a surface with an edge that allows your wrists to perform without hyperextension. Making sure that we use a hard surface that is solid enough to hold our weight is vital to safety.
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Just like the Wall Bridge, dizziness may occur due to throwing our equilibrium out of whack so we should be sure to take care while performing our repetitions. We must breathe our normal breaths to maintain our normal oxygen levels.
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To get set up, let’s choose our surface like a bench that should be about thigh high. We'll sit on the ground with our backs to the bench and put our hands up to either side of our ears until we reach the bench behind us.
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Let’s lift our hips and make our way up until our weight is supported by our palms, head, and feet. We’ll have walked ourselves out from the bench and we should make sure our feet are straight and shoulder width apart.
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Let’s raise our hips to arch our backs until our head has left the bench and our gaze is upside down and behind us.
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Pause for one second and release by bringing your hips down, bending your knees, and bringing your butt to the earth to hover just above it.
Fourth Modification
Platform Bridge
Beginner Level
2 Sets of 5 Repetitions
Novice Level
2 Sets of 10 Repetitions
Advanced Level
2 Sets of 20 Repetitions
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We must keep our breath normal during all bridges. Dizziness may occur!
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Let’s start with a platform that allows us to bend over it while keeping our feet on the ground and placing our palms flat on the ground as well. So, we’ll want this to be about knee height.
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Sitting on our platform, let’s sit at the front and lean back, staying controlled and not falling to either side.
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Let our back extend back so we can reach the ground with our hands and feet with the platform under our backs. This should not hurt. If it does, it’s time to regress and build up our muscles more with previous versions of bridging.
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Now, extending each vertebra, one at a time, let’s press our hips up through our palms and our feet. Keeping a good balance, we don’t want too much into the feet and we don’t want too much of our load into our hands. If this is hurting our wrists, try to be more into the palm than the wrist.
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Pause for a second and come back down to meet the platform before repeating for more repetitions. You’re doing great!
Fifth Modification
Bridge
Beginner Level
1 Set of 5 Repetitions
Novice Level
2 Sets of 10 Repetitions
Advanced Level
3 Sets of 10 Repetitions
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Welcome to the most impressive flexibility of the program! This exercise is reserved for our top athletes.
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Let’s start with our backs flat against the ground. With our knees bent and feet flat on the ground, pointed forward, we’ll position our hands up by our ears like all the previous modifications of the bridge.
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Don’t be worried as this will be exactly like our Platform Bridge but just with more range of motion. You got this!
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Starting with our hips, we’ll push through our feet and hands together in unison to give us lift through each vertebra.
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When we reach the sky, we’ll take five breaths to feel each vertebra stretch and then we'll return to the starting position for another five breaths and repeat.