Stick Your Neck Out
Neck Training for Improved Strength and Performance
by Nick Tumminello

For years, boxers, wrestlers, and football players have
understood the importance of having a strong neck to tolerate the
high-impact nature of their sports. You don't want to be coldcocked
by Floyd Mayweather Jr. or run into the ground by Shawne Merriman
only to find your head and body on two different
stretchers.
However, aside from the above sports, I haven't heard of many
people practicing regular neck strengthening routines. They just
don't get it.

There are three very important reasons to make neck training a
priority in any training program.


Reason #1: The Neck Supports Your Head
I'm going to make this one real simple.
Your brain controls your entire body. In order for your brain to
communicate with your body, it must go through your neck. If
something isn't right at the neck, it can affect everything your
brain is trying to tell your body to do (or not do).
In other words, your neck is an essential crossroad to your
body!
Also, keep in mind that strength is greatly dependant on the
central nervous system (CNS) and neural recruitment. It only makes
sense that having a strong, functional neck can improve your
strength and power output.



Reason #2: Injury Prevention and Pain Reduction
The incidence of neck pain has been steadily increasing over the
past two decades and is now second to back pain, the most common
musculoskeletal disorder. Women are more likely than men to suffer
from persistent neck pain, in particular those who spend a lot of
time in front of a computer.


Oh sure, she's kinky, but it's all in her
neck.
This is a key reason to emphasize neck strength in all athletes. In doing so, there are accelerated improvements in
posture and torso stability, reductions in neck pain, and most
importantly, zero neck injuries.
On the science side of things, research studies have shown
conflicting results as to whether or not exercise can effectively
treat neck pain. However, I've yet to find enough high-quality
research to support that it doesn't.
I did locate a new study on women with neck pain that was
published in the January issue of Arthritis Care &
Research that found:

"Specific strength training exercises led to significant
prolonged relief of neck muscle pain, while general fitness
training resulted in only a small amount of pain
reduction."(1)
Here's another study that had similar findings:

"The National Research Centre for the Working Environment
in Copenhagen, Denmark, researchers conducted a randomized controlled
trial for which they recruited 94 women from seven workplaces in
Copenhagen between September 2005 and March 2006. The work tasks
performed by the women consisted of assembly line work and office
work, with 79 percent of the participants using a keyboard for more
than three-quarters of their working time.

"Participants first answered a questionnaire about
their pain and then underwent a clinical exam to confirm a diagnosis
of trapezius myalgia (muscle pain in the trapezius muscle, which
extends along the back of the neck). Participants were assigned to
three intervention groups: those who did supervised specific
strength training (SST) exercises for the neck and shoulder
muscles, those who did high-intensity general fitness training
(GFT) on a bicycle ergometer, and a control group that received
health counseling but no physical training. Both exercise groups
worked out for 20 minutes three times a week for 10
weeks.

"The results showed that the GFT group showed a
small decrease in neck muscle pain only immediately after exercise,
while the SST group showed a marked decrease in pain over a prolonged
training period and with a lasting effect after the training
ended."
The authors then concluded with an important
statement:

"Thus specific strength training locally of the neck and
shoulder muscles is the most beneficial treatment in women with
chronic neck muscle pain."
This is interesting because it basically reinforced something
that I discovered years ago through trial and error. I found that
in order to make significant improvements in neck strength and
performance, we must utilize some specific neck strengthening
protocols (like the ones shown here).
Just doing general stuff like cleans, snatches, presses, and
kettlebell swings alone won't do it.


Reason #3: Improved Posture
Even though your spine is classified by three different
sections, it's a single interconnected unit. Because of this, when
one part of your spine is out of alignment, the other parts also
move out of alignment to compensate.


The de-evolution of posture.
You'll never see anyone with perfect alignment at their pelvis,
lumbar, and thoracic spine who has bad alignment at the neck. Like
the tooth fairy, it just doesn't exist.
Sometimes coaches get so caught up with the position of the
pelvis and lumbar spine that they virtually ignore the neck
position in movements like the plank, birddog, and
deadlift.
As Paul Chek says, "Your coreis what would be left if you
had no extremities (arms and legs)." This further reinforces the
fact that it's just as important to train your neck as it is your
abdominals, back, and hips.
You could even classify the following exercises as "core
training," if you're so inclined.


Neck Strengthening Exercises
Now that you understand the importance of training your neck,
here's a list of the "best of the best" neck
exercises.
You'll hit the neck from all angles using both static
(isometric) and dynamic (concentric/eccentric) strengthening
protocols. On the static exercises, start with 10-second holds and
work up to 30-second holds. The dynamic movements are usually
performed for 15 to 30+ reps to build endurance.
All of these protocols shown require an understanding and
awareness of a neutral spine and head position. I've developed a
three-step progression that'll create this type of awareness and
give you the strength and stability to support it. This progression
can be found in my article entitled Everything Push-Ups.


Rooney Swiss Ball Neck Circuit
Here's a great circuit that I learned from coach Martin
Rooney.

Front hold:



Side hold:

Don't smirk just yet. These are harder than they look.
To increase the challenge, simply move your feet further away
from the wall.


Wrestler's Bridge with Swiss Ball
This is a great version of the old school wrestler's bridge
traditionally performed on the floor.

This exercise should be limited to specific athletes with no
history of neck issues.


Head Harness

Neck extension:



Lateral neck flexion:

The lateral harness work is beneficial if a left to right
imbalance exists in the neck and upper traps.


Rooney Neck Good Morning with Band
Here's another superb exercise I learned from Martin Rooney.
It's a favorite of mine!

This one is a great prep exercise for movements like deadlifts,
Romanian deadlifts, and good mornings. You can work up to thicker
bands to increase the difficulty.
It's okay to allow wrestlers to "round out" their back during
this movement because it has more carryover to their sport.



Head Off the Bench Hold
This can be done while performing a bench or dumbbell pressing
movement. Simply move higher up on the bench so that your head is
no longer being supported by the bench. Keep your head straight
with your chin tucked downward while pressing the tongue against
the roof of your mouth. This'll increase neck muscle activity and
stability.