This article will cover how you perform the Bridge Push Up exercise.

We will include video, image and a written step by step description on how to do this exercise.

Its difficulty level, the equipment you need to do it. The different muscle groups that get worked when you perform it.

The benefits you get when adding it to your training routine. Also, some different training cues to use when you are performing it.

Bridge Push Ups How to Guide

Video Demonstration

Step by Step Description

Step 1: To get into the starting position start by lying flat on your back. Now bend your arms and place them on the ground by your ears with the forearms vertical to the floor. Bend your knees and bring your feet in towards your butt. Drive through your hips and press through your shoulders and triceps raising your body off of the floor.

Step 2: Now extend your elbows pressing your body up pushing your head through your arms until your arms are nearing lockout.

Step 3: Hold this position for one to two seconds.

Step 4: Slowly lower your body back to the starting position by bending at the elbows.

You have now completed one repetition. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Difficulty Level

The Bridge Push-Up gets rated at an intermediate fitness level.

Before you attempt this exercise, you need to spend some time practicing performing the bridge to ensure you have the required flexibility. To ensure you have enough strength just spend some time training with the traditional push-up and pike push-up first.

Equipment Required

Since this is a calisthenics exercise all you need is your body and an area large enough for you to lie on the floor.

Optionally you can use a weighted vest to increase the difficulty of the pushing portion of this lift.

Muscles Worked

The primary muscles that get targeted are your Shoulders, Back Extensors, and the Triceps.

The secondary muscles involved in this lift are the Glutes and Hamstrings and your Chest.

Benefits from Bridge Push Ups

The Bridge Push-Up is a highly functional lift and will help to improve your athleticism and aesthetics and can reduce and sometimes eliminate back pain.

This exercise gets heavily used by wrestlers and people involved in martial arts. Since these people will be in an unlimited number of possible positions, making sure their body is powerful all over is important, and this lift is a great way to achieve that.

On days that you can not get to the gym, this is a useful exercise to strengthen your back.

This lift is also an excellent way for you to strengthen your spinal muscles, which can help to prevent slipped discs in the gym and everyday activities.

Training Tips

This exercise places a significant amount of stress on your shoulders and wrists. If you have any issues or injuries in these areas, you should probably skip this lift.

You can increase the difficulty of this lift by placing your feet flat on a raised surface(step, box) or by using a weighted vest.

Breath in as you are lowering your body and exhale when pushing your body back up.

In closing

Few people realize that this exercises can get used in place of deadlift for days when you do not have access to weights.

Many people look down on calisthenics training even though they have only ever performed the traditional push-up and pull-ups. To get the full benefits of calisthenics, you need to keep progressing to more challenging lifts like this one.

Before adding this to your training routine remember to practice the Bridge, Push-Ups, and the Pike Push-Up to ensure you the needed strength and flexibility.

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