A Full Body Exercise That Hits Just About Everything

Key words to remember "Just About Everything" but still, this exercise is one of the best for overall health but it also is tough to do at first and makes you focus on so many things it's not even funny. It's the Gymnastic Bridge or as it's called in Yoga, Chakarasana or the Wheel Pose. It truly is one of the GOATs in fitness and Physical Culture in general. 

When I first learned it many moons ago, it was just doing the Push-up version of it or as they were called Reverse Push-ups. They're tough to do when they're part of a routine in your arsenal but once you get the idea and hold the top position, you're going to feel one of the biggest stretches ever. Regardless of what size you are, it takes strength to get into and it takes even greater strength just to hold for a period of time. I remember the first time holding it and 10 seconds felt like an eternity. Have no idea what my longest time is in that thing but I do know that in my early 20's, I went to a party once for a cousin of mine at her house and kids were roaming around, so I decided in her living room to hold the Gymnastic Bridge and a number of kids were crawling under me back and forth for a period. Thought that was going to kill me LOL.

The Gymnastic Bridge is just another variation in a series of Bridging Exercises that target multiple muscle groups and forcing the body to work as a single unit. You see this exercise a lot in Yoga circles or in Gymnastics (obviously) and in Wrestling. Guys like Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson would teach this exercise to students to get them in amazing condition in addition to Hindu Squats, Push-Ups and the Wrestler's Bridges. It is a favorite that's for sure.

The idea of it as an Isometric Exercise is to hold it essentially with just the hands and feet on the ground. At first, having the heels up is a good starting point and as you progress, lower the heels until you're completely flat footed. Just the hands and feet alone would be enough but some have been strong enough to take away limbs and hold the exercise with one arm and both feet on the ground, one arm and one leg or do a sequence called Around The Clock which I learned from Logan Christopher. This is more of a skill than anything and yeah it's cool to do if you can do it but the point of the exercise is to feel the stretch, the full body concentration and breathing as naturally as possible.

Once you get the hang of it and can hold it, so many benefits are being thrown into the mix: Control Over Your Body, Strength that is functional, Spinal Health, Agility, Flexibility, The Opening Of The Lungs and hits the Core Muscles unlike any other exercise. Some powerful stuff comes out of doing this exercise. You can do the Reverse Push-ups and get benefits from them too but once you're able to hold it for even 30 seconds to a minute or more, you're getting far better benefit out of it in my opinion. 

I would consider this exercise for the most part a Yielding Isometric meaning that you're fighting gravity in order to hold it. Although I'm a bigger fan of Overcoming Isometrics, some Yielding ones are just awesome and this is one of them. I would sometimes use this exercise as a finisher or as part of my Isometric Training to hit the muscles from everywhere I can think of. Practice this with intent and do a little dynamic "warm up" to help with easing into the exercise like working the wrists, shoulders and hips. These areas are essential to getting into the position because if they're weak, you won't get very far and you'll just be stuck but hey, we all start somewhere. Here's a Demo of what the Gymnastic Bridge looks like.

Bridging Between Worlds

The world between mainstream fitness today as opposed to yesteryear can seem like night and day but in a sense, they blend together but in a different context. Back in the day, fitness had it's share of quacks and posers but the real deal focused mainly on conditioning, flexibility and control. Plenty of muscle to go around but in the true sense of what muscle could achieve (this was before the days of Steve Reeves & Reg Park) with the other attributes. Guys like Arco and Maxick were the true muscle gods of their time but they were also very flexible and had greater control over their movements than practically any bodybuilder today.

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.

  

They Will Never Understand

    What makes you unique? Can you do things that makes others give you weird looks or vibes? When it comes to people especially in certain industries, they fear what they don't know or understand. Its human nature to feel that when you see someone do something extraordinary or even superhuman. I've gotten this many times even by my own blood and hear things like "don't hurt yourself", "Can you do that in the other room", "It's a shame nobody pays you for that" and a favorite "Don't do that in the middle of the floor when there's people around" (I was bridging and there were 3 people in the room and weren't doing anything). I like to feel I'm unique in my own way and can do things most people my age and size can't do especially in this era. Why don't I fear the things I do? Because I not only love it I challenge the norm and see what else I'm capable of and going that extra mile.

 
    Do you get put down for what you love? How can anyone with a brain even remotely tell you, you should do something else because they can't understand? It's messed up. You're not hurting anybody and what do they really fear it's certainly not you it's them and they hate what you're capable of. When you get to pull off something that not only makes you feel incredible in a positive and productive way and you get joy out of it, people want to try to take that away from you because they're not happy with themselves and they're too damn scared to do something that could give something to smile about and be grateful to do things others can't fathom. Not everyone is like this because on the other side of the coin, there are people who want to encourage you and help you succeed. The type of people that have similar interests and share a common goal of making themselves great by helping one another and cheer you on as you cheer for them. When people put you down for what you love it's not because they don't care it's because they can't do it and they don't want you to succeed and that helps them feel better (even though it really doesn't).

