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Thread: Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

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    God/dess Will's Avatar
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    Default Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

    I’m often asked what’s a good exercise for the gluteus (your booty!) and hamstrings. Bridges are one of the most underrated and underutilized exercises for working those muscles. The bridge is an excellent exercise to isolate and strengthen the gluteus, hamstrings, core stability muscles, hip/lower back as well as improve spinal stabilization. Most people do this exercise without added resistance, but that’s a mistake (see “tip” below vid). Done with added resistance, there’s improved responses, as all muscles require added resistance (vs volume) to adapt and get stronger. And NO, they are not just for women!!!

    Bridges are a highly functional exercise that can lead to both functional improvements as well as visual.

    Bridges are an exercise that have both expected and unexpected benefits both functionally (for various sports) and visually, figure/fitness, or the average person looking shape up and strengthen the area. It’s also used for both rehab and prehab. Personally, I tend to incorporate it into lower body days. See:

    Bridges Vid

    Tip: most people do bridges with body weight only as adding additional resistance comfortably is not always easy. Bar in vid makes it easier and comfortable; try putting a foam pad around an Olympic bar (so the bar does not dig into your hips), or try a plate across your lap, or a heavy medicine ball. Experiment with those options and see what works for you. As with any body weight only exercise, your own weight will only get you so far and added resistance will be needed for continued increases in strength, etc.
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    Senior Member alvida's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

    Love the video! Thanks, I've been trying to work on my booty!

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    God/dess Will's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

    Quote Originally Posted by alvida View Post
    Love the video! Thanks, I've been trying to work on my booty!
    Report back how sore your booty be after you do it.
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    Default Re: Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

    Nice Will, I have to admit that is a great movement & something I haven't seen.

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    God/dess Will's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

    Quote Originally Posted by unbeleavable View Post
    Nice Will, I have to admit that is a great movement & something I haven't seen.
    Bridges (aka Hip Thrusts, etc) are actually very old school exercise that like a lot of old school stuff, is making a comeback as coaches, then followers, etc realize some of the old school stuff is very effective and "functional". I just put something of a new school twist with the ball and that bar, making it potentially more effective and comfortable.
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    God/dess LAChloe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

    Will, I want to try those. I need to get a new ball. How do I know how big of a ball to get?

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    God/dess Will's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

    Quote Originally Posted by LAChloe View Post
    Will, I want to try those. I need to get a new ball. How do I know how big of a ball to get?
    As far as the large exercise ball she's lying on in the vid? Depends mostly on your height. Places that sell them can often help "fit" you to the call and they often have a height range on them also. Generally, they come in small, medium, large kinda thing. How do plan to add resistance/weight to it?

    You know, I'd offer a free demo/workout/seminar kinda things to SW members in my region if I thought they'd show. Oh well...
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    Newbie Jennya's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

    Wow that looks efficient, I have no idea why but I hate hip thrusts and haven't done them in ages...I think I'll have to try these out!

    I'm no expert in this field but I've found bulgarian split squats (done with weights) to be really good for the booty, here's a sample vid:

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    God/dess Will's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

    Quote Originally Posted by Jennya View Post
    Wow that looks efficient, I have no idea why but I hate hip thrusts and haven't done them in ages...I think I'll have to try these out!

    I'm no expert in this field but I've found bulgarian split squats (done with weights) to be really good for the booty, here's a sample vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CvEs-TOIKM
    For sure, that's an excellent exercise and always in list of recommended lower body exercises and not enough people do them. Better than the traditional lunges most people do.
    A cunning linguist...

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    Veteran Member katerina29's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

    Thanks Will!! I'm always looking for great butt exercises

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    God/dess Will's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best Butt and hamstring exercise: Weighted Bridges

    Quote Originally Posted by katerina29 View Post
    Thanks Will!! I'm always looking for great butt exercises
    Get you some!
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