Do you want to start a new exercise? Or perhaps intensify your current training? You need an exercise that will help you integrate your breath and increase flexibility in the spine. And that, my friend, would be the bridges.
Bridges, often called Bridge Pose or Setu Bandhasana in yoga, is a rejuvenating back-bend exercise suitable for all levels. It helps to stretch and strengthen the body, relieve stress, and reduce aches.
Muscles Worked In Bridges
This exercise is mostly underrated yet very efficient in toning the glutes. Many athletes and yogis do this exercise routinely as it helps in strengthening the body. The targets of bridges are the following:
- Abs
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Adductors
- Core
Aside from the benefits mentioned above, this exercise also offers many others. In fact, it helps to improve digestion as well. Truly, performing bridges gives you a whole pack of benefits.
How To Perform The Bridges
- For the starting position, lie on your back with your feet hip-width distance apart. Stretch your arms while letting your palms meet.
- Slowly lift your hips off the floor towards the sky, while keeping your back straight. Keep your arms stretched and pointing backward. Breathe out while lifting your hips up.
- Relax your glutes and avoid squeezing them. Allow the lifting up to come from the tailbone.
- Hold at the top for a matter of seconds and breathe in as you slowly go back to the starting position.
- Repeat this as many times as you want.
This exercise should be done properly, otherwise, you won’t gain the benefits it offers. Hence, you must not perform it hastily and just keep things slow. This especially applies if the body is still adjusting to the exercise.
Bridges can be used as a primary workout that you can do anytime and anywhere — no equipment needed. You can also try other variations and see what you find best for you.
Here’s a video below for another way of doing the bridges.
Credits: HOWCAST/YouTube
