Hey guys its JP and today we are going to go over some more advanced variations of a
popular exercise known as the bridge and why it can be helpful to athletes, especially
runners! Now, the bridge is a popular exercise used in rehab programs, which target muscles
around the hip and trunk. However, when transitioning to training or higher level exercise programs,
where the goal is more about performance rather than decrasing pain, these muscles may need
to be challenged further! This is why I want to go over more ADVANCED variations of the
bridge to challenge the muscles and body in different ways. This is important to consider,
so you can approach your own INDIVIDUAL goals and improve the way you run!
Now, let's go over some harder variations of the bridge that you can incorporate to
LEVEL UP your own training routine! First, lets start with the Single Leg Bridge.
While this may obviously increase load demands of the glute max as you bring the hips up,
it involves much more than that. Since you are only using one leg, this now also involves
rotational demands as the pelvis can roll side to side without active usage of the muscles.
This would primarily involve increased usage of the lateral hip, specifically the gluteus
medius, which is a also a key muscle in running. This is why I consider this exercise a great
way to challenge muscles around the Lumbopelvic-hip region, which are important as you run. Now,
this is a relatively simple exercise and I have gone over this one before, so I'll just
go over some common cues I use when performing it. First, pay attention to the foot position.
This important as this can shift which muscles are being challenged. The farther the foot
is from the body, typically the more the hamstrings are engaged; however, the closer it is, the
more the glutes are worked. Another thing to remember is to actively push straight down
through the ground to engage the glutes so that the hips are in line with the body as
shown. This cue will help prevent you from compensating by arching the lower back excessively
instead. The other thing I will note is to try to keep the thigh in line with the body
in this position. Putting it higher actually makes the exercise less challenging for the
hips. Anyway, I typically have the athlete hold this for around 10-15 seconds intially
3-4x each side, and work up or down from there.
The next variation I will go over is the single leg Bridge with Arm Openers. This one was
inspired by Chris Johnson. While this does not really increase load demands on the muscles
around the lumbopelvic hip region, this is a creative way to also layer in some shoulder
mobility, which is especially important for triathletes and sprinters! Basically as you
perform a single leg bridge, you are going to move each arm in different directions.
You may find you are lacking in shoulder mobility by performing this exercise, but this may
begin to improve as you implement this variation. For this one, I initially have the person
incorporate the arm movement in a way where it totals up to 30 seconds, which ends up
making the person hold the single leg bridge for 30 sec as well. Similar to previous exercise
I try to have the person do this 3-4x on each side.
The last exercise I will go over is the Single Leg Bridge Wipers. Compared to the standard
single leg bridge, this one further challenges the hip region, especially the gluteus medius.
You can use an elastic loop band as seen here, but you can start without it to learn and
master the movement. Now, to do this one, you will go into a single leg bridge position.
The difference here is that you will move the leg out to the side, other wise known
as hip abduction. Then, you will bring it back in. Then, you can repeat the exercise.
I typically start by having people do this one 10-12x for 3-4 sets on each leg.
And those are some bridge variations you can try and implement in your own training program.
I hope you found this helpful to improve your running performance. Anyway, I'd love to hear
your thoughts and any questions you may have. And as always, THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!