Bridging is a very important exercise for improving your lower back strength. I will show you an intermediate exercise that helps develop your lower back without the compression Deadlifts can place on your back. Do not get me wrong, I love Deadlifts, and they are at the top for serious lower back strength. However, if you have a lower back injury, Deadlifts are most certainly out of the question in your exercise routine. Today, I am going to show you how to do the Straight Bridge.


After you master the Floor Bridge and the One Leg Floor Bridge, you can move onto the Straight Bridge.






To start, sit down and place your palms on the floor, facing your feet. Your legs should be straight ahead of you, with your heels on the ground. Push down with your hands, let your arms tighten up as you push your hips upwards at the same time until your body forms a straight line. Squeeze your hips together and keep your core tight to protect your lower back. Hold for one second and slowly lower yourself back to the ground. Then, repeat the exercise for allotted amount of reps. You can also increase the difficulty with weights.
Or for easy traveling purposes, you can add power bands like these to help increase the resistance.

Be sure you can do at least 20 reps with just your bodyweight before advancing to weights or power bands.