Neck bridges are NOT for “everyone.”

I think neck bridging is great, but not for everyone. Neck bridges can be dangerous sometimes. Some people get hurt when they’re not smart about their training. Sometimes people will see a picture of guys bridging with their nose touching the mat, or with crazy weights or people on top of them while in a bridge, and they’ll just go and try that stuff without FIRST having the necessary “foundational strength” built up in the first place.

Big mistake.

(Note: I’m not knocking those versions of the neck bridge. Not at all. I love that stuff too and I teach how to build up to where you can do those more advanced versions. I just get frustrated when people don’t go through the necessary fundamental progressions of the neck bridge so they can build up that strong foundation first.)

Safety tip: a good warm up is needed BEFORE you even attempt to bridge. More or less warm up depending on how strong your neck is. Neck bridging is easy for some who have strong necks and of course for those who train their necks on a regular basis. Plus, if you’re doing neck bridges, you better make sure your back is warmed up too. If you do ANY kind of strenuous physical activity without a good, thorough warm-up, you’re asking for injuries.

With your neck training, it is absolutely crucial that you don’t over-do things. Especially if you’re at a beginner level. We want to build up, not just break down. So we have to train smart and be diligent with when and how we train our necks and also how we recover.

Do I think everyone should be doing neck bridges?

Well, I don’t think neck bridges are necessary to build a strong neck. You can do plenty of other direct neck exercises that stress your neck muscles enough to get bigger and stronger. But having said that, we’re grapplers – and if you’re a wrestler, a BJJ’er or a mixed martial arts fighter, you’d better have a good neck bridge because the fact is, if you don’t, you’ll be at a significant disadvantage to your competition—and even the slightest advantage can be the difference between silver and gold.

Go slow, train smart, make sure you get a good warm up, and if you try to bridge and it starts to hurt, stop. See a sports doctor who specializes in the neck before you begin any kind of training program and let them know exactly what you’re doing. If you have neck pain, explain to your doctor where and when you’re getting neck pain and find out what your next step should be. (That’s my disclaimer.)

I have a warm spot in my heart for neck bridges, because they were a HUGE part of my neck training before my injury, and I was able to build up my neck a lot from doing them, at first with my own bodyweight, then I’d start adding weights (just like those “crazy” neck bridges I mentioned in the beginning of this email.

You’ll make good gains in size and strength if you stay consistent with these exercises.

If you haven’t seen the video of me doing a short neck bridging routine during a workout, you can see it here:

Neck bridging, on top of the other neck training I did, saved my life. After breaking my neck the doctors told me I’d NEVER be able to train hard again, do any kind of neck bridging, and they said to forget about ever setting foot on the mats again because I wouldn’t be able to wrestle or do BJJ much less walk normally without a significant limp. They were DEAD WRONG!

Here’s a tip: don’t just hold the position on the top of your head and stay there, not moving. That’s one way to do it, but you should be doing neck bridges with movement, too. (If you’re a beginner, stick to a limited range of motion and only go up and down, not side to side.) You’ll work your neck muscles more if you move rather than just stay in one spot.

Don’t push it too hard as far as range of motion goes with regards to neck bridging. For example, if you go all out and try to touch your nose to the mat the first few times you work on neck bridging, you may experience some pain. There’s really no need to push it that far when you’re starting out.

For beginners: Don’t just start neck bridging without first building up your neck with easier neck exercises. Always warm up, go slow, be careful with your range of motion and make sure to stop if you experience any pain.

Protect Your Neck!

Coach James Kelly
Team Lloyd Irvin MMA
Founder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

PS. I love feedback and I value your opinion, so please let me know what you think about these tips, and especially what YOU would like to know specifically.

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*** This content is not medical advice. Always consult with a physician before doing any kind of physical activity whatsoever. If you experience any pain, stop immediately and go see a doctor. ***

Part One

“Is Neck Bridging The Best Neck Exercise?”

That’s a good question!

Here’s my opinion:

It’s definitely one of the best… however, there are so many great neck exercises, I wouldn’t wanna pick just one as my favorite. I do ‘em ALL.

That being said, the neck bridge should be a MANDATORY exercise for all wrestlers, submission grapplers, and fighters.

Neck bridges are definitely at the top of my list of the best neck exercises for combat sports.

Why?

I’ll tell ya why…

“7 Reasons Why You Should Be Doing Neck Bridges If You’re A Combat Athlete”

1.  Neck Bridges Are “Sport-Specific” (If you can’t perform a good neck bridge, you’re putting yourself at a significant competitive disadvantage. There are a variety of techniques, both offensive and defensive – like sweeps and escapes – that require you to have an explosive neck bridge. If you can’t do a neck bridge or aren’t strong enough to do one, you’re gonna be in big trouble.)

2.  Neck bridges can be used to develop strength (In grappling, your opponents will be constantly working hard to control your head. Some are gonna be beat on your head pretty hard. The stronger your neck is, the harder it’s gonna be for your competition to control your head.)

