Pilates Video Tip #4 – How To Do The Bridge For A Flexible Spine
The Pilates exercise called “the bridge” is one of the most helpful exercises in the Pilates repertoire…depending on what you want to achieve, and how you go about doing it.
The bridge can take lots of forms. If you’re a survivor of the Jane Fonda exercise era like me, you most likely learned a variation of bridging that involved squeezing your bum like mad and lifting it as high in the air as possible. This movement was repeated over and over again, sometimes with weights across the pelvis, just to increase the torture factor.
But why did we do this exercise? The main goal, we were told, was to strengthen and lift the tush. And the way the Fonda version was performed certainly tightened up your butt — so much so that you couldn’t move your spine or pelvis!
The price we paid for that toned tush was often a sore back or neck, and a locked spine and pelvis…which is bad news for long term mobility and function.
So why would you bother to do a bridge at all? Aren’t there better ways to get a toned bum? Yes, there are, and we’ll be looking at some of those in future videos.
In the Pilates world, there are also a number of variations of the bridge. Some versions still focus on keeping a relatively stiff spine and pelvis…and some versions focus on improving movement in your spine and pelvis, developing better control through your center, and helping you maintain mobility for the activities of your life.
Learning how to move your spine fluidly is one of the fundamentals to mastering many of the exercises in the Pilates repertoire.
Watch this video to see bridging with a focus on spine mobility >>>
How To Do A Pilates Bridge For A Flexible Spine
The bridge as shown above with spine motion is my “go to” exercise to relieve back and hip pain or stiffness. It’s a simple exercise that you can do anywhere — no equipment necessary. Just you and your body…with some inner attention to detail.
This exercise is safe for most back problems, but if you experience increased symptoms while doing it, then modify your position, or return to Video #3 to master the Pelvic Movement exercise first.
To Your Healthy, Happy Spine!
Lindy
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