Is Neck Surgery The Only Option?

Here’s Some “In The Trenches” Advice Regarding The Choice To Get Neck Surgery From A Fellow Grappler With Experience In This Sort Of Thing

QUESTION (re:  neck injury, neck surgery, training BJJ / grappling):

My Doc says I have herniated my c6 and c7. He told me that I have some small issues that might up my chances of having a more severe injury if I continue to train. He said that I have a smaller spinal column and it ups my risk of paralysis if I injure my neck further. He was also concerned about the burning/funny bone feelings I get in my legs when I go inverted. He said this sensation is rare and it is a syndrome that can cause me temporary paralysis if it gets worse. The syndrome is rare and I can’t remember what he called it. So basically his recommendation is that if I decide to go the physical therapy route is to stop grappling and competing for good. He said if I wanted to continue I would have to get my neck fused, and it would take 8 months until I can get back on the mat. What do you think?

My Response:

I get questions like this all the time. I get them from grapplers, MMA fighters, high school and college wrestlers, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers and every other kind of combat athlete. They tell me their personal story and ask, “Jim, should I get surgery or not?”

First, let me say this. Every single situation is different and the decision on whether or not to get surgery is a very big decision and a personal one at that.

I’ll also say this right off the bat. I am not against neck surgery. Sometimes it’s the only option. What I am against, though, is when people make decisions that aren’t well-informed. In many cases, surgery can be avoided. And sometimes, even when it might seem like your condition is “untreatable,” it might just be that you don’t know everything that’s out there that could possibly help you.

So here is some solid advice on what to do before making a firm decision on whether or not to get neck surgery. If anything, it’ll give you some things to think about that maybe you didn’t before.

The most important thing is that you make a well-imformed decision and that you feel good about it and confident that your choice was the right one so you have the right mindset going into whatever healing/treatment/rehabilitation/training process you choose.

Tip #1:  Get a 2^nd opinion – and get it from a sports doctor – even if you have to travel far to find a reputable one. On top of that, find one that specializes in the neck. After getting a 2^nd opinion, some people might not like what they here and they’ll go from doctor to doctor just trying to find the one who’ll tell them what they want to hear. For the most part, after the 2^nd opinion, it’s a done deal. You’re going to need to concentrate on more pressing matters, like the treatment of the diagnosis instead of the diagnosis itself.

Tip #2:  Communicate honestly with your doctor. Talk to him about your training and let him know what your goals are. Be up front with your doctor, especially if you’re determined to do whatever you can to keep training no matter what. Tell him the whole truth.

Tip #3:  Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions. Many people, when they visit the doctor, just sit there and don’t say a word and let the doctor talk. Listening is important but make sure you ask the questions you need to. Don’t be intimidated by the doctor or the atmosphere. Ask away and make sure you leave with the exact information you need.

Here is a list of questions to ask your doctor:

• What are your preferred methods of treatment?
• How aggressive are you regarding surgery? (Some doctors are quick to put you under the knife while others prefer to make surgery the last option.)
• What are the details of the surgery? (Will there be wires, screws, titanium plates, etc. involved?)
• If I decide to get surgery, what will the rehab process be like?
• How long after the surgery will I have to wait to begin rehab?
• How long will the rehabilitation/physical therapy process take?
• Do you have any case studies and/or success stories of your current or former patients?
• What should I do if I decide not to get the surgery?
• If I don’t get surgery, what are the steps I need to take to eliminate my symptoms as much as possible?
• What are the best and worst case scenarios of getting surgery vs. not getting surgery?
• What are the non-invasive treatments (if any)?
• What would you (the doctor) do if you were in my situation? (If the doctor was never a competitive grappler or any kind of serious athlete, you’ll have to just take the info he gives you for what it’s worth, since it’s not coming from an athlete’s perspective.)

Tell your doctor to be up front about whatever he tells you. You also need to extend him that same courtesy and be up front and honest with what you’re doing and what your plans are.

Also know that most doctors tend to be overly cautious and liability shy. Because of that, they will probably tell you without a doubt that you should stop any kind of combat sports whatsoever. They will just about always recommend you to stop grappling, and especially competing, for good.

Most doctors simply won’t understand where you’re coming from when you tell them how important grappling training is to you and how it’s a major part of your lifestyle. That’s why I recommend going to a sports doctor because at least then, the doc will understand where you’re coming from a little bit more. You are not an ordinary citizen or some kind of sedentary couch potato – you are a grappler, a combat athlete. You need to make sure you are treated accordingly.

When Quitting Is NOT An Option

I’m not a doctor and I’m sure as heck not gonna be the one to tell you “Yes” or “No” with regards to getting surgery. However, I think I can give you some good advice based on my personal experiences and from what I know from coaching, training and working with other combat athletes.

I understand full well that you don’t want to quit training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because of your injury, whether you get surgery or not. So I’ll talk about this from the perspective that you intend to keep training either way.

One thing I will say, though, is that I will NEVER tell someone they SHOULD “quit” doing combat sports. No friggin’ way. You’ll never hear me say anything like that. The best thing I can do for you is to give you some things to consider in order to make the most well-informed decision possible and to provide you with some options. Then you’ll be able to make the decision for YOURSELF.

It’s a tough decision. You can look at it like this:

Option 1.         You have the neck surgery.

