Opinions on the neck/back bridge...

[amphibious]

Just wondering what people think about it. Seems a fairly controversial thing...

Good, bad? On the top of the head? On the forehead?

[savage-]

on the forehead, until the nose touches the floor. push the hips towards the ceiling. keep the feet flat and pointing forward. cross your arms in front of your chest.

work up to 5 minutes or so. plant your hands by your head until you get comfortable/strong enough to support your weight with just your head.

[Revok]

I've never understood the point of rolling until your forehead touches the floor. As soon as you roll as far as the top of your head, there is no longer any strain on the neck muscles. You're just grinding vertebrae.

[krellik]

Originally Posted by Revok

I've never understood the point of rolling until your forehead touches the floor. As soon as you roll as far as the top of your head, there is no longer any strain on the neck muscles. You're just grinding vertebrae.

...Its a stretch and an important one...

[Revok]

OK, I'll accept that - but should a stretch ever be performed with force for 5 minutes straight, and whilst weakening the support muscles at the same time?

[krellik]

Im not going to go into scientific mumbo jumbo, all I know is that that kind of bridge makes your neck fells sexy great and does make it much stronger.

I think it is good shit, build it up slowly and never go to failure....

[Wolfcastle]

I've been trying to find this online for a while (with pics or a video demo) with some advice but to no avail. Anyone know where to find it?

Or any advice on building up one's neck to make it REALLY strong. It seems to be my weakness.

I'll be honest, I looked thru the stickies and the links there often don't work now.

[krellik]

...Start with the frontbridge... Static variation

Rather safe progression. Start on knees with hands on ground. (stand for time, x number of seconds etc), then remove the hands and stay on the knees. Then put the hands on the ground again and get up on your feet. Then remove the feet for the complete static frontbridge.

Work that progression over -weeks-. Never go to failure, completely controlled. Dont want to fuck with your neck, listen to your body....

Then over several weeks you progress like this:

Add the backbridge (with suporting hands), work your forehead down on the ground and as closer to your feet. Work up some time in the static bridge. Then remove the hands.

Then add the static "standing on your head".

Then add the rocking variations of the frontbridge and the back bridge..


From the begining combine that with a combined "yes - yes" - "no - no", and "ear to shoulder" stretch for healthy range of motion and joint mobility. Slow and controlled...

Then when you worked that progression for the bridges variations and standing on your head (5 that you do all of) (oh and you should work the neck many days of the week, more the better but never go to failure or even work it super hard, really take slow progress that you ease into..)

...Then you have gotten the most of the important "spine stretch -neck mobility stretch" aspects of these excersices and the athletic aspects, then there are some further progressions you can do. Etc do the back bridge while suporting some heavy plates on your chest. Or do the back bridge whit a ligth barbel placed over your head, when stable in the bridge, reach for the barbel, place it on your chest and bench press it (you will feel this in your neck..) and start to work with a neck harness to really build some raw power in your neck... Also do heavy powercleans and power shrugs to build up huge traps.

All this combined = healthy neck/general healthy body - imposible to choke out (not really but much harder) - and almost imposible to knock out... Good stuff....

[woogie12]

does anyone have a video or picture description of it? i don't quite grasp it. also, i was under the impression that rolling neck bridges would be better than static.

[Wolfcastle]

It took some looking, but try this link, its Frank Shamrock explaining it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb9FCklkzYo