Prehab · Exercise 5

Bridge

Works the whole chain of muscles at the back of your leg: calves, hamstrings and buttocks.

Push your feet down into the floor.

Lifting your hips is the result, not the goal. Pushing through your feet switches on the muscles at the back of your leg one after the other, like dominoes. That is the chain that powers walking and stairs.

How to do it

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
2. Push your feet firmly down into the floor.
3. Let that push lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees.
4. Lower slowly, with control.

Making it harder

1. Long-lever bridge: walk your feet further away from you.
2. Single-leg bridge: one foot on the floor, the other leg lifted.