If the surgery is a success, you’ll be out about 6-8 months. So translate that to about a year since you’ll have to be smart and come back slowly, your neck is going to atrophy after surgery and you’ll have to build it up again, which takes time, especially since you’ll have to be super careful.

You’ll have to do rehab after surgery and then once the rehab is finished you’ll have to work to build your neck back up both in size and strength. This is often a long and arduous process.

Then you’ll have to make a decision about what you’re going to do with your BJJ training. You might have to re-evaluate your goals and training plans.

No matter what, you’ll have to get on a neck health & neck strengthening program once you’ve been cleared to do so.

Option 2.         You don’t have the surgery.

If a doctor is recommending surgery, then you have an obvious neck problem that needs to be fixed. If it’s not “emergency” surgery and you have a little bit of time to think about this decision, then you need to really check on what your options are and what ways (if any) you can go about treating your neck problem without surgery. Hopefully, whatever you choose to do will work and you can avoid it.

If by talking to your doctor(s) and doing your research you’ve found out there might be some other options to try before resorting to invasive neck surgery, then you need to get the exact action steps needed to start the healing/treatment process as soon as possible.

You’ll still need to get on a neck health & neck strengthening program (specifically doing things every day for your neck) once you’ve been cleared to do so. You’ll have to work slowly to strengthen your neck more and increase your mobility over time once you’ve treated your specific neck problem.

If you’re in a lot of pain, you’ll have to treat your symptoms as best you can without resorting to dangerous drugs like pain-killers. Do not resort to pain-killers! That’s the easy way out and it doesn’t treat the actual problem. I know too many people who are hooked on pain pills and it’s tragic. Do whatever you can naturally to treat your symptoms while working toward fixing the CAUSE of your problem.

Whichever route you choose, here’s my #1 suggestion for you to check out right now:

Get The “LOSE THE NECK PAIN” System

– Available at http://www.FightNeckPain.com

I have no doubt it will help you out.

Managing A Neck Injury & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Training

Since you’re planning on continuing to train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you’re going to have to get your neck to a point where it’s strong enough to at least take a little bit of a beating. You’re going to have to be really careful choosing your partners. You’ll have to start off with light drilling for a while and then build from there before attempting any light sparring. This is a process that’s going to take a lot of discipline.

You’ll have to figure out a safer game plan to keep your neck out of trouble (virtually impossible in this sport, but you have to do “as much as you can” to avoid as much trouble as possible). Only work with partners you can trust. Throw all the risky positions (ones that are rough on your neck, like inverted guard) completely out of your game plan (yes, easier said than done, but it still must be done). During your free time off the mats you need to be contructing this more “neck-safe” BJJ game plan for yourself.

If you can manage to avoid surgery, then great, but the possibility of needing surgery later is still gonna be there unless you fix the actual cause of your initial symptoms. (Again, I recommend taking a look at this “Lose The Neck Pain” system, available at http://www.FightNeckPain.com.)

If you don’t treat/fix the actual cause of your initial symptoms, you run the risk of running into the same problems over and over again throughout your grappling career. Why risk that? Why not do everything in your power to treat your neck pain and lose the neck pain for good?

Bottom line is, surgery or no surgery, either path you choose will take a lot of work and discipline to get through. That’s just the way it is. I’m not the one to tell you whether or not to get surgery, I wouldn’t do that.

I’ve had neck surgery before, but my situation was different (as is pretty much everybody’s). I had emergency surgery. I didn’t have a choice whether or not to get it – I had to no matter what because my neck was broken. Thankfully, my neck was built up so big and strong from all the neck strengthening I did that it literally saved my life; things could have been a whole lot worse for me.

Your case involves disc herniation and other issues that are causing nerve damage and spinal cord issues. The doctor has told you about the possibility of paralysis. That’s some heavy stuff!

Either way, whatever you decide, surgery or no surgery, you will have to make your neck health your #1 priority… and not just health, but total neck development – that includes building it up and strengthening it to make sure your neck is durable and holds up during battle.

That’s why I’m recommending THIS “Lose The Neck Pain” home study course so you can check it out for yourself and see if it can help you. I have faith that it will. This is the best first step you can take before beginning an actual neck strengthening program. Go to http://www.FightNeckPain.com right now and get your hands on it so you can start this process right away.

If quitting is not an option for you, then you need to do EVERYTHING you can and get a hold of everything you can that might help fix your neck problem.

James Kelly

Founder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

Build bigger traps with shoulder shrugs

I’ve gotten a ton of questions from my subscribers about shoulder shrugs to build neck strength and neck size. Lots of people want to know how to get bigger traps (trapezius muscles).

So here’s part 1 of some Q&A about shoulder shrugs . (If you have any questions, email me or leave a comment below.)

QUESTION: “Sometimes at the gym I see people doing shrugs straight up and down and some shrug up and roll their shoulders back before bringing the weight back down. Which way is better?”

ANSWER: Keep it simple. Go up and down. And go LIGHT – at least at first. Once you build your neck up slowly, you can start gradually adding weight and increasing the intensity.

Beginner/Basic Tips For Shoulder Shrugging To Build Neck Size & Neck Strength

QUESTION: “I just got into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and I’m just starting to do some shoulder shrugs because I want to get my traps and neck bigger and stronger. Which versions of shrugs are the best to do? Any suggestions and/or tips for me since I’m just getting into shrugging?”

