I'm 52 yo, wrestled all the way through college; did all of the wrong exercises Jeff mentioned and today I have disc fusion at C5/6/7 with muscle atrophy in my upper chest, triceps and middle back that will never recover 100%. One thing Jeff didn't mention with his point on posture, is everyone looking down at their phones. Looking down at your phone is slowly deteriorating your neck.
I'm 63 and have two torn rotator cuffs from working out the wrong way as a teen and 20 something. It has delayed my development for many, many years but I believe I have recovered and am working to build my upper body following Jeff's recommendations and that of my PT. Good luck with your neck.
I do these exercises and my neck is looking GREAT! The only thing that sucks is that people in the gym are constantly staring at me and smirking like I'm one of those goofs in those fail videos. But, the results I'm seeing outweigh the smirks so I do it anyway.
I do these in the gym all the time my neck grew bigger in no time. I don’t want it tooo thick tho lol so I just stay with one weight I don’t overload. And people stare at me too. There’s nothing wrong with it. But u have to stop caring about what people think of you. That’s why people can never be themselves because they’re afraid to be ridiculed. You’re way more powerful than that don’t let your thoughts conquer you
You got fans bruh! Sometimes people stare because they have never seen anyone do these exercises, so most of the time they are just inquisitive, like me! Maybe they like what you are doing, and are probably thinking, I'm gonna add this exercise to my routine.
Warm up the neck before training it to activate the fibers and prevent "lock out" the next day (when you can't move your head) Nod yes 30 seconds Nod no 30 seconds Chin to collar bone on each side 30 seconds Ear to shoulders with neck lined up Be extra careful training neck, especially if you have previous injuries or forward head posture.
Being a therapist myself I wanted to add make sure you all do stretches for the neck post-exercises as well!! Do stretches for upper fiber traps, scalenes and SCM all of which you have google on how to do, 30 seconds min. each side. Overtime your neck muscles will tense up A TON doing these exercises leading to headaches and general neck stiffness which can be avoided. Thanks for the info.
Jeff is right on the money, as usual. I was bridging constantly for BJJ training. Woke up feeling like a red hot shank was lodged in my cervical spine. Turns out it was a c5-c7 disc injury that pinched my nerves to the point of paralyzing my left arm for a month causing severe atrophy... still recovering
How have you treated your condition are you still training BJJ? BJJ can be rough on the neck with guillotines, lapel chokes and neck cranks. How do you manage with a disc issues?
I'm not trolling here, but I feel that BJJ is proving to be a rapidly expanding source of injuries. The number of people I know whose knees, backs, neck, shoulder, hips or whatever is messed up from BJJ is crazy. I used to train myself, but too many injuries and a few idiots put me off training.
MrRazmut Päle was wondering what you guys think about playing guard. I’m a skinnier guy and started training bjj when I was 15 and would be always crushed by the bigger people at my gym and stacked etc. I’m now 21 and have gotten quite good at being able to survive and attack from being in very stacked up positions. I’m assuming being stacked onto your neck/head is very bad in the long term but how about just moderate levels of stacking like onto the upper back? Do you guys think I should just try modify my game as soon as possible to avoid playing guard?
Does the safety concerns apply for the static pure horizontal bridges also? They engage the muscles perpendicularly to the discs and vertebraes don't they? Shaolins do them all the time
@@juandenz2008 If you're competitive the injuries start to pile up fast. In 1-year of competing I tore a miniscus (required surgery and 9 months to get back to normal), then I returned and tore a biceps 5 months later. You're not going to get concussed like with striking but if you talk to anyone who's competed or done it for a long time, their bodies get trashed. I think Rogan especially did a massive disservice to people by saying you can roll as hard as you want and everything is fine. Go to any BJJ gym and anyone training for more than a year will have a severe injury to talk about.
Been doing these exercises for about 10 weeks now. Definitely a great way to safely strengthen and build. I started SUPER light just to be safe. Plan to keep it in the regimen 2x week. Thanks for this video.
@bigkahunaburger I did them for a year some time ago. They definitely build muscle and strength in your neck. I think I was neck curling too much weight at some point though because something didn't feel right after training. You gotta be really careful with the neck.
I do kickbacks and crush press as mine, those are the only two that seem to work for my elbows and shoulders. Dips work for bad elbows but dips are typically bad for shoulders...
