I need a stronger neck! (BJJ Week 3)

Three weeks ago, I felt prepared to take on BJJ. 48 year old, I felt my strength

and endurance were at their peaks. If not now, when? The first three weeks have

not been easy, however. My poor neck, which has received little attention from me

as long as I have lived, all of a sudden is exposed to attacks in every way.

 

In training, we do not punch or kick but submit an opponent mainly using chokes

and joint locks. When I am caught in a triangle, for example, the guy's legs

wrap around my neck with one of his shins at the top and his groin under my chin,

forming a yield sign. His top leg would bite down from above and thighs squeeze

in from the sides and meanwhile, to prevent me from straightening up, he can

pull my head down with his hands. It becomes a tug-of-war between my torso and

head and his four limbs. There are well over two dozens of ways to choke and

none of them is designed to be easy on the neck. 

 

Thanks to the synergy with Tim, I sparred in all five classes this week and

noticed something interesting. My neck and shoulders would sore from the early

morning till the afternoon class. It would only feel better after I exerted

myself in sparring.

 

The pain has called attention to posture. In sitting, half-lotus felt more

comfortable as it induced my spine to stay straight, chin tucked, and head away

from the screen or the book. When walking, I subconciously pushed the sternum

forward and tucked my chin. At the same time, my arms rotated outward with

shoulders back. It felt as if the palms turned to face the front but looked

just normal. These little adjustments felt natural now as they made the neck and

shoulders comfortable.

 

So far, I have found a few ways to boost the neck. Jack Dempsey, the boxing

champ, stresses the importance of a strong neck when taking a punch, and

prescribes exercises in his book "Championship Fighting." A BJJ blackbelt

recommended a safer way on reddit using just head weight:

 

    Lay down on a weight bench with just your head hanging off. Gently let it 

    fall back to the point it feels comfortable, then raise your chin as close

    to your chest as possible. Start with sets of 10 and build up.

   

    From the same position, keeping your head off of the bench bring your ear 

    toward your right shoulder, then back to your left shoulder. Back and forth

    back and forth. Start with sets of 10 and build up.

   

    From the same position, turn your head like you are trying to look over your

    shoulder, rotate and look over the other shoulder. Back and forth, back and

    forth. Start with sets of 10 and build up.

 

and I have been following the latter method.

 

 

As long as it doesn't hurt much, I am fine with the size of my neck which 

measures 16 inches in girth. But just for curiosity, let's keep track and see if

it will expand over time as I keep training. I suspect the first few months to

be the hardest, however. I hope I would finally learn enough to avoid being

choked or just tap early.

[7grizzly]

Thanks to one year of grappling, my neck feels much stronger and pain free but still measures about 16 inches. I haven't been doing neck-specific exercises.

[7grizzly]

回复 '暖冬cool夏' 的评论 : Thank you, 暖冬, for reading and your comments. Indeed, the awareness the new activity has raised is priceless. It's worth the effort to get the neck and cervical spine in shape. Have a great weekend!

[暖冬cool夏]

Take pictures of your neck, before and after, with measurement:)), and that will help you see the differences in months.
Seriously there are lots of veins in the neck that extend to the brain. So neck exercises must be good to keep youth and elasticity of the veins.