BRIDGING

• Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
• Tighten the gut to maintain a neutral position of the low back (no arching or flattening)
• Lift up butt. Knees, hips and shoulders should all be in a line.
• If the butt starts sagging, lift it back up. If the hamstrings cramp, take a break and begin again.
• Add arm movement, one or both with or without weight/resistance
• Keep the butt up and the gut tight throughout the exercise.
• 5-10 reps, 1-3 sets of each variation of the exercise.

• Progress to a one legged bridge.
• Assume position above, lift the right foot up off of the floor.
• Extend knee out away from you (straighten the knee) and then bring it back toward you.
• Repeat the bending and straightening of the knee/leg
• The straighter and lower the leg, the harder the exercise.
• Keep the butt up and the gut tight throughout the exercise.
• Repeat with left leg off the floor.
• Add arm movement to leg movement and then add weights/resistance.
• 5-10 reps, 1-3 sets of each variation of the exercise.

BRIDGING WITH SHOULDERS ON THE BALL

• Correct physio-ball size = 90 degree knee bend when sitting on the ball.
• If greater than 90, inflate the ball. This does not need to be exact.
• Assume the starting position with shoulders on the ball, feet on the floor, knees bent to 90.
• The more of the back that is on the ball, the more stable, the easier the exercise.
• Shoulders, hips and knees in a line
• Tighten the gut
• Add arm movement, one or both with or without weights/resistance
• Do not let the back arch or flatten.
• To increase the difficulty, add a small object between the knees and squeeze or add a band around the knees and push the knees apart
• Keep the gut tight and the butt up
• To further increase the difficulty, roll further off of the ball so only the shoulders are on the ball.
• Perform 5 – 10 reps, 1 – 3 sets of each variation of the exercise

BRIDGING WITH FEET ON THE BALL

• Correct physio-ball size = 90 degree knee bend when sitting on the ball. If greater than 90, inflate the ball. This does not need to be exact.
• Lye on your back, knees bent, soles of feet on the ball.
• Tighten your gut to maintain a neutral lumbar spine (no arching or flattening)
• Lift up your butt.
• If your butt starts sagging, lift it back up. If you can’t, the set is over.
• If the hamstrings cramp, take a break and begin again.
• Arms may need to provide support/stability on the ground initially.
• Once stable, add arm movement, one or both with or without weight/resistance
• Keep the butt up and the gut tight.
• The further the arms go overhead, the more the back wants to arch.
• Prevent the arch by keeping the gut tight.
• If the back continues to arch, decrease the amount of arm movement or decrease the weight/resistance until you can maintain a neutral spine (no arching or flattening of the back).
• 5-10 reps, 1-3 sets of each variation of the exercise