@@matin2825 Thank you. By the way, my arm has fully recovered after about one month with only daily exercices at home. I am very relieved and advise anybody feeling this kind of pain to perform daily exercises before proceding to more invasive methods.
@@flav6350 hey man I'm glad you recovered from that shit, kinda lucky. Just I was kinda mad that you actually hurt yourself cause of ignorance so yeah didn't think anyone has to go through this just to tell the rest hey don't do it like me. Keep it up dude well done 💪🏽💪🏽
@@Hialeah1925 I did not get checked. I did many different daily stretching exercises, but mainly slow neck stretching, shoulders roll and the one in which you have your arm straight (elbow fully extended), and using your shoulder you rotate your arm to place it against your chest, and push against a wall (or using your other arm). Be sure to do all the stretching equally on both sides. With time I could locate the "sweet spots" in which my nerve would stop touching the bone and hurting. When the pain was bearable, I went bouldering a little bit. The stretch of bouldering also helped me a lot. Be courageous, patient, dedicated and optimistic, and I am quite confident that everything will turn alright soon, just like it did for me, even though I initially had strong doubts.
I know the fitness RU-vid scene is full of people snapping at each other. But Jeff is the only person I have seen giving genuine instructions on safety while exercising. If you never see this Jeff it doesn't matter I just wanted you to know you showed me how to cure my sciatica of 5 years. Thank you.
Thank you so much Jeff. You're a star. I hurt my neck a year ago when I came off my motorbike. Lucky I was going slow around a corner. I've tried the exercise you just showed and my neckreally feels relaxed. I just want to say thanks for all the hard work you put into doing these videos. You really are the best.
I did these exercises as a young , freestyle Olympic wrestler . Unfortunately now, 15 years later I have 2 herniated discs on my neck...its hard to tell whether is from years of abuse or not. I showed these exercises to a couple of very good orthopedic surgeons and they were pulling their hair. The amount of pressure it goes on the discs is unbelievable . For any beginner, please stay away...these are super hard core exercises .
He never replied ! I'm a big fan of Dr Stuart McGill when it comes to back exercises. I'm wondering if similar principles might apply to the neck. That is you shouldn't really load up the neck and then undertake repetitive flexion etc. I wonder if it might be better to undertake the exercises in a more static manner, that is put the plate in position and just hold it for say 10 - 15 seconds, rest then repeat.
isometrics are also very useful for wrestling. by using terabands you won't be putting all your bodyweight on your neck so it'll be healthier for your cervical spine, if you need heavier loads, just buy a stronger teraband
Jordan Mathew by holding the bridge you'll avoid that friction on your spine, but the compression on your disks will be the same and the nerves still suffering
NYCDurrani I agree with you it's a necessary exercise, but from my point of view it should be done just occasionally and in few sets in order to train the body for those situations during a wrestling match. But it's not a good idea to fuck up your neck (spine) as a way of training because it may degenerate in arthrosis or spondylosis.. Regards!
Yes dude, proper form is always been the first that we need to notice, neck training is absolutely awesome, not only develop your neck muscle, but it could decrease your head issue, like migrain etc. Thank you for your information Coach, this means a lot.
Great video!! This is all correct but if you are competing in sports like mma, wrestling, judo , bjj you must do the neck bridges because you will be in that position in the fight and you can't develop that specific move/strength with these "regular" exercises for neck strength. If you are in recreational sport or competing in sports where you don't have specific moves like neck bridges you really don't have to do this exercises which could cause you problems in the future. As top athlete I can tell you that most of us are ready to "pay the price" for great results and achievements.... It is hard to explain if you are not in our situation...Saying to wrestler that neck bridge is not good is like you say to boxer that it is not good to be punched in the head or body... Guys, keep your training safe and enjoy it. Jeff, thank you for sharing Your great knowledge with us! Grettings from Croatia.
I like this Jeff. Most fitness channels would NEVER think to do a video on strengthening the neck. Definitely gonna try these out, this is why this is the best fitness channel on youtube. BTW, is it cool to do these with our hands pushing against our head if we dont have weight plates?
Yes that is the way you should start, using your hands is a controlled resistance. (you don't actually really need to go up to using a weight if you can use the resistance correctly)
This was the video that started it all for me. This was the video that got me into fitness, personal training, and physical therapy... I been a subscriber for the last 5 years.