ANSWER:

There are all kinds of different versions of shrugs you can do, too. Since you’re just starting out, there’s no reason to do all kinds of different shrugs. Just keep things simple.

Dumbbell shrugs develop big traps

I suggest starting off with standing dumbbell shrugs, because since you’re a beginner, you can keep your spine more aligned a little more easily with dumbbells (you want to keep your back completely straight) and you can keep the dumbbells at your sides which will help to keep you from hunching over.

Make sure your posture is good and straight. Don’t hunch your back or roll your shoulders or let them tilt forward; keep your shoulders back and your abs tight. Stand about shoulder-width apart and don’t lock your knees; you want to stay tight but keep your knees bent slightly.

As you hold the dumbbells, keep a tight grip on them so you don’t drop them. Your arms should be pretty tight, but just enough to hold the dumbbells in a fixed position.

Then you just raise up the dumbbells as if you’re trying to touch your shoulders to your ears. Exhale as you raise the dumbbells, pausing and squeezing your trap muscles at the top. Inhale in as you lower the weight slowly back down. Don’t keep your elbows locked straight, bend them slightly, but don’t bring the weight up with your arms; lift the weight straight up with your trap muscles.

IMPORTANT: Make sure to get a good warm-up before starting your actual neck/shrug workout!

Start out with 3-4 sets of shrugs, with your reps in the 8-12 range. Rest about 45 seconds to a minute in between sets to start off.

Later on, we’ll work on upping the intensity, but now, you need to build a firm base, so pick a weight you can use comfortably for the first few shrug workouts. Don’t go to failure yet on any of your sets.

Recovery is just as important as the workout itself.

You need to give your body ample time to recover. I wouldn’t do shrugs more than 2 times a week starting off. You want at least 3 or 4 days rest in between shrug workouts, at least in the beginning.

In addition, if you’re on the mats wrestling or doing any kind of grappling, you’ll be working your neck during practice. So if your traps are really sore and you have a shrug workout scheduled, don’t worry about using an extra day for recovery. Make sure you’re fully recovered for each shrug workout.

Make sure you’re thoroughly warmed up then start light and work your way up in weight slowly. I don’t suggest you go heavy for while though until you get your form down and build a good foundation of strength in your neck and traps.

Shoulder shrugs are a great way to build a lot of size and strength in your neck and traps.

Remember, keeping things simple and slow is the best way to go when you first start training your neck.

If you have any more questions or suggestions, just email me or leave comments here on my blog.

Protect Your Neck!

James Kelly, Founder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

Whether or not you’re suffering from herniated disc pain in your neck or back, this FREE PDF titled, “The Herniated Disc Healing Guide” can help you out big time!

Herniated discs are one of the most common conditions of back and neck pain.

In this helpful guide you will learn…

• The causes and symptoms of herniated discs
• A “3 Step Recovery Plan” you can begin using immediately to help relieve your pain
• Helpful advice to others with herniated discs who’ve “tried it all already”
• How to treat the cause and condition of a herniated disc
• How to get lasting neck and back pain relief even when nothing else works
• 3 rules you must follow to help you deal with herniated disc problems

Here’s a disturbing FACT: Many people who aren’t even suffering from neck pain already have bulging or herniated discs and don’t even know it!

Personally, I’ve seen way too many wrestlers, BJJ & submission grapplers and MMA fighters have their careers severely affected by herniated disc problems. Over the years I’ve seen a ton of wrestlers have to get neck surgery in the midst of their prime. I’ve lost coaches and training partners as a result of them not being able to train because of the pain and damage cause by herniated discs in their neck and back.

My reason for providing you with this free PDF is simple. If you are suffering from a herniated disc in your neck or back, I want you to be able to fix the problem as fast as humanly possible without having to resort to dangerous surgery. If you don’t have any symptoms of a herniated disc, I want you to be able to prevent possible problems in the future. I know this “Herniated Disc Healing Guide” will help you.

To get this free PDF, just click the link below or right click and “save as” to save the file to your computer…

Herniated Disc Pain Guide PDF – No More Neck Problems

Download it now, go to a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted, read it over and follow the action steps immediately. It’s a quick and easy read (my favorite).

Another thing… if you have any friends or training partners that you know could benefit from this, please email them the PDF document or send ‘em here to my blog.

Take care,

James Kelly,  GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

P.S.  Here’s the link again to the “Herniated Disc Healing Guide” PDF:

Herniated Disc Pain Guide PDF – Click Here

Lloyd Irvin: “I was paralyzed from a judo throw and you should….”

As I laid on the ground and couldn’t move my arms or legs, I started thinking about my family, my life, my son and what it was going to be like to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair.

This is exactly what I was thinking after I got thrown on my head in a Judo tournament in 2003.

Talk about a scary experience!

Doctors telling me I needed to have spinal fusion the very next day (don’t forget this was in 2003). Even after spending the next year off the mats, doctors told me that life as I knew it would never be the same again.

After my injury, the entire martial arts community reached out to me and the support was tremendous. People from all over the world were sharing their neck injury stories with me, what they did to recover, what different types of procedures they had and all kinds of alternative strategies.

Then I started to realize how many people in the grappling world get neck injuries. No one shared this with me when I first started. I then started asking myself questions…

“Why don’t people in the grappling/MMA world condition their necks more?”

