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…

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 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 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…

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…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz8Ag-pBArw[/youtube]

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…

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.

“The Incredible Neck” Blog Banner Image Test

Here’s a “Thank You” to everyone who signed up at www.GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com to get my free “Neck Exercise & Neck Training For Grapplers & Combat Athletes” Ezine!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBjiH0B88LU[/youtube]

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!

Watch the video below to find out why…

[googlevideo]http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2816957950405745952&q=jim+kelly+mma&ei=iEWWSKzWIIjkrQLEyf2-BQ[/googlevideo]

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

www.GrapplersProtectYourNeck.com

Have a question about neck exercises, neck training, neck workouts or anything else related to neck health for wrestling, grappling, BJJ, MMA or combat sports? Ask me here:

www.NoMoreNeckProblems.com/ask

Visit my main blog:  www.GrapplingInTheTrenches.com