Progressive bridge exercise

The exercise

Hamstring tension is important, they are meant to have a certain amount of tension because they are powerful muscles that are waiting for an explosive movement such as running and jumping. However, they can feel uncomfortably tight. If your hamstrings feel uncomfortably tight it may be because they are weak. Many of our patients who suffer from low back pain have a weak posterior chain of muscles, including the low back muscles, the glutes and the hamstrings. With all the different running events in and around the Kew and Richmond area, hamstrings and glutes are defintley a priority to strengthen. Here is a great progression routine of exercises that will definitely challenge those muscles and help to strengthen them! Of course, stretching your hamstrings will feel nice and we do recommend it but for now let’s do this exercise to strengthen.

How to do it

These exercises should be performed with control. You can hold each pose to make them more challenging.

Glute Bridge - Keep your core engaged and squeeze your buttock muscles to raise your hips. Control the movement slowly.

Single Leg Glute Bridge - Make this exercise harder by raising one leg at a time out straight but make sure to not let your pelvis drop on one side as you do so.

Hamstring Bridge - By taking your feet away from you slightly in comparison to where they are in the glute bridge will increase the recruitment of the hamstrings. This is an exercise used to help rehab hamstring strains towards the end of their recovery.

Straight Leg Bridge - By lying flat and raising your hips off the ground by engaging your glutes. Don’t let your low back arch, keep it in a neutral position and maintain your core muscles engagement.

Hamstring Walk Outs - By walking the heels up and down will both challenge the hamstrings as well as your core. Make sure again to keep your pelvis from dropping.