Protect Your Neck and Get it Strong

Introduction

I probably don’t need to tell you that exercise is good for you. A stronger body is a healthier body. The more strength you have the more you can handle the bumps and knocks of life and the more useful you are in general. Take a second to think about what part of the body you think is most important to keep strong…Core? Lower back? Biceps? Shoulders? This is somewhat of a trick question, I’m an advocate for keeping every part of your body strong. But a body part that is often neglected in the exercise world is the neck. A neck injury is one of the worst parts of your body to injure; whiplash can have some serious effects on the rest of the body due to the importance of the spinal cord in the neck region.

I can nearly guarantee you that the next time you go into the gym you wont see a single person doing a neck exercise, most people like to stare at themselves in the mirror doing bicep curls (look I get it, strong biceps look great). If there was one area to keep strong that might just save your life one day it’s the neck. Think about this, if you had the misfortune of being involved in a car accident, the stronger your neck muscles are, the more support your head will have as it whips from side to side or front to back.

 

Training your neck is simple and can be done at home without any equipment.

Simply lie face up on your bed with your head and neck hanging over the edge. In a controlled movement extend your head backward and then flex forward as far as you comfortably can in both directions. Try and visualise moving each vertebra individually. Do this for 10-30 repetitions.

Now lie face down and do the same thing to strengthen the back of your neck. Do this for 10-30 repetitions.

Make it your business to aim for a total of 50-100 reps in each direction at least 4 days per week. 50 when you get up in the morning and 50 at night. Sets of 10 or aim to get up to one big set of 50. All that matters is that you do it.

Strength is never a weakness.

 

 

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