“Why don’t grapplers and fighters make neck training a PRIORITY?”

I know I didn’t make neck exercises a priority before I injured my neck and was forced off the mats for what seemed like forever. Big mistake.

Then I met a guy named Jim Kelly whose neck injury was just downright sad!

Jim BROKE HIS NECK at a wrestling camp – amazingly, finishing the camp and earning the “Most Dedicated Wrestler” and “Outstanding Wrestler” awards (not knowing his neck was broken). Before his emergency C1-C2 neck fusion surgery, the doctors told him that if his neck wasn’t so big and strong, he would be “dead.” The docs said the only thing holding Jim’s neck stable were his dense neck muscles. (You have to see the story written in the newspaper about him — click HERE to see it.)

The doctors also told him he’d NEVER be able to train on the mats again. But now they call it a “miracle” that he’s back on the mats training BJJ, submission grappling and wrestling — he’s also the head wrestling coach here at my MMA academy and assistant coach of our youth grappling team who are the 2010 IBJJF Juvenile World Champions.

So the reason I’m writing this article is because you need to know the truth about the sport you’re involved in. You need to understand that protecting your spinal cord all starts with protecting your neck. It’s critical.

Jim recently set up a website where he’s giving away information on how to protect your neck, how to use simple neck exercises to make sure you don’t end up in a wheelchair, how to build neck size and strength in your neck to make you a better stronger grappler, and more.

I sure wish I knew about this when I first started!

I never knew the importance of building a strong neck until I suffered my injury and was forced to.

Neck training saved Jim’s life and also allowed him to come back to the mats stronger than ever.

Now Jim is on a mission to help as many people learn how to protect their necks. If you grapple, fight MMA or are involved in any contact sport, you owe it to yourself to see what Jim is teaching.

It won’t cost you a single dime and Jim is really passionate about this topic.

I’ve been using Jim’s neck training tips, and I feel great!

“Discover How To Protect Your Neck” right now. Just use your name and valid email to get access to this valuable neck training information – then click the “Get A Strong Neck” button to get it along with a report titled, “3 Killer Mistakes Almost All Grapplers Make In Training” – and he’ll send it to you completely FREE. (All information kept 100% confidential and you can unsubscribe at any time).

I can’t recommend this enough! As Jim says, you gotta “protect your neck!”

Lloyd Irvin

Head Coach of Team Lloyd Irvin MMA & BJJ Academy in Camp Springs, MD

I want to tell you about a book called “The 7-Day Back Pain Cure”…

It was written by a friend of mine, Jesse Cannone. My BJJ coach Lloyd Irvin introduced me to him a while back. Jesse is recognized as one of the leading back pain relief experts in the world right now (he definitely knows his stuff about how to eliminate back pain and neck pain).

Back Pain Expert Jesse Cannone

Jesse is one of the most sought-after back-pain experts due to his natural approach (which I love). He’s been featured in dozens of newspapers and magazines, such as Miss Fitness, Natural Bodybuilding, and Visage, numerous radio programs, thousands of websites and has even appeared as an exclusive back-pain expert on NBC!

And for a limited time… he wants to give YOU a real, physically shipped-to-your-doorstep copy of ‘The 7 Day Back Pain Cure’… absolutely F-R-E-E.

As soon as he told me about it I grabbed a copy and read it. Great stuff! Really makes you think about how back and neck pain comes about… and more importantly, he gives “action steps” on how to eliminate back pain.

Click here to grab a FREE copy

Not only is the book loaded with back-pain-reducing info, but he’s done such a great job in taking complicated issues like back pain and the many things that cause it, and he’s broken it down into an easy to read and understand book. (I hate reading all that boring, fancy medical mumbo jumbo stuff!)

"The 7-Day Back Pain Cure" FREE Book

I found it very eye-opening and after reading it, I made some changes to my daily routine from how I sit, to what I eat (or don’t eat), to how I exercise and more… and I don’t have back pain! But I DO want to prevent it. I really need to, considering I’ve already had a major neck injury along with some surgeries. I want to keep training hard on the mats until the day I die!

Plus, what I like most about the book are the “7-Day Action Plans” that he has at the end of the book… so based on your situation or condition, you choose the action plan that’s best for you… then all you have to do is follow the steps. For example, if you have a herniated or bulging disc, then use that action plan…. Neck pain? page 172… Sciatica? page 178

Here’s just a TINY taste of what Jesse reveals inside his book…

The REAL reason you “threw your back out” (Hint: In 95% of cases it has NOTHING to do with what happened when it first started hurting!) Page 14

The 3 hidden, underlying causes of all back pain – If you don’t understand and correct these mistakes – it’s literally impossible to experience back pain relief without heavy medication! (Chapter 3)

How to easily and quickly eliminate the problem caused by sitting all day - This “quick-n-easy” fix takes just a few seconds per day… and for many people can relieve back pain nearly instantly! (Chapter 4)

Revealed: The real reason your doctors do NOT have YOUR best interests at heart (Warning: This “hush-hush” doctors-only secret is something your doctor will not… and can’t…  ever admit to!)

The #1 most overlooked cause of back pain which has NOTHING to do with muscle imbalances, back-blow-outs, diet, or genetics… yet can’t be fixed with drugs, doctors-visits or even surgery. Chapters 5 and 14 reveal how to conquer this little-known back-killer!

