How to “Sit” in a Chair Sit Bridge
How to “Sit” in a Chair Sit Bridge
A chair sit bridge is one of the trickiest one for beginning contortionists to learn because it requires quite a bit of back and shoulder flexibility, and solid body awareness of how to move your hips in space while you are engaging in a backbend. Being able to drop your butt and “sit” in a chair sit bridge feels a bit like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time: part of you is trying to keep your ribs lifted, the other part is trying to pike the hips and drop the butt down and back.
In this blog post I cover some prep drills to help learn the “butt coordination” (aka hip pike) required to sit in a chair sit bridge. This post is meant for students who already have a contortion practice and understand the fundamentals of contortion bridge engagement (cues for proper engagement aren’t given in these exercises). If you don’t know the basics of contortion backbending engagement, I strongly suggest you work with a coach to learn the fundamentals, and not try to copy exercises like these you find on the internet!
Exercises for Chair Sit Bridge Coordination
Drill #1: Block-Supported Booty Drops
Start in a block-supported glute bridge: lay back on two yoga blocks, with the bottom edge of the top block in line with the bottom of your shoulder blades. Start with your hips lifted, and hands behind your head to support the weight of your head, with elbows pointed up towards the ceiling.
Drop your butt to the ground as you pull the back of your hips toward the base of your block tower. Don’t just think “butt to the ground” - we’re trying to initiate a back crunch in our mid back by curling our tailbone toward the blocks. You can also think about pushing into your feet to make sure your hips are pressing back toward the blocks, and not just straight down to the floor.
Press your hips back up to the ceiling. That’s one rep. Repeat for 5-10 reps.
Need to make it easier? Keep your neck flat (actively hold your head up with your hands) to keep the backbend smaller, and/or switch to just one block, or a foam roller to lower the height.
Want to make it harder? Let your head fall to the ground (adding more of a backbend in the neck and upper back), and/or make your block tower higher. You can also add a shoulder stretch by reaching your arms straight out overhead and pressing your palms into the wall.
Drill #2: Headstand Bridge Booty Drops with Block “Bumpers”
Start in a headstand bridge with your small block tower behind your shoulders. You can start in your block-supported glute bridge (same as the exercise above), then plant your palms on the floor to start to push up into your bridge, while you drop the crown of your head to the floor to lower back to your headstand bridge. You may need to crab walk your hands/feet a bit to help get the blocks closer to your shoulders and upper back
Keeping your ribs lifted as high as you can, start to curl your tailbone down toward the floor and toward the back of your head. You will likely have to push in to your feet to keep the back of your hips pressing toward the back of your head (as well as engaging your erectors and back muscles!). Try to drop your butt as low as you can without hitting the blocks. This time we’re trying to find the back engagement to maintain our active back crunch and rib lift, and using the blocks as “bumpers” to feel when we let our ribs drop too low.
Press your hips back up, and repeat for 5-10 reps.
Drill #3: Headstand Bridge Booty Drops (Without Blocks)
Once you get a feel for controlling your booty drops and not hitting the blocks, you can remove the blocks and try some without the block feedback.
Start in a headstand bridge, supporting most of your weight in your hands and feet
Try your booty drops from this shape: trying to keep your ribs lifted, drop your butt toward the floor as you push the top of the back of your pelvis toward your head
Aim for 5-10 reps
Drill #4: Straight Arm Bridge Booty Drops
If the headstand bridge booty drops are feeling coordinated, you can try them in your regular, straight-arm bridge. Just be prepared for a bit more of a shoulder and upper back stretch in this version, it’s a challenge!
Start in a straight arm bridge, with feet and hands a comfortable width apart (trying this in a “long” straight leg bridge or super narrow hands-to-feet bridge is going to be much more challenging)
Try your butt drops a couple of times. Make sure to keep pushing into your feet so knees don’t start to drift past your toes, and keep reaching the top of the back of your hips toward your head as you do your booty drops
Aim for 5-10 reps
Drill #5: Chair Sit Bridge Hold (& Variations)
Once you have the coordination (and shoulder flexibility) to comfortably execute a couple of straight arm bridge booty drops, you can try holding the “dropped” position for a couple of breaths - this is your chair sit bridge!
And once that becomes more comfortable, you can start playing with variations like:
Lifting your heels…
Lifting your head…
Crossing your legs…
Widening your feet… (this turns it into a “spider "bridge” or “alien bridge”)
