The Bridge Pose in Fitness
5 Benefits of Practicing the Bridge Pose Regularly
Have you ever heard about the bridge pose? It is something that persons rarely do, and maybe it is as a result of it not being as popular as other types of fitness routines. The Bridge Pose offers many benefits.
It is one of the best exercises that benefit the entire body and should be practiced regularly. While it has much more benefits than what can be listed in a short post, you should be familiar with at least the following five.
#1. Strengthens your back
If done correctly, the bridge pose will strengthen your back. We spend a lot of time in front of a desk or sitting down. During that time, the spine is flexed forward. We rarely flex the spine backward. The bridge pose helps stretch and strengthen the back which over time it can even improve posture.
#2. Stretches most muscle groups
Because the bridge pose requires you to bend backward and only use your hands and feet to support yourself, most muscle groups will stretch.
Your legs, glutes, chest, biceps, triceps, abs, and several other muscle groups will get stretched. You can practice this pose as a means to stretch before a serious workout.
#3. Improves your posture
When practicing the bridge pose, you have to bend your spine backward. You also have to stretch and push back your shoulders. At the same time, it reverses the flexion of hip flexors. All these effects combined help you gain a better posture.
It can even reduce back pain to a certain degree.
#4. Has a relaxing effect
While holding a bridge posture for just a minute causes tension in all your muscle groups, you will experience a certain degree of relaxation.
After doing such an exercise, you will notice that your muscles are more relaxed. This happens because they stretch, releasing tension.
When you feel the tension in your back, arms, and legs, practicing the bridge pose even for a few minutes will help you experience an elevated level of relaxation and release.
#5. Reduces Stress
Every time you use your muscles, you release endorphins which in turn reduces stress hormones.
To put it simply, physical activity relaxes your mind and reduces stress. The bridge pose is considered a physical exercise since it puts stress on most of your muscle groups. The longer you hold the pose the better. You will notice that your state of mind improves considerably, especially if the bridge posed is practiced regularly or daily. This is valid with any type of exercise.
The bridge pose, in particular, puts more stimulation across more muscle groups than almost any other type of physical activity.
