The shoulder bridge exercise

(originally from an email sent out Mon, 4 May 2020) This week I have the 'Bridge' exercise to introduce to you (or a bit of revision for some of you!). If you do Pilates you will know this exercise as the 'shoulder bridge'. It is a great exercise for the following benefits: ⭐ Improving both low back and pelvic region muscle strength and stability (secondary to this you get reduced pain and improved function 🙂) ⭐ Strengthening the gluteals (which are often weak secondary to low back pain, sciatica, sacroiliac and hip problems and in horse riders!) ⭐ Improved pelvic region stability results in improved lower limb biomechanics: In English, this translates as improved action and movement of your legs - essential in rehab from any leg injuries or OA of the leg joints. This also helps to guard you against re-injury or aggravating your joint OA. ⭐ Improving lumbar spine mobility for those of you with stiff low backs. Once again it is an exercise best performed on the floor (mat or carpet) if you can safely get on and off of the floor. Most people can give this exercise a try. If you have a very week low back or gluteals it does not matter if your hips/bottom do not rise too far from the floor; it is the activation of your deep tummy muscles and gluteal (buttock) muscles that is the most important factor. Top tips: Go SLOW. The slower you move the harder your muscles will have to work to control and stabilise you, and the easier it will be for you to check you are keeping the correct 'posture'. Remember my favourite saying: quality over quantity. So it is better for you to do 8 slow, perfectly controlled movements than 20 reps that gradually deteriorate in their quality as you go on! So this is the 'shoulder bridge' exercise - enjoy! If you have any difficulty with this exercise or want me to check how well you are doing it please send me a video (WhatsApp or email) or we can do a video call. If you need further progression than I have demonstrated in this video please let me know and I'll send you some more challenging bridging moves! As always, please do feel free to share this email with anyone you think may benefit from it.