Bridge Exercise: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Should you do the bridge exercise? Will it finally “wake up” your glutes like all those fitness influencers promise?

Maybe and kind-of.

I’ve seen the bridge touted as some type of panacea for all types of movement problems. Back pain? Do the bridge. Hip pain? Do the bridge.

Want to end world hunger? Do the bridge!

I say this often in my content, but it deserves constant repeating – there is no one single perfect exercise for everyone.

Programming exercises is all about what your body needs right now. For some people, the glute bridge will unlock a lot of restriction in the body. For others, it’s a complete waste of time.

This article is broken down in the way it's tilted. I will first explore the good – what can a bridge do for your body and movement. In this section, I’ll demonstrate what a proper bridge with good form should look like and what cues you should think about while you perform the exercise.

In the following two sections, I’ll explain the bad and ugly things that come from doing the bridge. Just to be clear, in these sections I do not argue that the bridge is a bad exercise.

Instead, I’ll explain what happens when you do the bridge for the wrong reasons, for too long and with the wrong intention. Read on, dear hipster.

Glute Bridge Exercise – the Good and How to do it

Any type of bridging exercise will improve your hip extension. This a GOOD thing because hip extension is a movement that many modern-day humans are limited in.

We don’t do a lot of it. We do a lot of the opposite – sitting in a chair with our hips in flexion. Giving the body a dose of the opposite is an excellent way to open up the hips.

The muscles the bridge exercise works are the glutes, but they also have a lengthening effect on the hip flexors.

Every movement in the human body has an opening and closing angle. Muscles that “close” in a movement contract and muscles that “open” in a movement lengthen.

Muscles get stronger in both angles. It is a misconception that only muscles that contract and shorten get stronger in an exercise. In the glute bridge, when you lift your hips, the glutes “close” or contract and the hip flexors "open" or lengthen.

Try the bridge exercise I demonstrate below and see how it feels for you. If you cannot get full range of motion and bring your hips to knee level, then I highly recommend you spend some time on it. 

Work on the glute bridge a few times a week for a few months or until you can get your hips to knee level. With each workout session, see if you can get the hips a little bit higher each time. Once you get your hips to knee level then the next section will apply to you.

Glute Bridges Exercise – the Bad and how to make it better

If you can easily get your hips to knee level in an unloaded bridge, you’re not going to get much out of doing them.

Sure, there is some level of maintenance you might want to integrate so you don’t lose the ability to do the glute bridge with full range of motion. But this can be accomplished in more effective ways.

The first is to load the glute bridge. When you load a movement, you’re competent in, you become better at the movement. You will also get stronger and more flexible in hip extension which has a lot of carry over to many other movements.

Loading the glute bridge can get a bit awkward though. Once you get to about 45lb or so, it’s hard to add any more weight. If hip and glute strength is an important goal for you, then I recommend shifting your focus to the hip thrust.

You can progress a ton with the hip thrust and if you have access to a barbell and bumper plates, this one can keep you busy for a while.

The hip thrust will build big and strong glutes, if that’s what you want. Unless you’re a bodybuilder, professional athlete or have some very specific athletic or aesthetic goals, you might not want to spend a ton of energy on it.

If you’re someone like me, a normal and busy adult with responsibilities who cares more about moving better, then maybe a better goal would be a full back bridge.

Getting better at the back bridge is just a progression of the glute bridge. Instead of building strength and power like you do in the hip thrust, you build more flexibility and range of motion in the back bridge.

As I get older, these are the types of movements that I enjoy working on more. I see more carry-over to other activities I enjoy and more importantly, I can work on this exercise multiple times a week.

Unlike the hip thrust or loaded glute bridge which ideally you wouldn’t want to do more than 1-2x a week.

This is what fitness and movement is all about. Understanding your goals and creatively programming exercises to get you there. Not just doing an exercise because some popular influencer told you to do it

The “Ugly” – following fads instead of your body

I don’t like to admit this, but it took me a while to start thinking for myself when it came to fitness.

I worked with a ton of coaches, watched countless YouTube videos and tried various programs. I learned some things but after years of doing this, I didn’t have much to show for it.

I wasn’t flexible, strong and I wasn’t proud of how my body looked. Also, my wallet was thinner, and I had less brain cells from all those YouTube shorts and Instagram reels I watched.

But then something changed. I pulled away from all the fads, viral videos and influential creators. I started listening to my own body.

Where was I weak? What was stiff? What did I actually want to be able to do with my body? And what was stopping me from getting there?

Once I started reflecting on these questions, the path opened for me. I was able able to connect all the things I learned over the last decade, and I was able to be patient and trust the process.

The result is that I move and feel better than I ever have. And most importantly, I’m excited about my training. It’s not something I have to do in order to activate some muscle.

Exercise is FUN and I look forward to my workouts.

This is my unique experience, and I do well when I learn on my own. For some people, a great coach or fitness influencer is what they need to move their practice along.

My main objective with this article is to encourage you to reflect on what it is your body needs and what you want out of your movement practice.

Just because the glute bridge is a popular exercise does not mean you need it. This is true for any exercise or fitness modality out there. Even if it has millions of views or subscribers.