How to reduce the #1 dietary cause of back pain – Make a few EASY changes to your diet to reduce this back-pain causing “evil” and you’ll not only reduce your back pain… you’ll also drastically reduce your chances of developing heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s… as well as nearly any other degenerative disease you can think of! (Chapter 6)

The 6 types of “professionals” you’ve most likely dealt with already (or will in the future)… and why… if you’re like most people… NONE of them can give you any long-term back pain relief by themselves (Chapter 8.)

6 easy-to-implement lifestyle changes you can make TODAY – Start these the day you read the book and you can begin watching your back pain disappear just a few days later! (Chapter 10)

Why your irritating “trigger points” are causing much more damage than you think… plus… I’ll reveal which of the top 3 solutions for banishing trigger points actually work! (Chapter 13)

A little-known technique for “fighting gravity” – This 2,000 year old technique developed by Hippocrates is a time-tested and PROVEN solution for fighting and even eliminating back pain… in both the short-term AND long-term! Plus…  7 “add-on” extra benefits you’ll experience with this technique (Chapter 13)

Chapters 18-25 reveal specific “7-Day Action Plans” you can take to free yourself from the torment of lower back pain, upper back and neck pain, herniated discs, sciatica, scoliosis, spinal stenosis, sacroiliac joint dysfunction… as well as many others!

So, if you suffer from any type of back pain, I highly recommend you go grab yourself a free copy of his book now…

Click here to grab a FREE copy

I’m sure you’ll find it as helpful as I have, especially if you are in pain now.

I get a ton of messages from my “Neck Training For Combat Athletes” ezine, telling me about their neck pain and back pain, herniated discs, all kinds of stuff. I don’t like it when fellow grapplers tell me about how they can’t train because of back pain or neck pain – I hate it!

I always tell my subscribers who send me emails, “If you have neck pain, you really need to find out what might be causing it and address that first before you go into a full blown neck strengthening routine. (And if you don’t have pain, great, but it’s still good to check this book out just to “make sure” you don’t get it in the future! Prevention is key!)

After you get your book, let me know what you think of it! Just leave a comment or shoot me a message via email or on my Facebook.

Again… this is a limited-time offer and I have no idea when he’s going to take it down. I suggest you grab your copy before he does.

You’ll be happy you did – I promise.

Protect Your Neck!

Coach James Kelly

Founder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

P.S. If you don’t have back or neck pain, but you know someone who does, please be sure to forward this to them… I’m sure they’ll thank you greatly.

P.P.S.  Make sure you ask me your questions about how to develop a big, strong neck so I can supply you with exactly what YOU want regarding neck strengthening info. I love it when my subscribers keep in touch with me and let me know how much my neck strength development tips are helping them!

If you’re not yet subscribed to my “Neck Training For Grapplers & Combat Athletes” free ezine, enter your name and valid email in the box below and hit the “Get A Strong Neck” button (All information kept 100% confidential and you can unsubscribe at any time)

This “Grapplers Protect Your Neck” blog post has been brought to you by…

In submission wrestling (grappling), Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu and mixed martial arts (MMA), the ultimate goal is to finish your opponent. One of the most common ways to finish an MMA fight, submission wrestling grappling match or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) match is with a choke.

A strong neck will improve your choke defense and make it harder for your opponents to submit you with choke holds. Note: nobody is “choke proof.” Everybody, and I mean everybody, is susceptible to chokes. However, people with strong necks are often tougher to choke than people with tiny, weak “pencil necks.”

Mike Tyson had a huge neck in his prime!

In boxing and MMA, a big strong neck will help you take punches. Look at the thick necks of boxers such as Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. Many boxers train their necks directly with neck exercises like neck bridges, neck extensions, etc.

Evander Holyfield has a big neck with high traps

As a combat athlete, chances are you’ve heard the common phrase, “Where the head goes, the body goes.” It’s very true. So as a combat athlete, it’s your job to make sure your opponents don’t control where your head goes. One of the ways to do that is by having a strong, powerful neck.

If you’d like to learn more about how to develop a big strong neck for combat sports like wrestling, submission grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), boxing, Judo or mixed martial arts (MMA), just use your name and valid email to get exclusive access to this valuable neck training information – then click the “Get A Strong Neck!” button to enter (All information kept 100% confidential)…

Killer Mistake: Not dealing with neck pain, back pain and any possible spinal injury the first time you feel it.

Many grapplers and combat athletes will experience neck pain (stingers, strains, sprains, etc.) that lasts anywhere from a few minutes to a few days (or more). But many times, because of the “tough” mindset that is required for combat sports, many will overlook the pain or simply “forget about it” when it eventually goes away (if it even does go away)… rather than making the effort to identify and address the cause of the neck or back pain right away.

Here’s an example…

The summer before my senior year of high school, I went to a wrestling camp and during a practice where we were drilling throws, I noticed I felt dizzy and nauseous. My left arm was numb and shaking, and I couldn’t walk straight. I wanted to go throw up to make myself feel better. I figured maybe I had a concussion or something.

I went to one of the clinicians to let him know I had to go throw up real quick and he noticed how I looked. He grabbed my arm and asked, “Why is your arm shaking like that?” He told me, “Jim, you don’t look so good… you should sit the rest of this practice out.” I told him I’ll be fine, I just felt a little sick. (I didn’t tell him I couldn’t feel my arm.) I downplayed the whole thing to make sure I’d be allowed back on the mats.

