Convict Conditioning - Paul Wade

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Going Beyond
There are a lot of pumped up guys in gyms today who have pretty strong limbs and torsospretty
strong, that is, for lifting weights in the gym. But that's the only qualities they've got. Have
no doubt about it, once you have achieved the Master Step of the bridging series, you will possess
incredible spinal strength, not just in the superficial muscles of the back, but also in the deepest
layers of tissue usually untouched by heavy weightlifting techniques. Likewise, I've met a lot of
martial artists who thought they were flexible, but when you train with them, they are only really
flexible in forwards bending positions-ask them to bend over backwards and touch the floor and
they inevitably land on their asses.
The bridging series will grant you an incredible combination of strength paired with flexibility.
If this was all the bridge offered you, it would be well worthwhile including it in your routine. But
completing the bridge series will give you more-more than practically any other exercise on
earth. Much, much more. It fixes old back injuries and prevents new ones, like slipped discs; it
tones the stomach, deltoids, legs and arms; it expands the chest and loosens the shoulders; it renders
the entire body agile and coordinated; it improves balance and promotes healthy digestion. I
could go on and on.
When the time comes that you reach the Master Step and you are wondering how to further
your training, it's wise to bear these facts in mind. Bridging is more than just a strength exercise or
a flexibility technique-it stands alone as a total training method that facilitates development in
practically every area of fitness and health. For this reason, don't think just in terms of strength or
flexibility when you are looking to go beyond stand-to-stand bridges.
Certainly, you can improve your strength in the bridge; one way is to return to full bridging and
add weights-perhaps in the form of a weighted training vest. I knew one very large powerlifter in
San Quentin who used to hold a full bridge with his two hundred pound buddy sitting on his
stomach! You wouldn't believe that such a large man could perform such a lithe feat-he was well
over three hundred pounds, and not all of it was muscle. Yet years of bridging made him astonishingly
limber. Although I find weighted bridges impressive, I'm always wary of adding heavy
weights to any spinal exercise; trying such things once or twice is one thing, but if you practise it
over years-which you need to if you are going to keep feeling the benefits-it'll come back to bite
you in the end.
You can also continue increasing your flexibility fairly easily if you want to. This simply
involves focusing on your extreme range of motion while holding the bridge, and attempting to
bring your head closer to your toes each time. The ultimate human level of flexibility in this movement
would involve placing the soles of the feet on the head-a pose known in yoga as the scorpion.
You might have seen contortionists perform this trick-watching others is certainly the closest
I've ever got to it! Unless you begin gymnastics at a young age, and are female, your chances of
getting to this level are practically nil. It's very rare for adult males to be able to do this technique
unless they have the medical condition of hypermobility, which is sometimes (wrongly) called
being "double-jointed." Flexibility is important but there are safer and more efficient ways to get
good back suppleness, so I wouldn't advise you to focus on this kind of training.