3.  Neck bridges can be used to build muscle (Who wants a skinny pencil neck? Not me! In fact, the amount of thick, dense muscle I had piled onto my neck is what literally save my life!)

4.  Neck bridges can be used to gain explosive power (A powerful neck bridge will allow you to explode off the bottom from a variety of specific positions.)

5.  Neck bridges can keep you from getting pinned (In wrestling, you can’t let your opponent pin your shoulder blades to the mat… if you do, you lose. In submission wrestling or BJJ, if you can’t bridge out to make space when your opponent pins you, it’ll be easy for him to tap you out.)

6.  Neck bridges are one of the best “all-in-one” type of neck exercises (Once you get the basic movements down, you can do neck bridges to work just about every area of your neck.)

7.  Neck bridging can prevent injury (Neck bridging, when done properly and safely, can help to prevent injury by conditioning your neck, making your neck muscles bigger and stronger, and making your neck tougher. I’m not paralyzed right now as a direct result of all the neck bridging I did, so it’s pretty tough to argue with me on this one. As long as you’re careful and do the proper neck bridging progressions, you won’t have any problems doing a neck bridge. However, if you’ve had surgery or have a pre-existing condition, you better consult with your doctor to see if bridging is safe for you to do.)

I could go on and on… and I will… (this is just part one)… but there you have 7 great reasons to start building your neck up to be able to perform this valuable neck exercise.

If you’re a wrestler, mixed martial artist, BJJ grappler or any kind of combat athlete, you’d better know how to bridge!

Here’s a clip of a neck bridge workout that I do a lot once I’m sweating and my neck is warm.

Press the “Play” button on the video below to watch…

Neck Bridging Workout Video Clip:

WARNING!

There are specific neck bridging progressions you should follow in order to stay safe while you build up your neck. Start off slow and be careful.

Never go from doing nothing for your neck to all of a sudden trying to do a full-blown neck bridge workout like the one above.

Always consult a physician before trying any kind of neck exercises or any physical activity whatsoever. These videos and tips are not meant to be used as medical advice. Use these neck exercises at your own risk.

To learn more about how to build a big, strong neck and to get free access to the neck training secrets I’ve learned over the years, go to my website at

www.NoMoreNeckProblems.com

Protect Your Neck!

Jim Kelly

Team Lloyd Irvin

P.S. For more neck exercise tips and neck workout videos for wrestling and grappling just like the one above, give me your name and email so I can send you my free “Neck Training For Grapplers” ezine…

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Sport-Specific Neck Exercise For Wrestling – Video

This neck exercise drill has been one of my favorites for a long time, and lately, I’ve been having my wrestling class do this drill as part of their warm-up before we start going really hard, and also at the end of wrestling practice as part of their conditioning.

Neck Workout Video: Click the play button below to watch…

Here’s why doing this neck exercise drill is important…

While you wrestle, you’re gonna be getting your head beat on at some point during a match, and if your neck isn’t conditioned or strong enough to keep your head up, you’re gonna be in trouble.

One of the most important things in wrestling is your stance. That’s really the first thing anyone should learn. It all starts with a good stance. If you don’t have a good, solid stance, and you’re not strong from there, well, you’re toast.

In a good wrestling stance, you need to have your head up, your back straight, your hips under you, your elbows in, and you need to have “shoulder-knee alignment” at all times (I explain that more in the video).

Your job is to stay in your stance at all times and set up your attacks. Your opponent’s job is to take you out of your stance. So if your neck’s not strong enough to keep your head up and in good position while your opponent is trying to beat you down, well, you’d better focus more on neck exercises like this one.

Along with specific neck exercises like the one in the video above, I’ll be posting different techniques and drills to help you with keeping your opponents off your head. Techniques for clearing collar ties, guillotine choke escapes, front headlock counters and more. So keep your eyes open for those.

For more neck exercise tips and neck workout videos for wrestling and grappling just like the one above, give me your name and email so I can send you my free “Neck Training For Grapplers” ezine…

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Email:

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Always consult a physician before trying any kind of neck exercises or any physical activity whatsoever. These videos and tips are not meant to be used as medical advice.

Jim Kelly
Team Lloyd Irvin

www.GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

Visit www.GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com to receive free neck exercises and neck training tips to get your neck big and strong for wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), submission grappling, mixed martial arts fighting (MMA) and all combat sports.

You’ve got to protect your neck! Go to www.GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com to get the whole story.

Visit www.GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com right away to get your free “Neck Exercises & Neck Training For Grapplers & Combat Athletes” Ezine sent directly to your email inbox. On a regular basis, you’ll get neck training tips and all kinds of neck exercises and neck workouts to build neck strength and mass on your neck, back and shoulders.

If you’re a grappler, wrestler, fighter or combat athlete of any kind, you’ve got to protect your neck!

Go to www.GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com to read the newspaper articles from my neck injury so you can find out for yourself how important neck exercises and neck training are for wrestlers and fighters.

Jim Kelly
Team Lloyd Irvin MMA

www.GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com