Bridging is one of the most effective and efficient ways to wake up the glutes. But I find it is often performed incorrectly. And more than likely, you can cater the bridge to better suit your needs!
1. Bridging should be done from the hips. One of the most common mistakes I find is that folks bridge from their low back. In an effort to get their pelvis sky high they stop using their glutes, arch their low back and use their quads to lift. This can cause back pain and recurrent flare ups. When bridging you want to lift through your belt buckle, not your bellybutton.
2. Push through your heels. This reflexively makes you activate your glutes more. We often bias pushing through our toes which emphasizes the quads more. Most of us do not need more quad tone.
3. Bridge for you: analyze your gait- do you walk with your toes pointed out? Or do your knees fall and rotate towards the other knee? Are your feet stiff or do your arches collapse?
–If you walk with your toes out and have stiff feet you most likely have tight IT Bands and glutes. This means your inner thighs are relatively weak. For you bridging with adduction is going to be more beneficial. To do this lay on your back as if you were performing a bridge. Now bring your feet together. Firmly squeeze a towel between your knees, lift your hips (through the belt buckle!). This makes your hip flexors lengthen and puts your glutes in a more neutral position based off your daily activities and gait.
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