How to Master the Wrestler's Bridge
By Logan Christopher
The wrestler's bridge is by no means a new exercise. It has been around for many years, and is still commonly used by wrestlers.
It functions primarily as a neck and back exercise, though it works the entire body. The legs must be strong and stable (and if you doubt this fact just try bridging after doing a set of squats). By bridging, the spine is made more flexible and stronger at the same time. The same goes for the neck.
Logan Christopher demonstrates the Wrestler Bridge exercise. Note how close his nose gets to the floor. Time and practice are required to gain the flexibilty and strength required to achieve this level of form.
While most people train in one way or another, I'd say 90% do zero direct neck work (though I realize that number will be dramatically less among readers of this blog). Why so little neck work? The neck holds up the head and it houses the cervical vertebrae. It is one of the most important areas of the body, yet few trainees make it stronger? A travesty. The neck has muscles like any other part of the body, so you can make it stronger. After all, you could do without your legs or your arms, but you can't do without your neck.
The problem is many people are afraid of hurting their neck. With smart training, and going into it slowly, this chance can be drastically minimized. In fact, as I describe at www.advancedbridging.com, bridging work may have saved my life, or at least saved me from a concussion.
Enough of an intro, let's get into the details of doing the wrestler's bridge. When you first start out you'll be using your hands to support your weight and for spotting yourself. As you progress, you can do away with using your hands for support, and they will be free to hold extra weight as you progress.
Logan performs the Wrestler Bridge while holding a pair of heavy kettlebells for extra resistance. Beginners should begin with their bodyweight.
Lay on your back with your knees bent. Your feet should be within a couple inches of your rear end. Place your hands to the sides of your head with the palms flat on the ground. Pushing up with you arms and legs you'll roll to the top of your head. This should not be difficult to do.
From here, you have a couple options. In order to improve your flexibility you can work towards your nose. The best way to do this is to rock back and forth and think of extending your chest over your head. You want to think of extending your spine in all bridging movements, rather than just bending over it. Also going onto the toes, rather than the heels, gives you a couple more inches in which to stretch.
Holding a bridge for time is an excellent way to get started. Whether on the top of your head, or on your forehead, work up to one minute, then two, and then three. When bridging with your hands becomes easy, slowly remove them so your weight is only supported by the head and feet. My personal best is ten minutes, though I got bored with going so long, and I sought other ways to make this exercise more effective.
When you're starting out I recommend doing a few sets to groove in the movement and get used to it. But, once you have some proficiency I've found that doing a single set of regular bridging, followed by a variation of the front bridge, to be enough to get the desired benefits. This can be done from one to three times per week.
Logan demonstrates the Front Bridge. This exercise requires tremendous back and neck strength.
My personal bridging workouts are as simple as this. I get into the wrestler's bridge position in the power rack. Then, I hold a large weight overhead, usually for 30 seconds. So far my best weight has been 225 lbs. After that, I do what I call the front neck plank. It's like a plank except only your forehead (instead of your arms) and toes touch the ground. I do this with my feet elevated, again usually for 30 seconds. That's it! It goes without saying that this is an advanced workout that needs to be built up to.
There are many other exercises in bridging. This article hasn't even mentioned the hand or gymnastic bridge, which if you really want to push spinal strength and flexibility is a must. Or the dynamic bridging movements, like falling into the bridge or kicking over. All of these and much more can be found in the Advanced Bridging Course which is available at www.legendarystrength.com.
Don't be like the majority of others who neglect to train their neck. A little bridging work can work wonders. If you've never experienced the wrestler's bridge you can start today.
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Other Useful Articles About Neck and Power Building:
- How To Build Neck and Body Power - Part 1
- How To Build Neck and Body Power - Part 2
- Reg Park On Neck and Trap Training