(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.

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*** 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

14 years ago at a wrestling camp in Virginia, I got to train with a 4-time Pennsylvania state champion and NCAA champion named John Hughes. What I didn’t realize at the time was how that experience would end up literally SAVING MY LIFE.

Now John Hughes only wrestled at 142 pounds, but he was built up for his size–he had that “farm boy” type strength–and he had these gnarly cauliflower ears with this big, thick neck. When you wrestled him and tried to get him out of position, he felt like a brick wall–just about impossible to move (at least for me). His stance was solid as a rock and you couldn’t get him out of position or snap him down because his neck was so strong (aside from his wrestling skills).

I wanted to train with John Hughes ever since my coach Mr. Denny gave me some video from the years Coach Hughes won the PA state title along with his twin brother Russ and fellow 4-time PA state champion Cary Kolat. I would study those videos every day with the goal of one day winning the PA state title in high school. So, needless to say, I looked up to him a ton.

When I got to meet him and train with him at a wrestling camp the summer before my junior year of high school, i had no idea how those few days of working with him would literally end up saving my life.

I already knew a little bit about weightlifting and was built up pretty well physically from years of body weight training, martial arts and football. But after seeing Coach Hughes’ neck and feeling how ridiculously strong he was, I knew there was something I was lacking in: solid neck development.

One night at the camp, my coach Mr. Denny told me I’d better go see what he did to build up his neck like that. So I did.

When I approached Coach Hughes and asked him if he could show me some stuff I could do to build up my neck more like his, he really opened up and spent a good amount of time showing me some of his neck training secrets. Some of the exercises were so advanced I couldn’t even do them at the time (I had to work up to it). I just stood there in awe while he went through the different neck exercises he used; he made it look easy (even though I knew the advanced neck exercises he was doing were super tough).

After he showed me his neck training secrets, I did them every single day. I was 100% committed to building my neck strength and staying consistent with my training –- to the point of obsession.

I learned not just how to build up the muscles in my neck to be bigger, but also to have endurance and more “functional” strength for wrestling.

From that day in the summer of 1996, I have practiced the neck exercises Coach John Hughes taught me, as well as many others that I learned throughout my athletic and martial arts career–and I have never looked back.

Since I started sharing these neck training secrets with other fellow grapplers online, I have now passed my knowledge onto ’students’ all over the WORLD. (Gotta love the internet!) Many people started out only being able to do the bare bones basics(and sometimes even less than that); some people couldn’t even do a full neck or back bridge; but in each case, no matter how little the person could do in the beginning, if he or she sticks with the program — results come, and often quickly, too.

Today, my neck strengthening secrets and neck health tips are being followed by men and women of all ages and professions. From the hardcore seasoned competitor to the still-wet-behind-the-ears beginner grappler… from world class BJJ black belts to white belts who are giving it a try for the first time… from top-ranked competitive wrestlers, to wrestling coaches, to brand new students of the sport. The advice and stories I share in my ezine and blog are used by people in the U.S. military, it is used by many in law enforcement, by men and women who participate in all kinds of sports as well as the martial arts and combat sports fanatics.

The neck training secrets I’ll be providing you with will help you get your neck stronger, you’ll learn ways to eliminate back pain, neck pain and shoulder pain, you’ll discover how I can still train hard on the mats after breaking my neck and you’ll get to find out about other grapplers’ success stories and comeback-from-injury tales of triumph.

I’m going to open up and share with you even my biggest and most embarrassing mistakes I made when trying to come back from my neck injury during training — I don’t want you making the same mistakes! So you’ll be getting the good and the bad — and both will help you with your neck training, whether you’re doing it just to gain more neck strength or you’re trying to come back from a neck injury or you just want to protect your neck and stay in the sport longer as a wrestler, grappler or fighter.

Plain and simple, my neck training program WORKS and I’m here to help you. If you take this advice and train smart, it WILL change your life and who knows — it might actually end up SAVING YOUR LIFE like it did mine.

Thanks again for being a part of this with me. I look forward to seeing how I can help you.

Protect your neck!

Coach James KellyFounder of GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

Add me on Facebook —> http://www.facebook.com/jimkelly1

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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Name:

Email:

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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…

Sign Up For FREE Neck Training Tips & Videos:

Name:

Email:

We respect your email privacy

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