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

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

(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

— — — — — — Reminder — — — — — —
Sign up for my free “Neck Training Secrets For Grapplers” ezine.
Enter your name and valid email below to get exclusive, valuable information that I will share with you for free. You’ll get lots of neck training articles, neck exercise routines, neck workout videos and you’ll be in direct contact with me so you can ask questions and get answers that will help you with your neck training and neck health so you can protect your neck and build a strong neck for your combat sport.

— — — — — — ******** — — — — — —

Let’s get started.

First I want to focus on the most IMPORTANT thing you need to do to protect your neck before you begin your training.

That’s the WARM UP.

Lots of people warm up with jogging, pushups, situps, but hardly anyone ever really concentrates on warming up the NECK! That’s a huge MISTAKE.

As a combat athlete, serious competitor or not, you MUST focus on specific neck exercises and warm-ups every single training session!

So here’s a basic neck warmup exercise routine can use RIGHT AWAY.

Remember, this one’s a warm-up so it should be nice and easy just to get the blood flowing through your neck.

Now’s not the time to start with neck rolls or bridging, or any other dynamic neck movement. Keeping it simple for now and building things up (you’ll be getting plenty of exercises and workouts to use as long as you’re on this list).

No weights or equipment needed for this one. This is a quick warm-up routine, 3 exercises in one (back, front, and each side). Your set and rep scheme should be easy at first. Just do as many reps as you feel comfortable doing, and if you feel any pain, stop immediately (consult with a doctor before engaging in any kind of exercise routine).

I’ll recommend shooting for 10 reps each exercise then work up from there. If you have a strong neck already, you can do more of course, just be careful; safety should always be your top priority.

The other day I did 500 reps of each exercise, but I’ve been training for a while so this wasn’t a big thing for me and I make sure to FOCUS on my neck training more than anything else I do. Why? Because I have to. Neck training and neck health has to be my #1 priority, especially now since having my first neck surgery. Bottom line is that if I want to stay in this sport and be able to train hard to achieve my goals, I gotta protect my neck.

Okay, let’s get to these exercises.

Do each exercise back to back, then rest for 30 seconds to a minute (longer is okay too, just rest until you feel comfortable and ready to start your next set). Then repeat again for 1 or 2 more sets. (Remember, these are just recommendations.)

First, get on all fours, knees and hands, with your back parallel to the mat. Then simply lift your head all the way up so that if you were facing a mirror, you can see your face; then bring it back down so your chin just about touches your chest. Do the amount of reps you feel comfortable doing. This exercise will work the back part of the neck.

Next, lie on your flat on your back with your legs straight (don’t bend your knees your put the soles of your feet on the ground), and bring your chin up to your chest, then slowly back down, and right before the back of your head touches the mat, bring your head back up again. This exercise will work the front part of the neck. Do the amount of reps you feel comfortable doing.

Now let’s work the sides. Lie on your right side, with your right arm relaxed in front of you (you shouldn’t be lying on top of your arm). Now slowly bring your head up as if you’re trying to touch your left ear to your shoulder, then slowly bring your head back down and a little after you pass the point where your head is parallel with the mat, bring it back up again. Do the amount of reps you feel comfortable doing. Then make sure to do your other side and do the same amount of reps. (Just do what’s comfortable for you.)

That’s it. 3 exercises done back to back, in one “compound set.” I call it a “compound set” because you’re working one body part with a variety of different movements back to back.

This routine will help warm up your neck and get you ready to get into the hard training.

This is great for a warm-up; however, you can also burn out your neck by doing this after you train as well. I always make a habit of doing something for my neck before AND after I train—every time. It’s that important. The intensity of what I choose to do varies, but I always do some kind of focused neck work.

I have a TON of these routines, some easy, some highly advanced, and I’m going to spill the beans on EVERYTHING. I guarantee some of what I’m going to give you, you’ve never seen before.

I learned a lot of great stuff over the years, and I’ve made mistakes too, and I’m going to share them all with you because I know I can help a lot of people like you get a strong neck and be able to enjoy your training more and not worry as much about injuries that can take you off and keep you off the mats for good. There’s going to be a LOT more to come, including more neck training videos and neck strengthening articles, so keep your eyes open and make sure you’re signed up for my free “Neck Training Secrets For Grapplers & Combat Athletes” e-zine so you don’t miss any exclusive content.

Oh yeah, one more thing. If you have a specific question you’d like to ask me about neck training, email me at any time and I’ll do my best to get back to you; just write “question” in the subject line.

Protect Your Neck!

Coach James Kelly
Team Lloyd Irvin MMA

Follow me on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/#!/jimkelly1

Disclaimer: These emails are in no way intended to be used as medical advice. Always consult a physician before starting any physical training program.

No neck training equipment? No problem. No mats to use for neck bridging? No problem. No weights? No problem.

Here’s a basic neck exercise routine you can do using your hands/arms as resistance. (Watch the video below to see me take you through it.)

This neck strengthening routine works great as a warm up, a separate neck training workout, or as extra strength building after a tough wrestling practice.

If you’ve been wrestling for years or already have a strong neck, it’ll take a bit longer for you to get a good burn in your neck muscles doing these exercises. For me, I do these more as a warm-up before practice. If I’m riding on the Airdyne for a warm up, I make sure I hit all four sides of my neck with these manual resistance movements. For example, I’ll ride for 2 minutes pumping my arms and legs, then do the manual neck resistance for 2 minutes while pumping the pedals, then keep rotating back and forth for 10-16 minutes.

I also like to do these neck exercises while sitting at my desk working. It feels good getting the blood to flow through my neck and get a bit of a pump in the muscles. I make sure to work all four sides of my neck every time I do this exercise routine (front, back, left, right).

Here’s a video of a basic neck exercise routine using manual neck resistance that you can do by yourself:

As you can see, you can still work your neck muscles even if you don’t have any access to any kind of workout equipment, weights or mats. I do this exact routine all the time and it really helps me out. Hopefully it can help you out too.

As a wrestling coach, I make sure all the combat athletes I work with understand the importance of neck strengthening. When I see people getting to practice early, I like seeing them doing stuff like this to prepare their necks a little bit extra. Even an extra couple minutes a day can make a huge difference!

Protect your neck!

Coach James Kelly

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for my neck training e-zine for grapplers if you haven’t already. I’d hate for you to miss out on anything!

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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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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