Re: Neck Bridging

[Guest guest]

I do not recommend bridging on the back of the head because I see

a poor mechanical advantage situation to the joints of the neck.

Meaning there is a lot more force created by the neck muscles and

therefore into the joints then the force of resistance which would be

the weight of your body.

Being older (55) I am more concerned with keeping joints healthy and

functioning properly around nerver tissue then seeing how much effort

I can produce on a particular exercise.

to see more indepth version of what I am alluding to go to

spinalfitness.com and open up or second course and starting on page

145 " mathematical analysis of proper vs improper spinal posture

providing core stability for resistancing force from the posterior " .

You will see the numbers on how much effort and force into joints the

lower back and neck must produce against a give reistance. Our neck

is bent over in gravity with the force downward but the effort would

be essentialy the same on your back pushing downward with the head

instead prone pushing up against gravity.

Our training thoughts on this is your strength to the posterior with

your spine is going to come more from having healthy joint tissue then

big muscles. We try to keep our athletes free of joint problems and

for that reason we do not recommend lifting your body weight when

supine on your back bridging.

Is neck briding bad for you? I do not do it but then again I am older

and want to protect my disc facets nerves etc from a movement like

this that my neck possesses poor mechanical advantage for. With

wrestlers we have them stay away from bridging and work on the

anterior neck muscles and getting the lordotic neck curve so they have

better leverage strength to move their necks to the anterior against

force and more to keep the joints healthy so they have healthy tissue

to move against posterior forces of resistance.

JOhn Scherger

Ridgefield Washington

> Is neck bridging bad for you? I am referring to both the on the

head

> and nose touching the floor.

>

> I have heard that it is bad because it compresses the spine. Can

> anyone tell me if this is the case and also why this is bad? Doesn't

> pretty much carrying/lifting any heavy weight compress the spine?

>

> Holland

> Brisbane, Australia

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Is neck bridging bad for you? I am referring to both the on the head

> and nose touching the floor.

>

> I have heard that it is bad because it compresses the spine. Can

> anyone tell me if this is the case and also why this is bad? Doesn't

> pretty much carrying/lifting any heavy weight compress the spine?

*** Alter's book " The Science of Flexibility " contains a good review of

the benefits and limitations of both bridging and arching exercises.

Carruthers

Wakefield, UK