If you’re having problems with neck pain, it’s probably because you don’t use your neck enough! With all the time we spend staring in the same direction, out a windshield, at a computer screen, or at a TV, it’s not hard to see that our necks don’t get much movement variety.
As long as there isn’t an underlying injury causing the pain, some simple exercises can do a lot to alleviate the pain and restore a healthy range of motion to your neck. I put together a short neck exercise workout that will do just that.
Neck Strengthening Workout
These are five exercises you can do almost anywhere to help strengthen your neck and upper back and better support your head. You can do several sets of this short circuit, or as I prefer to do it, you can do one set a few times a day.
You don’t need any equipment for this workout. Just some kind of bolster to get your back up off the ground. I used a foam roller in the video, and usually do when I do the workout, but almost any cushion will work. You can also lay on your bed or bench and just hang your head over the edge.
When you first start doing this workout, it will probably cause a good deal of soreness so start slow and build up to higher reps and sets. Also, don’t work through pain! If a section of the range of motion is painful don’t force through it. Shorten the range of motion and hold the exercise just before the pain starts.
These little pauses are just an isometric contraction and will still help strengthen and release the muscles. As the muscles are used more regularly, the pain should lessen and the range of motion should increase. And don’t forget to do this regularly. You should be able to do this circuit at least once a day!
