When you can control your body and become flexible in several positions, there's a sense of well-being there that have a lot to do with how you can go through life. I'm not even talking about Yoga type flexibility but the type where it can be a continuous process of utilizing movements to make things in life better. It's one of the reasons I've always been fond of the Bridge or a blend of Bridging Exercises to establish a solid level of flexibility and condition. The Bridge has become a various blend of training that is used in different systems like Yoga, Gymnastics & Wrestling. It's not even about just training the neck but to control the whole body and developing the awareness of using the body as a single unit.
The two favorites are the Wrestler's Bridge & The Gymnastic Bridge where you practically bend the body to looking like something to cross over. I'm no yogi but over the years those bridges have been a life saver and have given me flexibility, strength and agility that I never thought I'd be able to accomplish in my teenage years. These two have several progressions and each one can be very beneficial but they're not for everyone and I can understand that. For those who do wish to learn them, blend into them little to by little, they're not some exercises you can just jump into, it takes quite a bit of strength to do some of them and takes a certain level of awareness in order to be comfortable being upside down or bending backwards.
When it comes to the Gymnastic Bridge, to me is one of the greatest stretches ever but the strength to get into it can be quite a feat when you're not in the 120-160 lb range lol. To build the strength takes progression but it also takes some coordination and working the body in unison.
The progressions do need to be proceed with caution but at the same time, can be fun and teaches you how to control your fear of going backwards or getting into the realm of "Bridging Gymnastics" where you learn to fall into a bridge and do kickovers. For the most part, just learning to do the Wrestler's Bridges and Gymnastic Bridges are actually awesome in and of themselves because you don't need to be an Olympic Wrestler or Gymnast to do them. Hell many big guys can't do these so even a 50-100 lb lighter person would have a better speed of progression. They're incredible for conditioning the body in a different light than purely regular stretching or strength training. They can be lifesavers as I've mentioned before.
It is best to learn from a coach who knows how to do them but money can be tight for many so learning from someone who's been there and done that can be learned in a cheaper setting such as this awesome Gem!!! I started out with Matt Furey's Gama Fitness when it came to more of the Bridging progressions but Logan Christopher helped me fill in the blanks and has witnessed me up close and personal do my first kickover in the wrestler's bridge. He truly is one of the gifted ones and I can't thank him enough for that and that day will live with me forever. I've done plenty of stuff since then doing kickovers in workouts, holding a 3 min bridge whenever I feel like it and making the Gymnastic Bridge a go-to for getting that perfect stretch.
These days, bridging workouts come and go and have done demos on YouTube and Tik Tok to give people ideas on what the progressions look like and how I've performed them. It has become a bridge between worlds as these exercises showcase what the ancients knew all along and what they've evolved into. They do however, have benefits that we still have yet to explain and you can do research on them but for the most part, they develop our bodies in ways that are beautiful and old school. Be careful but also make them a part of your training and see the benefits for yourself.
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