Many of my fighters and Posture School students with Parkinson’s have a tough time lifting their hips to do a bridge.
Here’s the secret to making it happen, using a resistance band!
Inactive glutes in Parkinson’s are usually due to a neurological disconnect. This disconnection changes the mechanics of a person’s body, leading to some muscle groups becoming overactive and others becoming underactive. Compensation occurs and throws off everything, often resulting in injury.
Glute activation means waking up your glutes. It makes the connection from your brain to your muscles and gets the muscles fired up and ready to do some work. Adding a resistance band to this exercise recruits your arms and lats to help you lift your hips.
Strong glutes are vital for everyone, especially if you have Parkinson’s. Your glutes are an incredibly important muscle group for maintaining your balance, preventing falls, improving posture, and preventing back, hip, and knee pain and injury.
Watch this video to learn how to
Use a Band to Help You Bridge if You Have Parkinson’s:
- There should be a straight line from your ear, through your hip bone, to your knee.
- It may be difficult to get your hips up if your glutes are weak and your hip flexors in front are tight. Be patient and keep practicing.
- You should feel your hamstrings contract, glutes engage, and your psoas (in front of your hips) will stretch. Imagine ironing out all the creases in front of your pants.
- Hold the bridge position (hips up) for a few seconds and inhale to come down, leading with your tailbone to maintain neutral position.
- Perform 10 bridges with good form and do this twice daily.
This exercise will strengthen your glutes and hamstrings, as well as engage the inner thigh helper muscles (adductors) and stretch those overly tight hip flexors.
This is a safe exercise, but if you experience discomfort in your back, reposition and try again or ask your doctor if this exercise is good for your particular spine health.
💜 Coach Kimberly
Now in Session: Rebel Fit Club’s Posture School—In-Person and Virtual!
Coach Kimberly instructs this five-week exercise series to address one of the most problematic symptoms of Parkinson’s: stooped posture, which causes falls, pain, and crowds your breathing and digestion. You will learn lifelong exercises that you can do every day to prevent or treat poor posture. We also offer an in-person, seated version of this class for our fighters who can’t exercise on the floor. If you want to feel stronger, sit and stand straighter, and move better, contact Kimberly today to get on the list for our next session!
Would you like to be a part of our Posture School, but live too far away to come to the Rebel Fit Club? Not a problem—we also have Virtual Posture School!
Ready to take back your fight?
Contact me to get started in Kimberly Berg’s Rebel Fit Club Parkinson’s Boxing classes today. We have online workouts, too!
Subscribe now to get more tips and exercises for Parkinson’s delivered right to your inbox!