I went to puke, but nothing really came up, I just dry heaved. Still a little nauseous, my left arm still numb and tingly, I sat against the wall, pissed. I had to get back in there… I didn’t think too much about what could have caused the numbness in my arm. All I could think about was how pissed I was that I had to sit out of practice a few minutes. I waited until the throwing drill was over, and luckily, most of the feeling in my arm came back. So I went back in and finished the practice with some live wrestling and conditioning.

The next day (the last day of the wrestling camp) I finished out the final training session of the camp. I still felt a little dizzy, I had a headache, a little bit of numbness in my left arm, but other than that, I felt pretty good. I was in the best shape of my life, agile, mobile and hostile. I was strong as a bull and felt like my wrestling was starting to come together.

I finished the camp and earned the “Most Dedicated Wrestler” and “Most Outstanding Wrestler” awards (the only 2 awards given out at the camp).

What I didn’t know though, what I didn’t realize… was that my neck was broken.

To make matters worse, my neck was broken at the C1-C2 level. That means that at any moment I could have been paralyzed… or even dead. The ONLY thing that held my neck together was the dense, thick muscle I developed from my extensive neck training.

The doctors told me all of this after I had to be rushed to the hospital after the entire right side of my body, from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, went numb in my mom’s car after she picked me up from my coach’s house… I had that “pins and needles” feeling and I couldn’t control hardly anything on my right side. That’s when I started to get nervous.

My speech was slurred… I was drooling out of the right side of my mouth… and when I tried to get out of the car when we got home, I fell over onto the driveway. It felt like all at once I lost all the strength I worked so hard for. My mom had to pick me up off the ground… she had no idea what was going on… I told her my right leg just fell asleep in the car, that’s all… she didn’t believe me.

She told me I should go to the hospital. No way. She told me I’m gonna have to take a break from all the hard training… that I probably won’t be able to go to the next wrestling camp the following week. No way. I didn’t wanna hear any of that. I insisted I was fine, just needed some rest, and in the morning everything will be back to normal.

I wanted to be left alone and I didn’t want to hear any “nonsense” about going to the doctor to get checked out. It wasn’t until she put my wrestling coach on the phone I started to be more cooperative. He insisted I go to the hospital to get checked out. Under protest, I agreed (I’m not gonna argue with my coach). I was beyond pissed off… I didn’t wanna go to the hospital because I knew that if the docs diagnosed me with a concussion or something like that, I’d have to take a couple weeks off of wrestling. (A couple weeks??!!! No way!)

I couldn’t even hold on to the phone for more than a couple seconds before dropping it… couldn’t poor a glass of milk without spilling it all over the counter… I couldn’t walk in a straight line or walk at all without some kind of extra support… and there I was yelling at my mom for even suggesting I go to the hospital to get checked out.

When I got to the hospital, after all the tests, X-rays and CAT scans, I got the bad news. Horrible news… REALLY horrible news.

As I was strapped to the bed (they had to strap me down because I kept having muscle spasms and the docs didn’t want me moving and damaging my spinal cord any more), I remember what the doctor said to me almost word-for-word. He stood over me, held up the X-ray of my neck, pointed to the break (at the top of my neck, C1-C2 level) and said, “See that space, that separation? That’s where your neck is broken… You’re lucky to be alive… You can forget about wrestling, kid….”

(Warning: If you’re bothered by strong language, do not continue reading.)

I yelled, “NO! Fuck you!” I just kept saying, “No,” over and over again. If I wasn’t strapped down to the stretcher, I would’ve attacked him. Who the hell was he to tell me I was done wrestling, especially with that condescending shit-eating look on his face? Just to say “You’re done,” just like that? That’s just something I couldn’t accept. But what was I gonna do about it then? Strapped to a gurney, wearing a neck brace, the right side of my body numb… I just had to take it. I did NOT take the news well.

The doctors told me and my mother that if it wasn’t for the thick, dense muscle in my neck, I would have, at best, been in a wheelchair with a machine to help me breathe. The doctors said most people die from this kind of injury, that hardly anybody survives because breathing is affected. The docs said how almost no one lives through it. They couldn’t believe I kept wrestling after experiencing symptoms the first time. They told me that my neck muscles acted almost like a natural neck brace, literally holding everything in place, even though it was broken.

The doctors told me that if I would have waited any longer to go to the hospital, it could’ve been bad – really bad. They gave me anti-inflammatory medication to reduce the swelling (which helped to minimize any extra nerve damage) and put me in a helicopter that flew me to Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia, PA to get emergency C1-C2 fusion surgery.

If I would have waited longer and kept ignoring the glaringly obvious symptoms of spinal cord and nerve damage, I might not have been able to walk again, let alone train.

If I would have been smart and got checked out immediately after experiencing pain, dizziness and numbness (pain and dizziness happens, but when added with the NUMBNESS and loss of balance, etc., it’s most likely spinal cord damage which must be dealt with IMMEDIATELY), I could have prevented further nerve damage. I’m sure the extra live wrestling I did with a broken neck, along with the extra drilling of front headlocks and more live wrestling the next day, contributed to extra nerve damage; in fact, I’m sure of it, considering I felt the majority of symptoms in the car on the way home from the camp.

