The bridge (also called gymnastic bridge) is an

exercise Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic ...

. Many variations of this exercise are employed throughout the world, most commonly the balancing of the body on the hands and the feet. It is intended to improve lower back and gluteus strength. Examples of bridging in sportive or

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...

applications are seen in

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

Judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

Brazilian jiu jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

Capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century ...

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

, and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. In

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

, this particular pose is called

Chakrasana Chakrasana ( sa, चक्रासन, lit=Wheel Pose, translit=Cakrāsana) or Urdhva Dhanurasana ( sa, ऊर्ध्वधनुरासन, lit=Upward-Facing Bow Pose, translit=Ūrdhvadhanurāsana) is a backbending asana in yoga as exercise ...

, Urdhva Dhanurasana, or Wheel, while the Westernized nickname "Bridge pose" refers to a less rigorous supine backbend called

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana Setu Bandha Sarvāṅgāsana (Sanskrit: सेतु बन्ध सर्वाङ्गासन), Shoulder supported bridge or simply Bridge, also called Setu Bandhāsana, is an inverted back-bending asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as ex ...

, in which the body is fairly straight from knees to shoulders, and most of the bend is in the knees.

Variations

The bridging exercise is not a singular movement, but includes a wide range of variations and progressions. There is no single agreed upon "standard" variation of the bridge like with other common bodyweight exercises.

Bridge hold

The bridge hold is a static variation of the bridge exercise that involves getting into the full bridge as shown at the top of the article and holding the position, either for time or until exhaustion. This variation is possibly the most frequent variation of the bridge around the world, but is most commonly used in Calisthenics circles to build strength in order to progress to some of the more difficult bridge variations.

Bridge push-up

The bridge push-up involves lying on the ground on the back with the feet pulled up to the buttocks and palms of the hands against the ground on either side of the head, followed by "pushing" the entire body upwards with both arms and feet. The practitioner then pulls the body back to the original position and repeats the whole movement for a set amount of repetitions, or until exhaustion. This is also one of the ways to get into the bridge hold position, along with the closing bridge below.

One-armed bridge push-up

A great amount of further difficulty can be introduced to the regular bridge push-up by executing the movement only supported by one arm. This also introduces unilaterality to the movement, primarily working only one side of the spinal erectors, and especially only one of the deltoids.

One-legged bridge push-up

Just like above, the bridge push-up can also be executed with one leg extended. When this is done, not only is unilaterality introduced, but the hamstrings and glutes (as well as other muscles of the lower extremities worked by the bridge) are worked far more.

Wall walking

Wall walking is another popular bridge variation that involves standing with one's back to a wall at a varying distance, followed by leaning backwards until one can press one's palms into the wall from behind. The practitioner then proceeds to "walk" with their hands along the wall all the way down to the floor. To make the exercise more difficult, one can also finish the movement by proceeding to "walk" all the way back up again, then pushing off the wall with the arms back into the original standing position. This can be done for several repetitions.

Closing bridge

The closing bridge involves standing straight up with varying foot distance, then slowly leaning further and further backwards with the arms reaching back, until one comes all the way down into a standing bridge. This is the typical way that

gymnasts Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

go into the bridge hold position above, but is also an excellent strength exercise in itself when done for multiple repetitions.

Stand-to-stand bridge

This variation is considered by some to be the most advanced variation of the bridge, and is by far the one that requires the most strength. It involves performing a full closing bridge as above, followed by "opening" the bridge again by either pushing off the floor with the arms or coming back into standing position relying solely on the muscles in the torso and legs. Furthermore, unilaterality can be introduced to this variation by performing the whole movement with only one arm.

References

{{Strength training exercises, state=expanded Bodyweight exercises Gymnastics elements Indian martial arts