 
    For those that can't fathom what you're capable of or what you're willing to strive for, it is almost hurtful to be looked at as if you're some kind of freak of nature and you're too different for them. That's the beauty of being unique, you get to be different and lead your own path to what makes you happy and give you a reason to show your talent in ways the average person just doesn't have a clue. They don't have what you have and they're jealous as hell even though they won't show it or admit it, it is there. I love being able to fall back into a bridge and kick over when I'm able to, it's a beautiful feeling. Can't say the same for some people I know because they look at me and think "he's going to break his neck and he's too big for that." You know what that tells me, it says yeah say what you want and be a negative Nancy but I'm going to do what makes me happy and if you can't take than walk away from me. I'm tired of hiding of what I'm good at and you should never hide who you are.

 
    The people that don't see the positive things that you're good at will not support you (trust me, It's been said to me in my face) but yet you can find those that will and will push you to challenge your passion because they not only see the awesome things you're capable of but want you to share them with the world and can even make a living out of it. It doesn't matter if you're a writer, a hand balancer, a manager of a small store or even one of the world's strongest men; if you love what you do and you're great at it than keep doing it and never let go of that fire that burns within you. I believe in you and if you use what you can do in a positive and awesome way than by all means keep at it and don't think you're not strong enough to be better. Coming from a guy that was told that loved basketball at one time in his life that I would never be in the NBA no matter how hard I tried it hurts to listen to that shit. You are the most awesome person you can be and your limits are your own and if you want to reach for the stars than dammit do it. Make yourself stand out and have fun with it, if you love it and you learn to be the best at it that you are capable of making it than don't let anyone stop you. Keep at it and don't let assholes take you down when you can rise above them.

It's Tuesday so make it a great one and be awesome everyone. Be sure to check out my Special Offer at the top of the site. It'll only hold until Oct. 1st. Jump on it now and find out how to get a coaching session with me on Skype.

Using Simple Exercises As Power Postures

           I have studied many aspects of training and one concept I have found very useful is the power of Qi Gong, not by moving but holding certain postures like in Yoga and building the body from the inside, creating that electric feel and Isometric Strength. Many people believe that to be really strong, you need to physically do something; lift weights, do tons of push-ups or squats or whatever which is all great but there is a whole other world, the world of being still. Jackie Chan once said in The Karate Kid “Being still and doing nothing are two very different things.”

            The key to understanding how to be still is not just holding but by your focus and your breathing; if you can’t focus, you won’t hold the posture very long. Your breathing is another factor, if you are a shallow breather, you won’t hold the posture very long. These 2 things cannot work without the other otherwise you’re not getting the full benefit of that powerful internal work of art that resides inside you.

            If you took a simple exercise and turned into a posture, it’s a whole different exercise. Let’s take the push-up for example; you can crank out a good 10-20 reps no problem, now hold it like the plank for 10-20 seconds; see how different it is and the way your muscles work differently? How about a weighted implement like simply holding a barbell overhead for time, pretty simple right? Wrong, there are many things going on in your body that you don’t realize, every single inch of your body comes into play and that’s where the real power comes in. My favorite posture is the Wrestler’s Bridge, being able to hold a position with my nose touching the mat, feet flat, hips and butt high and just letting the world pass by for a few minutes; after those few minutes, I come out of it and everything feels like the world was at peace where nothing is wrong, my body feels incredible and just smiling for no reason.

            That’s the embodiment of a power posture having that feeling from the endorphins and while you feel like a billion bucks, your body becomes stronger from within and your tendons just have this power of superb strength. With Power Postures, you open your body from the inside, building who you are and what strengthens you. The power of your mind has more to do with than just physically holding an isometric position. You can do this with just about any exercise, you can do it anywhere, anytime, sitting, standing or laying down. Learn some basic postures and you’ll see how powerful they are. 

A Bridge Worth Crossing

When most people think of the bridge they seem to believe it’s just a neck exercise when in fact it goes far beyond that. There are different variations of the bridge which I will discuss in a little bit but they all have one thing in common, it’s a full body workout that will stretch you and the isometric benefits some of them have is incredible.

Like I said it’s not just an exercise for the neck, it can get you breathing harder than being on a cardio machine bar none and its more accessible as well as you can do it pretty much anywhere with a limited amount of space. If you’re an athlete, bridging can give you significant power in your suggested sport for a few examples….

Baseball: You need strong and supple hips and core power to swing the bat or line up the drive to throw the ball.

Football: You’re defending or holding off the line and think of being able to drive the legs powerfully and with speed.

Wrestling: Bridging is the king in wrestling circles for many reasons. Think of your throwing your power when you drive your opponent into the mat, being able to kick over out of a pin or use your neck to slip out of a hold. It’s not jut building a strong neck; it gives your whole body a boost.

Basketball: Now most would never associate bridging with basketball but it has its benefits. Bridging helps build explosiveness and isometric strength so when you jump for the ball to block, rebound or when you getting ready to drive through the lane that explosiveness will come into play.

Read the rest of the Article here.....http://warriorfitness.org/2013/12/09/a-bridge-worth-crossing/