Exercise of the Week: Supine Bridge w/Reach
The supine bridge with reach has been a popular mobility drill for us for close to a decade now, but I realized that we haven’t highlighted it in an online feature to give it the love it deserves. The video is actually part of The High Performance Handbook video library.
I love this drill because it not only gives us the terminal hip extension we get with many glute activation exercises, but also an element of thoracic mobility. In many athletic endeavors (including pitching, as you see below), the thoracic spine must continue to rotate as the hips extend.
This drill enables us to not only train some of the muscular recruitment patterns we want, but also challenges the fascial system by getting us a more multi-planar, proximally initiated challenge. You also get a nice blend of elasticity because of the rhythmic nature of it, and can easily interject variety by changing the angle at which you reach.
We’ll work this into a warm-up with a set of five reps on each side, or mix it in as a “filler” between medicine ball sets. Give the supine bridge with reach a shot to keep your mobility work engaging, progressive, and productive!