Bortsovsky Bridge

The exercise came to us from martial arts and, in particular, precisely from wrestling sports such as freestyle wrestling And classic style wrestling. This is where the name of this exercise comes from: “Bortsovsky bridge».

For the neck, as indeed for any other muscle group, there are two areas of training: volume and strength.

In the first option, the neck circumference will increase noticeably. Visually it will become much more powerful. But this does not mean at all that her physical strength and endurance will undergo the same increases...

In the second option, the muscle fibers of the neck will be significantly strengthened, the number of capillaries will become much larger, the nerve endings and vessels of the circulatory system will branch out, the cervical spine will be strengthened and, perhaps, even thicken. However, the neck circumference will increase slightly.

1. There are three options for performing this exercise:
2. How to correctly perform the first version of the “Wrestling Bridge”?
3. How to correctly perform the second version of the “Wrestling Bridge”?
4. The third variation of the “Wrestling Bridge” exercise is “rolls” or, in other words, “runs”:
5. How to perform “Running” correctly?

For what purpose is such a clear division into these two directions made?

Because different people have different needs. And under the term: “develop your neck,” everyone sets themselves very specific goals:

1. Some people want mainly visual, cosmetic benefits - such as volume. These are mostly bodybuilders.
2. But for some, give it a purely practical effect – you need strength. This is the goal pursued by wrestlers, hand-to-hand fighters, and, in general, fans of contact sports.

In general, keep in mind: precise formulation of the problem can save you several months of hard training.

So, it is believed that Bortsovsky bridge This is an exercise first and foremost focused on the second training option - acquisition of strength. It is for this reason that it is most used in everyday training by martial arts fans. Bodybuilders, although they use it, do not actively and constantly. It is believed that the following are better suited for purchasing volumes:

1. shrugs with a barbell or dumbbells,
2. bending and rotating the head in special simulators,
3. and the same thing, using special headgear with weights.

There are three options for performing this exercise:

1. belly down
2. belly up,
3. "rolls" or "runs".

How to correctly perform the first version of the “Wrestling Bridge”?

1. Warm up well: perform a dozen head tilts in different directions, then rotate your head clockwise, then counterclockwise.
2. Choose a soft, horizontal surface for training - a wrestling mat, mat, mat or any other suitable surface...
3. Get down on your knees, then rest your head (preferably your forehead first) on a horizontal surface.
4. At first, using your hands if necessary, make movements back and forth, as well as rotations in different directions.
5. Continue doing these steps until you feel tired.
6. Subsequently, with the acquisition of the necessary skills and experience, eliminate manual assistance.
7. Use a load - a barbell disc, a weight vest, or other devices that enhance the impact.
8. Also, real pros often resort to the help of a partner. But this must be done with extreme caution. Avoid sudden movements or uncoordinated actions. Otherwise there is a risk of serious injury.
9. Remember: neck muscles do not like sudden movements! Smoother, smoother and smoother again...

How to correctly perform the second version of the “Wrestling Bridge”?

2. Warming up, warming up and preparing a suitable surface for training is similar to the previously discussed variation of this exercise.
3. Take a horizontal position. Lie on your back.
4. Having arched your spine, stand on a regular bridge, leaning on your arms and legs.
5. Next, lower yourself onto the back of your head and gradually remove your hands. We rely solely on the balls of our feet and the back of our head (or rather, even the top of our head). This is our starting position for the exercise.
6. We begin the rental: the point of contact of the head with the floor gradually moves from the back of the head to the frontal part, while at the same time the points of contact of the legs also shift from the balls to the hollow foot, even more so to the heel.
7. Having reached the emphasis on the forehead, we begin to move in the opposite direction to the original position.
8. We perform cyclic movements as many times as necessary. Having finished, from the starting position we lower ourselves onto our backs.
9. Keep in mind that this version of the exercise is much more difficult and dangerous than the one we discussed earlier. Therefore, be extremely careful. Once again, don’t take risks without understanding the technology 100%
10. The use of weighting loads is also allowed here: disks, small dumbbells. Many experienced athletes perform this exercise by loading their arms with kettlebells or even a barbell! It is worth understanding that these are unique people who should not be compared to mere mortals, due to the very high risk of injury of this type of bridge.

In fact, this variation is a ddynamic combination of the first and second options with movement: clockwise or counterclockwise.

How to perform “Running” correctly?

1. We stand on the wrestling bridge with our belly down,
2. Having firmly fixed the position of the head, we begin to run around it in the chosen direction. In this case, the head, apart from tilting, does not rotate - the rest of the body moves around it.
3. We move in a circle with side steps and, when there is nowhere to run, we throw one leg over the other - as a result, we find ourselves on the wrestling bridge with our belly up.
4. Then we move in a circle in the same direction and, having passed approximately the same part of the circle, we will again find ourselves on the bridge with our belly down. And so on, so on...
5. We rotate cyclically in a circle, first in one direction. Having wound a certain number of circles, we do the same thing but in a different direction.

In this version of the bridge, it is difficult to use additional weights, and due to the stationary position of the head, the load on the neck is controversial. That's why bodybuilders practically do not use it. Another thing is the wrestlers, for whom wrestling on the ground has a primary task - for them, using such a training methodology is simply an integral part of.

That’s probably all that was planned to tell you about the “wrestling bridge”. Work out and let your neck be as healthy as Bill Goldberg or Dwayne “The Rock” Jones!