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Home » Fitness » How To Do London Bridge Muscles Worked, Benefits, and Alternatives Fitness Volt – Fitness Volt

Rows and pull-ups getting a little redundant? If so, the London Bridge should definitely be on your radar. A powerful bodyweight back and grip builder, this exercise steers away from conventional resistance training and challenges your fitness and mental fortitude in a fun yet effective way.

In this guide, you learn about proper exercise execution, benefits, effective variations, muscles worked, and more.

The London bridge requires upper body strength and a decently strong grip but other than that, its a straightforward exercise. Below weve included step-by-step instructions and form tips to ensure you perform the London bridge safely and effectively.

To do this exercise, youll need a rope and an anchor point such as a squat rack, stall bars/Swedish ladder, or similar equipment to attach it to. Make sure to secure the rope a few feet above your head as shown in the video example below.

To do the London bridge, you must possess the ability to pull and lower yourself up and down using a rope. While we do recommend that you have sufficient upper body pulling strength before attempting this exercise, weve included a video that demonstrates progressions to help you build and develop your pulling ability.

Lets talk about why you should include the London bridge in your training.

The London bridge is primarily a back focused exercise, however, its just as beneficial for developing your biceps and forearm muscles which are secondary in all pulling movements. Incorporating rope pulls in your back training workouts allows you to hit the posterior chain a little differently.

Squatting and pressing lots of weight is the best way to build lifting strength which also has carryover to other exercises and activities. But pulling yourself up using a rope creates a different challenge, plus its a great way to improve your grip strength.

If you do CrossFit or are involved in any athletics, this may be a good tool to have in your functional training focused workouts.

Learn more about functional strength training here.

The more difficult an exercise, the more calories you can burn as your body requires more energy to perform the task. You want to really challenge yourself? Try moving your body up and down using a rope over and over again while your grip is being tested to the max!

As you get better at it, speed up the tempo to burn even more calories.

While some people can do the same routine several times per week for years, others need more excitement and variety in their training. Not to mention, humans typically like to do fun and challenging activities such as climbing a rope.

The London bridge is an effective back exercise but these are two variations for more advanced exercisers.

For this variation, attach two ropes to your anchor and alternate sliding your hands down the rope until you are close to the ground. Pull yourself up the rope one side at a time.

If youve developed a python-like grip and can pull your entire body up off the ground, then it only makes sense that you shoot for the ceiling with a full rope climb. Of course, you must have access to a dedicated setup which may mean joining a CrossFit gym. You should also learn proper climbing technique which is not covered in this guide.

As with any exercise, how you include the London bridge in your workouts will depend on your preferences, goals and level of training experience. Its not a conventional back-building movement, and therefore, you must keep this in mind when programming it into your workout routine.

For example, while the London bridge can build muscle and strength, and it is a beneficial functional activity, it shouldnt be the first choice for bodybuilders and strength athletes. Although it can certainly be incorporated effectively.

A good place to start with the London bridge is two to three sets of three to five reps as suggested in the video example. As you become more advanced and get stronger, increase it to three to five sets and up to ten reps or more.

The London bridge is a powerful upper body exercise that works several muscles. Learn about each one and its function below.

Theinfraspinatusis one of the rotator cuff muscles along with the supraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. These muscles help to aid in the mobility and stability of the shoulder joint. The infraspinatus assists in external rotation of the shoulder joint, scaption, and lateral rotation of the humerus.

Thelatissimus dorsior lats for short is a broad, flat muscle that spans the lower posterior thorax. It works with the teres major and pectoralis major to adduct and medially rotate the humerus, and it helps to extend the humerus with help from the teres major and the sternal head of pectoralis major. The lats are also involved in moving the trunk forward and upward when the arms are positioned overhead.

The teres major is a thick muscle of the shoulder joint that medially rotates and adducts the arm and stabilizes the shoulder joint. Unlike the teres minor, its not a rotator cuff muscle.

Theteres minoris a rotator cuff muscle that, along with the other rotator cuff muscles functions to stabilize the glenohumeral joint. Its specific function is lateral, or external, rotation of the arm at the shoulder.

The trapezius lower fibers are part of thetrapeziusmuscle located on the upper back shaped like a trapezoid. It depresses the scapula and aids the upper fibers in upward rotation of the scapula.

Nice traps give a complete look to the physique when everything else is well developed.

The middle fibers of the trapezius muscle, between the upper and lower trap fibers, adduct (retract) the scapula while theupper trap fibers elevate and upwardly rotate the scapula and also function to extend the neck. Rows and shrugs especially activate these muscles.

Thebrachialisis located deep to the biceps muscle on the outer portion. Its a pure elbow flexor that gives width to the upper arm when developed.

While this muscle isnt visible on most people, when well-developed on a leaner individual, you can see it poking through the outer upper arms between the biceps and triceps.

The brachialis does add some extra size to the upper arms and can help to fill out those sleeves just a little more.

The brachioradialis is a muscle located in the lateral forearm. Its an elbow flexor and forearm supinator and pronator. Pulling movements and rows work this muscle.

The deltoid posterior, also known as the rear delts, are one of the three heads that make up theshoulder muscles. With the other two heads, the deltoid posterior assists in abducting the arm past 15 degrees. It also helps the anterior head to stabilize the arm while the lateral head abducts the arms from 15-100 degrees, and works with the latissimus dorsi to extend the arm while walking.

The rear delts are known to be a neglected muscle in the weight room. This could be for a few reasons including that they are not as popular compared to other posterior muscles, many think they get enough work from back exercises, or you cannot see these muscles when looking in the mirror.

But its a mistake to not give them some special attention because they do contribute to a balanced physique both functionally and aesthetically. Underdeveloped rear delts can throw off a physique especially since all pressing movements train the front delts, that are often overdeveloped.

The core muscles help to stabilize the trunk, bend it forward and backward and twist and rotate the midsection. Its important to maintain a rigid midriff during most forms of resistance exercise to maximize the movement.

The clavicular head of thepectoralisor major chest muscle is located on the upper portion of the chest near the clavicle area. It causes flexion of the extended arm.

If youve gotten bored of your current back routine, the London bridge is the perfect exercise to spice things up again. You can include it alongside your other upper posterior chain movements or use it to develop an iron grip but it does have its place in a functional muscle and strength training program.

We hope this complete guide was a helpful resource in helping you to best incorporate the London bridge in your fitness regime.

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How To Do London Bridge Muscles Worked, Benefits, and Alternatives Fitness Volt - Fitness Volt

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Home » Fitness » How To Do London Bridge Muscles Worked, Benefits, and Alternatives Fitness Volt – Fitness Volt