Lower back and hips
8 Bridge variations, from gentlest to strongest
Also called bridge exercise, setu bandha, hip bridge.
Lifting the hips from lying on your back, which reaches the back of the hips without loading the spine into a bend. The versions run from a supported hold that asks almost nothing to a dynamic roll through the spine.
Start here
The list runs from the most supported version to the most demanding. Bridge: Mini is the one to begin with. Start with the mini bridge, a small lift, only to the point where your hips leave the floor. Lifting higher is not better; lifting to a straight line and stopping there is.
Every version in the library
1 · Stability / Core · 20 to 60 seconds
Bridge: Mini
The most accessible bridge: minimal range makes this gentle enough for almost everyone, introducing posterior chain activation without placing excessive demand on your spine.
Make it work for you: Supported sacrum. Block between knees if ME/LA
2 · Stability / Core · 60 to 180 seconds
Bridge: Legs on Chair
A deeply supported bridge with your legs resting on a chair: gentle extension for your lower back with almost no effort or load.
Make it work for you: Bridge: Supported Sacrum. Reduce lift height. Small range, stop with symptom spread
3 · Stability / Core · 60 to 300 seconds
Bridge: Supported Sacrum
A supported, restful version of bridge that gently decompresses your lower back: the block provides passive relief while allowing long, comfortable holds.
Make it work for you: Mini bridge. Adjust foot position
4 · Stability / Core · 20 to 60 seconds
Bridge: Block Between Knees
Activates your inner thighs alongside posterior chain strengthening, improving pelvic alignment and adding medial chain support that benefits your knees and lower back.
Make it work for you: Mini bridge. Reduce height
5 · Stability / Core · 20 to 60 seconds
Bridge: Arms on Floor
Adds shoulder blade engagement to bridge, anchoring your upper body and improving spinal stability while strengthening your posterior chain.
Make it work for you: Mini bridge
6 · Stability / Core · 30 to 60 seconds
Bridge: Dynamic
A flowing bridge that rolls your pelvis up and down: driven from your hips, to wake up the posterior chain and mobilise the spine segment by segment.
Make it work for you: Mini bridge. Supported bridge. Supported
7 · Stability / Core · 20 to 60 seconds
Bridge: Heels Closer to Pelvis
Increases hamstring contribution and hip extension range, providing a more demanding posterior chain challenge for bodies ready for greater strengthening.
Make it work for you: Mini bridge. Classic position
8 · Stability / Core · 20 to 60 seconds
Bridge: Classic Hold
Actively strengthens your posterior chain: glutes, hamstrings, and back muscles, through hip extension, building the power that supports your spine and pelvis.
Make it work for you: Mini bridge. Supported bridge. Supported
Which version should I choose?
| Version | Support | Best if | Not this one if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridge: Mini | None | You are starting out or your back is sensitive today | You feel nothing at all |
| Bridge: Supported Sacrum | Block or bolster | You want the position without the lift | You are ready to build strength |
| Bridge: Heels Closer to Pelvis | None | You keep feeling this in your hamstrings | It cramps your feet |
| Bridge: Block Between Knees | One block | Your knees drift apart | Squeezing causes groin pain |
| Bridge: Arms on Floor | None | You want a stable standard version | You have shoulder pain in this position |
| Bridge: Classic Hold | None | You can hold a straight line comfortably | Your back arches to get higher |
| Bridge: Dynamic | None | You want rhythm and repetitions | Control drops when you speed up |
| Bridge: Legs on Chair | Chair | You want a different angle or more challenge | The chair is not stable |
Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.
Every version above is drawn from the clinically authored Vinys library. This page is general movement information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. What helps for a specific condition.