The glute bridge myth
It’s like a game of Chinese whispers in the fitness industry & Pilates profession. Many years ago research was done that identified that certain deep abdominal muscles activate to stabilise the spine. This was interpreted as all we need to do is activate those muscles & it will prevent low back pain. It completely missed the point that those muscles actually activate spontaneously & don’t need our brain interfering. In fact it can over recruit those muscles & others as well resulting in dysfunction. This leads us to the glute bridge myth, it’s the exact same thing where it’s been lost in translation & interpretation. Let me clarify, yes your glutes do participate in the exercise where you lie on your back & lift your hips up. However, they don’t need to be told by your brain & they are not the only muscle responsible for extending your hips in this position. Your Pelvic floor is very much part of the equation & it won’t do as well at its job if the glutes are domineering. Often your glutes are already dominating over your pelvic floor, it’s one of the common compensations, so doing a glute bridge could in fact compound that compensation & not actually help your pelvic floor the way you’d hope.
Ok, so I hope this makes sense & what now, how do you do your new bridge? You can see a demonstration here on my Instagram post on the same topic. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-lZlEZMT7F/?igsh=cGIzd2Vsb29vdnB6
The main thing is to release first by lying on your back rock & circle your pelvis in a clock, crossing your legs & rolling side to side & hugging your knees into your chest to breathe & release your glutes & pelvic floor. By releasing, you are preparing the muscles to coordinate spontaneously when you perform your new bridge. This will all freedom of movement in your spine & appropriate activation of glutes, pelvic floor & hamstrings.
It’s like a game of Chinese whispers in the fitness industry & Pilates profession. Many years ago research was done that identified that certain deep abdominal muscles activate to stabilise the spine. This was interpreted as all we need to do is activate those muscles & it will prevent low back pain. It completely missed the point that those muscles actually activate spontaneously & don’t need our brain interfering. In fact it can over recruit those muscles & others as well resulting in dysfunction. This leads us to the glute bridge myth, it’s the exact same thing where it’s been lost in translation & interpretation. Let me clarify, yes your glutes do participate in the exercise where you lie on your back & lift your hips up. However, they don’t need to be told by your brain & they are not the only muscle responsible for extending your hips in this position. Your Pelvic floor is very much part of the equation & it won’t do as well at its job if the glutes are domineering. Often your glutes are already dominating over your pelvic floor, it’s one of the common compensations, so doing a glute bridge could in fact compound that compensation & not actually help your pelvic floor the way you’d hope.
Ok, so I hope this makes sense & what now, how do you do your new bridge? You can see a demonstration here on my Instagram post on the same topic. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-lZlEZMT7F/?igsh=cGIzd2Vsb29vdnB6
The main thing is to release first by lying on your back rock & circle your pelvis in a clock, crossing your legs & rolling side to side & hugging your knees into your chest to breathe & release your glutes & pelvic floor. By releasing, you are preparing the muscles to coordinate spontaneously when you perform your new bridge. This will all freedom of movement in your spine & appropriate activation of glutes, pelvic floor & hamstrings.