So why am I telling you all this?

The whole reason I started telling you some of my personal story is to point out the drastic mistake I made by thinking I was “invincible” and not realizing there was something wrong enough to get checked out immediately after experiencing some pretty obvious symptoms of spinal cord injury.

I downplayed how bad the numbness was to my coaches and I didn’t want anyone to think it was a big deal because I didn’t want to be “that guy” sitting on the sidelines. I have a problem with “those guys” who fake injuries or play up how bad they’re hurting so they can take a break; the last thing I wanted was my coaches thinking I might be one of “those guys.” So I went back out there and kept battling.

I mean, I knew something was wrong… but I still kept wrestling after my left arm went numb. My injury was bad… but it could’ve been a whole lot worse. If my neck wasn’t so big and strong, it would’ve been a whole lot worse… worse than anything I’d want to imagine.

I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes… so my hope is that you’ll learn from my mistakes so that you won’t have to “learn the hard way” like I did.

So please, make sure you take this advice and use it to your advantage. It could save your life.

If you ever feel any pain, address it immediately. Find the problem, and then FIX the problem.

Sure there are times when you just have to “suck it up” and keep going, times in which there will be a lot of desperation and you just have to keep going and press through pain, even injury, but we’re talking about spinal cord injuries here, so I think you would agree that it’s a good idea to be “as smart as you can” with those “possible” spinal cord injuries.

When you have a specific spinal injury or some kind of accident, it’s often easy to figure out why your neck hurts. But in many cases, your neck pain could be caused by any number of things (your neck is affected by your entire shoulder complex as well as your spine, back and hips – they all work together collectively). That’s why it’s important to know what conditions are developing in your body and more importantly what caused those conditions to develop in the first place. Sometimes acute neck pain or back pain might be caused from something obvious, like a trauma of some kind (like if you got your neck popped from an unexpected neck crank) but many times neck pain, back pain or nerve damage like tingling and numbness can develop slowly over time from a variety of different reasons.

So if you have any kind of neck or back pain, address it immediately instead of waiting around and hoping it just goes away… because even if the neck pain does go away over time, it doesn’t mean the problem that caused the initial pain is fixed. We need to do what we can to find the causes of neck or back problems and solve them as soon as possible.

If you’re experiencing back or neck pain of some kind, or have in the past and don’t want to deal with that kind of pain again, click HERE, I think it’ll help you…

And if you’ve haven’t subscribed to my all-new “Neck Strengthening Secrets For Grapplers & Combat Athletes” free ezine, just enter your name and valid email below and I’ll start sending you exclusive neck training tips, articles and videos that will help you get your neck bigger and stronger right now…

Like I always say…

“Protect Your Neck!”

Coach James Kelly
Founder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

P.S.  Keep your eyes peeled for more neck strengthening tips, article and videos that will show you how to develop a big, strong neck for wrestling, grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA or any combat sport. I’ll also open up even more and reveal to you some crucial mistakes I made during my rehab, recovery and training so that you won’t have to “learn the hard way” like I did.

P.P.S.  If you’re a subscriber to my “Neck Strengthening For Grapplers” ezine, you can shoot me an email anytime to ask me a question or share your story with me. (For questions, just write “Question” in the subject line.)

Here’s a takedown shown by Iowa Hawkeye Josh Dziewa (pronounced “Jeva”). (Video below.)

Josh is my wrestling coach’s son. I’ve known him since he was a little kid (since he was 3) and he would hit me with this back then and still does today, hahaha! Now I consider him MY wrestling coach! I love it!

Josh got recruited to wrestle for the University Of Iowa after winning a Junior National Freestyle Wrestling Championship in Fargo, ND. During the recruitment process he was ranked the #1 high school wrestler in the nation at 135 pounds and won a Pennsylvania State Wrestling Championship. He was also honored by being named to the “2010 Asics All American High School Wrestling Team” at 135 lbs.

This summer, before Josh headed out to Iowa to start the school year, he came down to Maryland to do some training for a few days. We stopped by my boy Danny Ives’ school “Ivey League MMA” in Annapolis, MD to teach some wrestling.

In this video, Josh shows the “low single–low single” or a “1-2 low single.”

This technique works well at ALL levels of wrestling. American wrestlers and Olympic Champions John Smith and Cael Sanderson were known for their low singles, but even still they were almost impossible to stop. Why? Hard work and diligent, focused practice and drilling.

And if you watched UFC 118, you saw Randy Couture hit James Toney with a low single, using the same finish as in this video (different setup but same finish).

Watch the video and decide if it’s a good fit for your wrestling arsenal. If it is and you want to get good at it, remember, you gotta drill the heck out of it!

‘Til next time…

Coach James Kelly

Founder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

(Video Below)

Don’t forget about your shoulders!

As you probably know by now, I’m BIG on WARMING UP before you train. It prevents injury and makes your workout more productive.

Besides warming up my neck directly, I make sure to also warm up my SHOULDERS. After all, your neck, shoulders and back all work together.

One of my previous emails I wrote about SHRUGS, which work your traps, but make sure to get that blood flowing in your shoulders too.

Here’s one of the shoulder warm-ups I do EVERY single time I lift weights or do a conditioning circuit:

I’ll use either a 2.5 – 10 pound plates or dumbbells for my first warm up set. If weights are not available, I’ll use whatever I can get my hands on, like gallon jugs filled with water, something like that (gotta be creative here; all you need is a little weight for some resistance).