I have worked out for decades, and am a personal trainer, but the one thing I can't seem to overcome my frequent neck pain. Thank you for giving me another avenue to combat this, I appreciate your channel so much!😊
These kinds of videos are where Jeff is at his best. Combining his physical therapy and anatomy knowledge with his fitness knowledge for great discussions on health.
the reason we did them in wrestling was to get your shoulders off the ground to avoid a pin. not really to strengthen, but more to just get used to doing it.
I mean i do a couple and thats it, My neck is never really in that bridge motion or position, its mostly my head and neck going toward my chest when i'm going inverted or a guy is stacking me.
I've done this for a while. It works pretty good at toning up my skin. I simply use five pounds. It also helps my facial muscles around my jaw as well. I suggest doing this if you're not. But people may look at you in a funny way. 🙄 Because this is a unique exercise that most people don't do at the gym. But it is effective.
I'll be trying this, but with 0 plates. I'm on the recovery end of my C4 being compressed and after 4 months of little to no resistance, and basically a rest period to not aggravate the damage, I'm ready to start to rebuild my neck muscles for the sole purpose of returning to some state of normalcy in my line of work in construction. Years of feeling invincible catches up fast when you're in your mid to late forty's, and like Jeff mentioned, it can happen over night. It's like parts of our body just finally say "eff it, I'm done". Before being diagnosed, my neck damage lead to nerve pain that radiated through my chest and back as well as shortness of breath. This twice landed me in the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. Heart is fine. Had no idea how complicated the neck is.
Brad Mckee Those neck bridges look and feel wrong! We had an awesome machine back in highschool for neck workouts, but unfortunately haven't found one in a gym. Glad to have a new safe method!
Painting, 2 sets of 1 coat of hot pink polish per nail with about a minute and a half to two minutes between sets then rest for about 30 minutes before doing anything with your hands. Repeat about every 2-3 weeks adding in 1 set of acetone before the polish from then on.
Hello Jeff, I would like to make a request. It would be great if you made a video about neck disc issues. There is no other person I'd trust more than you on such a delicate subject. Whether you decide to bother with this or not, I thank you anyway for everything you've taught me so far!
Jeff, it's too late for me. I should have watched this video when you uploaded it 4 years ago. For 1 year and 4 months I suffer from Cervical Osteophytes but my pain is limited to the neck region only. I now come to you for your help if you could show some exercise to overcome this pain. I miss my workouts. I miss going to the gym. If you could help me in this matter I would be very thankful. And to rest of you who would read this comment. Please, take care of your spine, maintain good posture and strength your neck region I understand the pain as I suffer. It's 24x7 and very irritating and won't be able to pick up any weight. Take my suffering as a waring.
Great video, Jeff. I had a friend show me the bridging technique 14 years ago (similar to the Mike Tyson video that can be seen on RU-vid) and to this day, I still have "crackling" going on in my neck. What you said makes perfect sense of what happened to me all those years ago. I wake up with the feeling of punched nerves almost weekly now and it kills my time in the gym but also just out and about. The bone spurs comment makes sense. Going to look into getting an MRI done to see if that's the case. Thanks again for this.
Huberman sent me here. I have a neck injury and wish I got here sooner. God knows this channel has helped me recover from other injuries/pain/limitations for years! My question is for people who have a neck injury, is there any protocol you'd recommend in addition to, or instead of these exercises?
While other "fitness" RU-vid channels are involved in foolishness and time wasting drama this guy continues to put out informative information with no BS added!
Thank you for this video Jeff. I am a 64 year old woman. I have always worked out, and tried to keep myself in shape especially now as I'm growing older. Going to try your way and see if it helps with the front of my neck.
Some call him fake & not natural but i want to share this video with them... Seriously my school's biology teacher don't have such knowledge.. You are a living library for fitness 🤍😊... Since I joined your channel seriously everything changed 🤗🤍
I was always skeptical about the yoga pose of headstand, feels bad for your neck. Thanks to you I can now justify my gut feeling with specific reasons: closed chain which causes compression, just like wrestler bridges.
Bodyknowledge 77 Completely agree. There's a product called the neck flex which is a head harness that you attach to the clips on a bodylastic band so you can easily overload your neck. It's much less awkward and in my opinion safer than using using a weight plate.
Man, I follow your page for 3 years now, and all the small details and tips you give are real game changers. That neck detail (min 4:30) made the difference in my workout from day 1! Thanks a lot. You rock, Jeff!
