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The Bridging Circuit
inTENS users hang on to this one, anytime you see The Bridging Circuit posted you'll know what we mean. As all we Combination Men/Women know, having a strong neck is key to both boxing and wrestling. Gotta have a good bridge to have powerful defense in par terre work and the stronger the neck the better we are able to survive blows to the head/chin via the shock absorption/anti-whip function of a good muscular-skeletal foundation. In this circuit we tie-in a good bit of shoulder work as we find by fatiguing secondary and tertiary muscle groups we build a better/tighter muscular support chain for good bridging. This is a 3-cycle circuit with some exercise dropped as the circuit progresses. Exercises in Bold Type are repeated all three times. Underlined exercises are performed in rounds one and two. Those in standard text are hit round one only. Protocol
- Follow the circuit in the prescribed order aiming for as much speed as good form will allow.
- Use the prescribed weights. If you are able to complete the circuit in 15 minutes or less bump each weighted exercise by 5 pounds until your completion time exceeds 15 minutes.
- Handstand push-ups should be hands on the mat, top of the head hits the mat at the bottom of each rep. Anytime you have to bump up weight in this circuit add 2" of elevation to your handstand push-ups. We find simply placing bumper plates under the hands gives us a stable stack. The head must still touch at the bottom of each rep.
The Bridging Circuit Handstand Push-Ups 8 Reps Superset the following
- Dumbbell Lateral Raises (20/10) 8
- Dumbbell Front Raises (Palms-up) (20/10) 8
- Bent-Over Lateral Raises (20/10) 8
Barbell Shrugs (Slow & Strict--shoulders to ears) (185/135) 8
Ballistic Barbell Shrugs (185/135) 8 [Pop these reps as fast as possible]
Leaning Barbell Shrugs (185/135) 8 [Lean forward slightly so that the barbell hangs in front of your thighs about 12" and slow strict reps]
1-Arm KB Shrug (70/50) 8 [Slow & strict, all right , then all left]
Superset the following
- Rear Neck Bridge Rocks w/ 25# plate held to chest.
- Front Neck Bridge Rocks w/ 25# plate held to chest.
- Side-to-Side Neck Bridge Rocks w/ 25# plate held to chest
Have fun! |