Thoracic Bridge

Muscles worked by the Thoracic Bridge

Primary

Lower BackErector SpinaeGlutesGluteus Maximus

Secondary

Rear DeltsPosterior DeltoidTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: erector spinae, spinal erectors, lower back muscles, back extensors, glute, glutes.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Thoracic Bridge

1. Sit on the floor with knees bent and hands behind you, fingers pointing back.
2. Press through your hands and feet to lift your hips off the floor.
3. Continue pressing until your chest opens and your arms are extended.
4. Drop your head back and hold the position.
5. Breathe steadily while maintaining the bridge.
6. Lower back down under control.

Form tips

• Drive the hips high and squeeze the glutes to protect the lower back.
• Keep the feet flat and the weight even between hands and feet.

At a glance

Thoracic Bridge in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Bird Dog Hold
• Bird-Dog
• Camel Pose
• Pilates Leg Pull Back
• Pilates Leg Pull Front
• Reverse Plank
• Reverse Tabletop Hold
• Sphinx Pose

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "thoracic-bridge",
  "name_en": "Thoracic Bridge",
  "name_de": "Thorakale Brücke",
  "name_es": "Puente Torácico",
  "description_en": "A mobility hold that lifts the hips from a tabletop position and opens the chest, extending the thoracic spine while the glutes and shoulders hold the bridge.",
  "description_de": "Ein Mobilitäts-Halt, bei dem die Hüfte aus dem Tischsitz angehoben und der Brustkorb geöffnet wird; die Brustwirbelsäule streckt sich, während Gesäß und Schultern die Brücke halten.",
  "description_es": "Un sostén de movilidad que eleva las caderas desde una posición de mesa y abre el pecho, extendiendo la columna torácica mientras los glúteos y los hombros sostienen el puente.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "static",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "body_part": "core",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "gluteus_maximus"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "posterior_deltoid",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe",
    "no_axial_load",
    "lower_back_safe",
    "shoulder_safe"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Sit on the floor with knees bent and hands behind you, fingers pointing back.",
    "Press through your hands and feet to lift your hips off the floor.",
    "Continue pressing until your chest opens and your arms are extended.",
    "Drop your head back and hold the position.",
    "Breathe steadily while maintaining the bridge.",
    "Lower back down under control."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Sitze auf dem Boden, Knie gebeugt, Hände hinter dir, Finger zeigen nach hinten.",
    "Drücke über Hände und Füße und hebe die Hüfte vom Boden.",
    "Drücke weiter, bis sich der Brustkorb öffnet und die Arme gestreckt sind.",
    "Lass den Kopf nach hinten sinken und halte die Position.",
    "Atme ruhig weiter, während du die Brücke hältst.",
    "Senke dich kontrolliert wieder ab."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Siéntate en el suelo con las rodillas flexionadas y las manos detrás, los dedos apuntando hacia atrás.",
    "Empuja con las manos y los pies para elevar las caderas del suelo.",
    "Sigue empujando hasta que el pecho se abra y los brazos queden extendidos.",
    "Deja caer la cabeza hacia atrás y mantén la posición.",
    "Respira de forma constante mientras mantienes el puente.",
    "Baja de nuevo de forma controlada."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Drive the hips high and squeeze the glutes to protect the lower back.",
    "Keep the feet flat and the weight even between hands and feet."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Hebe die Hüfte hoch und spanne das Gesäß an, um den unteren Rücken zu schützen.",
    "Halte die Füße flach und das Gewicht gleichmäßig zwischen Händen und Füßen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Eleva bien las caderas y aprieta los glúteos para proteger la zona lumbar.",
    "Mantén los pies planos y el peso repartido entre manos y pies."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/thoracic-bridge-main.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "thoracic-bridge");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.