I do at least one big compound set (maybe 2 or 3 depending on how I’m feeling) with the following exercises:

I’ll start by doing standing side lateral raises, with my arms STRAIGHT out (I don’t bend my elbows at all), and do 10-20 reps.

Then I’ll bend over, keeping my back straight at about a 30 degree angle to the floor and do rear lateral raises. 10-20 reps.

Then I’ll stand back up and do front raises. 10-20 reps.

Follow up with 10-20 reps of shoulder presses.

Then 10-20 reps of shrugs.

Then I’ll put my arm at my side, elbow glued to my side and bent at 90 degrees, and go in and out just to get some motion going in my rotator cuff. Because I’m going in and out to the side, there is hardly any resistance; I’m doing this more for the range of motion and just to get my rotator cuff moving a little bit. (There are a lot of variations of rotator cuff exercises so I’ll post more of them soon.)

Then 10-20 push-ups.

All back to back, no rest until you go through the WHOLE thing.

All those exercises put together in one large compound set (I call this a “compound set” instead of a “super set” just because all the exercises are working some part of the shoulder).

Then I’ll rest a little bit for about a minute, stretch a little during that time and then do the whole “warm-up circuit” again, sometimes 3 or even 4 times in a row to make sure my shoulders are good and warmed up before I hit the training hard.

I’ll do at least one of these compound sets before I do any kind of conditioning circuit, any time I do a bodyweight workout, any lift – including legs, squats, etc. (gotta make sure my shoulders and neck are warmed up before I put those big weights on the back of my neck) or even BJJ class.

That little warm-up for my shoulders and neck might seem like a regular workout to a lot of folks, but keep in mind, I’m using VERY light weights for this.

I have to make sure to get the blood pumping in my delts and neck before I train! A lot of tweaks, kinks, strains, sprains, stingers and pinched nerves happen because of a failure to thoroughly warm up the shoulders and neck properly before training.

So don’t neglect your shoulders! Do this IN ADDITION to your neck warm up.

Here’s the video:

Give this a try and let me know what you think!

Protect Your Neck!

James Kelly
Founder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

P.S. You can use the above “warm up circuit” for the shoulders and neck as a workout too, of course. Just make sure to do the warm-up first, then gradually up the weights to make it more intense. Always work with what you’re comfortable with.

P.P.S. If you haven’t subscribed to my NEW free “Neck Training For Grapplers & Combat Athletes” ezine, just enter your name and valid email in the box below and I’ll immediately send you exclusive content that will help get your neck bigger and stronger.

My Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Kelly/513207583

*** These emails are in no way intended as medical advice. Always consult a physician before beginning any new fitness program or trying a new exercise. Safety should always be your first concern, and if you feel any pain or discomfort, stop immediately. ***

(Video Below)

Question:  How important is “isometric” neck strength for grappling and wrestling?

Answer: Isometric neck strength is VERY important. Isometric neck exercises should be a regular part of your grappling exercise routine. It’s important for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), submission grappling, wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA).

Here’s why.

In BJJ, when you’re inside the guard working to pass, your opponent is most likely working hard to break your posture, either by directly pulling your head down or by pulling your gi lapels.

BJJ rule for maintaining posture in the guard: Keep your head up!

So, your neck better be strong enough to handle that pressure. At the BJJ black belt level, matches are 10 minutes; that means potentially that someone could be pulling your head down for close to 10 full minutes! Are you able to hold posture and keep your head up for that long? Is your neck strong enough to do that?

In wrestling, when you’re in on a shot, good position is hips in, elbows in, back straight, HEAD UP. You better believe a tough wrestler will be working like crazy to stuff your head down and get you out of position.

Wrestling rule for maintaining good position while in on the leg: Keep your head up!

Is your neck strong enough to hold good position while your opponent is trying to push your head down?

In submission wrestling, BJJ or MMA, if you get into a bad spot and your opponent is working to choke you unconscious, whether it’s a guillotine choke, mata leon choke (rear naked choke), or whatever, sometimes you’re gonna have to hold your neck in a static position for a long time to fight that choke off.

If you have to keep your chin down to fight off a choke but you don’t have the isometric neck strength to hold your chin down while your opponent relentlessly tries to pull your chin up, well, it’s gonna be bad news. Choke in, game over, man! But if you have the isometric neck strength to keep your chin down, it’ll give you a little more time to work an escape.

Those are just 3 positional examples. I could go on and on.

Sure, explosive neck strength is important, but you also need isometric neck strength.

Watch the video below to see an example of how to get a good isometric neck strength workout:

You can also do something like this.

Sit with your back straight, head upright, and just push on your forehead with both hands while you keep your head in the same position, and hold for a count of 10-20 seconds. For the back of your neck, just put both your hands on the back of your head and push, keeping your head in the same upright position. For your right side, push against your neck with your right hand; left side, left hand. Your muscles will contract, but it’s an isometric contraction, meaning your head and neck should not be moving at all. It’s like you’re trying to move your head, but you’re making it so that your hands are like a wall, keeping your head from moving.

Believe me, you do this long enough and you’ll feel your neck muscles working.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

‘Til next time…

Protect Your Neck!

Coach James Kelly

Founder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com