Hip Bridge Exercise for Cyclists

Key learnings:

• Learn about hip bridge exercise and its process. 
• Learn about types of hip bridge exercises. 
• Learn about the benefits of hip bridge exercise. 

No one should spend most of their time lying down or sitting. Because when you spend most of your day sitting or lying down, your gluteal muscles begin to weaken. When the flexors in the front of your thighs get smaller, they feel stiff which makes you lean because the tight flexors of your hips will pull you forward and your glue is not strong enough to pull you straight.

But when you practice regular glute bridge you notice that your muscles will become stronger to keep your body straight. Glue bridges allow you to train your lower body without the grip challenge. It became important especially for athletes to recover from injuries to the surface of the body where they could not squat, deadlift, or place bars on their backs.

If your glutes and erector spine are strong, it helps you keep your posture straight while standing or sitting all day.

What is hip bridge exercise and how to do it?

 

To perform a basic hip bridge, bend your knees and start lying on your back with your feet on the ground. Then, push down through your heels and press your glutes to press your hips up. Hold your hips high for the count, then lower them to the ground and repeat. That means you have done your first hip bridge exercise.

Depending on the variety of your hip bridge, you can do most or all of the following muscles:

• There are three muscles of the glute including the Maximus, medius, and minimus
• Hamstrings
• Core
• Lower back
• Calves

How to do hip bridge exercise now? Okay, let’s look at the following points:

• First, you lie face-up on the floor and bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the ground. Place your hands next to you, keeping the palms of your hands down.
• Now lift your hips off the ground until your knees, hips, and shoulders form a straight line.
• Hold these glutes tight and keep your abs stretched so that you do not stretch your back too much during exercise.
• Before going down, hold your bridged position for a few seconds. 

You can aim for two, or three sets of 15-20 bridges two to three times a week. 

What muscle does the hip bridge target?

 

We have already seen that there are three muscles of the glute including the Maximus, medius, and minimus which do hip bridge targets. The gluteus bridge primarily serves the gluteal muscles. 

One of the strongest and most powerful muscles in the human body is the glutes. This hip bridge exercise will help the gluteus muscles to work and strengthen as a hip joint unit.

Hip bridges come in all shapes and sizes so you can make a variety of changes based on your preferences, fitness level, and mobility.

Hip bridges with a calf raise

If you want to challenge the full-back of your foot, this new twist of the old choice is for you. Tighten your hip muscles and bring your buttocks to the bridge position. Holding your hips high, lift them above your toes. Now Place your shoulders on the mat, and hold and lower your legs and hips. Repeat the exercise by making sure you always keep your hips level.

Single-leg hip bridges

If basic hip bridges don’t seem like a challenge enough for you, try separating one leg at a time. Taking one foot out of the equation will check your balance and force you to dig deeper to keep your hips as high as when your two feet were on the ground.

What are the benefits of bridge exercise?

 

Hip bridge exercises are important for any fitness routine. You can get multiple benefits from the hip bridge working in your sweat session.

Build strength: According to Lee, hip bridges work together on the back, bottom, and back of your legs to build muscle and strength. It strengthens your legs and core and further improves your ability to work.

Improved squatting and deadlifting performance: The glutes are involved in deep squats and deadlifts as secondary movers. Strong glutes can help increase overall hip extension, which is the key to pulling all the posterior chains, such as squats (back, front, and lower bar squats) as well as deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, snatches, and even jumps.

Increase Stability: The hip bridge strengthens your core while creating stability, which gives you the ability to prepare yourself against unwanted movements. And better stability means you can do everyday tasks more easily.

Jump higher and sprint faster: Hip bridges are also useful for helping athletes run faster and jump higher because they strengthen the hip and leg muscles used in these activities.

Improve posture: Creating a strong core can also improve your posture as you will have the strength needed to keep your spine aligned. Exercises such as the hip bridge can prevent the rounding of your shoulders by strengthening the opposite position.

Reduce the risk of injury: Training exercises like a hip bridge can strengthen your connective tissues and joints, all of which can prevent overuse injuries.

Conclusion

 

The hip bridge exercise is a simple and effective exercise that can be connected to the exercise routine. This exercise can be a staple of your warm-up routine as a quick and easy way to activate the glutes.