I used to do a lot of those classic neck rolls when I was boxing and doing BJJ in my 20s. 20 years later after some bad neck and spine pain I had an MRI and I'm one of those where the discs are indeed compressed and pinching the nerves. Doctors wanted to do spinal surgery to solve the issue. I was able to fix it with a LOT of daily stretching (thanks youtube) which I feel extremely lucky. These older guys are dead serious when they say everything will be fine and one day you'll be older and instantly things begin to fail. Also important to mention - after a few months of TRT virtually all of my aches, soreness, and general discomfort went away. So while I do feel the stretching was extremely important, having elevated testosterone certainly plays a role in repair and longevity. It's like having the body of a 25 year old again, it's insane how much life changed. Thanks for the video and new exercises to try. I look forward to testing these new neck workouts this weekend. It's been a long time since I've done any neck work because I was so worried.
Thanks to you, my body sculpting at age 64 is working. I am in better shape and have more muscle and less fat than anytime before in my life! I can appreciate good science when I see it. And Jeff, you are all about it! I always wanted a less skinny neck, now I know how to do it safely! Thank you!
That helpful! I am just about to start training my neck again and I was going to do head rolls like my high-school coach had us do. Now I know better. Thanks Jeff
Thanks bro. Iv been wrestling for a year and I have a herniated disk because of the bad neck exercises. But now I'm recovering with safe neck exercises
This was very helpful. . . thanks for the specific instructions on neck training. I've been studying those neck bridges etc. and I questioned whether they were dangerous or not, thanks Jeff :)
Degenerative disc disease, triangulated, bulging, compressed in C4, C5, C6, L4, L5, S1 and utilizing your abundant knowledge and generosity. Cannot work so I greatly appreciate you, your channel, and your pragmatism with trying to better my old, broken, and flabby ass. Thank you for helping us all. God Bless you.
Jeff, what about wrestlers and grapplers that find themselves naturally in this position? Is there another way to build strength/flexibility in that movement without doing bridges themselves? I know it is a very sport specific question, but it is very important. As you said, you only get one neck...
Hi ! Professionnal athlete are conscious of the risk to practice their sport. Many American retired footballeur , boxers, Wrestlers, have health problem.
Hello Jeff, love your informative video's and myself as well as my workout partner have incorporated much of what we learn into our daily routines, great stuff! Actually, it is a coincidence to see your video on neck workouts as just this morning my buddy and I were doing some of the routines you describe in this video. However something very ODD was occurring when we were trying the routine as you demonstrate in this video in which you lay on the bench, put a cloth covered weight on your forehead, then move the head front and back like you are nodding yes while laying down. The strange thing that my workout partner and I were experiencing is when either of us tried this routine, it made use physically nauseous! We re-attempted the routine several times and each and every time either of us tried it, both of us would get almost an instant sour stomach feeling bringing us close to vomiting. Never had anything like this happen before. Granted, there are times when sickness occurred after a rigorous leg workout but this was different. The fatigue and burning from the leg workouts was always attibuted to that. This neck routine however, made both of us almost instantly sick after only a few reps. Have you experienced this and if so, know the cause? Thank you for your help!
Word of caution, I woke up in the middle of the night with one of the worst headaches I've ever had after doing these. I think I overdid it with the front and back exercises so the front muscles were too tired to fight against forward head posture and the muscles on the back of my neck were straining harder than usual and tightened up causing the tension headache
I have muscle atrophy in my right thigh that happened just as he said suddenly I was in great pain and couldn't move for about 12 hours I was diagnosed with a bulging disc at the S4 or S5 interestingly enough they said it should be affecting my other leg but it was affecting the right leg and not the left one and I have still never gained that muscle back it happened in November 2013 I was advised to not lift anymore heavy weights squatting or deadlifting and I took that advice not right away but I do boxing now and don't do heavy weights anymore and I'm 53 years old
and interesting Lee enough I found that I don't have to lift heavy weights to keep the same musculature actually I just doing push ups I keep the same amount of mass in my chest if I want to but with boxing training you lose some muscle mass because it's not about how big you are that's actually a hindrance to have it excessive amount of muscle in fighting speak and type reason for the grammar looking like crap
thanks Jeff, been doing those wrestling bridges for a couple weeks now - in the back of my mind I was thinking compression. you summed it up perfectly, def gonna try these exercises cheers mate
When you mentioned compressed nerves, I felt that. I’m coming up on 6 months post op ACDF. I’m getting back into my neck training. Bout a harness to train. Thank you for this info as usual Jef!!
