Issue 091
August 2012
How you might be able to protect yourself, and your undefeated record, with a stronger neck
What’s the one part of your body that can help you win more fights and possibly even keep you safer in the cage? Your neck. Or at least a strong one anyway. A study published in the journal Neurosurgery looking at concussions in football found that a more powerful neck – one that’s able to resist better against a strong force – reduced the likelihood of the brain being bashed about inside the skull.
When struck, it’s the head acceleration and change in velocity that causes the brain to impact the side of the skull that causes a knockout. And the research suggests you’ll be safer from potential knockout and/or brain-damaging blows by having a thicker trunk on your shoulders. Why? Because a tensed, strong neck will better prevent your head, and thus your brain, suddenly moving and then stopping due to a strike than a tensed, weak neck.
But before you start some hasty headstands and a road trip to Las Vegas to ask he of the heavy hands Wanderlei Silva to do his worst, it’s essential you have a better understanding of how your neck works, so you know exactly which muscles you need to build as well as why and how.
As a team athlete for bodybuilding.com, Brandan Fokken knows a thing or two about stacking on strength and muscle. He says that not only will a strong head-holder benefit an MMA athlete’s performance, it’ll help protect against neck injury. “Your neck muscles function to move and stabilize your head,” says Brandan.
“To strengthen your neck you can do weighted exercises. Isometric resistance exercises can be very helpful in adding size, and strength to your neck as well as flexibility. You can perform several neck exercises on a daily basis. You should also consider doing neck stretches daily.”
Think about all those slow-mo knockouts you and your buddies have tripped out over. How did the head of the poor fighter on the receiving end move? If it was up and back, like from an uppercut, it was the neck’s extensor and flexor muscles struggling to stabilize their melon. If their head whipped like they were looking over their shoulder it was the rotators napping. And if their ear was encouraged to meet the same-side shoulder, possibly from a hook, that was the lateral flexors.
Right about now you’ll definitely want to avoid being on some brawler’s highlight reel. Well, FO has just the trick. The four stretches and exercises below will help turn your pencil neck into a tower of power, and with minimal equipment too.
Remember, though, having a stronger neck isn’t a magic pill to inoculate you against ever losing by knockout. There are many factors which impact on whether a shot results in the subject being separated from his or her senses. The consistency of the cerebrospinal fluid that cushions your brain and is affected by dehydration, is thought to play a role. The same goes for the amount and severity of previous blows to the noggin: if you’ve been knocked out before, anecdotally it seems it’s more likely to happen in future.
Likewise, some knockout blows don’t appear to whip the head at all. Plenty of Octagon warriors have seen black after taking a glancing blow on the crown, or a hook to the ear. Equally, if you don’t see a heavy strike headed for your cranium you can’t prepare for it, so your newly hench neck has no time to brace your bonce. As ever, there’s no replacement for solid stand-up.
PRO TIP
A strong neck shouldn’t just help to keep you safer from Hail Mary hooks, it’ll make you harder to manhandle in the Thai clinch and, some believe, trickier to choke out.
THE ULTIMATE NECK WORKOUT
Use this set of simple exercises and stretches from bodybuilding.com team athlete Brandan Fokken to a build a stronger neck that’s likely to be better at protecting against knockout and injury.
STRETCHES
Hold for 20 seconds, and then return to starting position. Do four sets of each stretch.
FLEXORS
Bend your head forward while bringing your chin toward your chest.
EXTENSORS
Bend your head backward so that your eyes are looking up.
ROTATORS
Turn your head to the left, looking over your left shoulder repeat returning to starting position each time, and then repeat on opposite side.
LATERAL FLEXORS
Bend your neck in attempt to touch your left ear to your shoulder return to starting position each time and then repeat on opposite side.
Exercises (Try to increase the weight or resistance after each set)
STANDING HEAD HARNESS NECK RESISTANCE
SETS: 3
REPS: 8–12
Feet shoulder-width apart, leaning forward, wrap a folded towel around the back of your head. While gripping each end of the towel in either hand, provide resistance as you move your head up and down.
SIDES ISOMETRIC
SETS: 3
REPS: 8–12
Push your head right against your right hand. Maintain constant tension for 10 seconds, not allowing your head to move. Switch to the left side and repeat
the exercise.
LYING FACE DOWN PLATE NECK RESISTANCE
SETS: 3
REPS: 8–12
Lie face down on a bench with your head hanging over. Holding a light weight on the back of your head with both hands, and with your head pointing down, slowly lift your head as high as possible using only your neck muscles. Return to the start and repeat.
FRONT AND BACK ISOMETRIC
SETS: 3
REPS: 8–12
For the front exercise, push your forehead forward against your hands. Maintain constant tension for 10 seconds, not allowing your head to move forward. For the rear exercise, reverse the process, pushing on back of your head for 10 seconds.
