Military Muscle: Don’t neglect your neck - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Air Force Times

Military Muscle: Don’t neglect your neck

You always see a lot of chest work going on in the gym and people doing exercises for the lower back. What is missing is an equal emphasis on the upper back and neck area. The resulting imbalance can lead to poor posture as well as shoulder and neck problems. Following are some important exercises that target those often neglected areas. You can use traditional weight equipment or resistance bands.

Do two to three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions for each exercise.

Seated row

A foundational exercise for upper back muscles, it works the trapezius, rhomboid, rear shoulder and neck. Start with 50 to 60 pounds, adjusting down in weight if necessary to maintain strict technique.

• On a seated rowing machine, sit facing the weight stack with your feet against the foot stops.

• Grab the pulley/handle, palms facing in, and situate yourself on the bench until your knees are slightly bent, your back is straight and your chest is raised.

• Pull the handle toward your torso, keeping your chest raised and extending your elbows as far behind you as possible. Try to get your shoulder blades to touch. Hold for a 1 count. Release, keeping the arms in line as they travel forward to full extension.

Resistance bands: Sit on the floor with your legs straight. Hold one end in each hand with the band looped around both feet. Use the same technique as with the machine — chest raised, elbows behind the back and shoulder blades touching.

Bent row

One of the other foundational exercises for the trapezius and rhomboids, as well as the rear deltoids and spinal muscles, this one uses a barbell. Technique is critical, so make sure you use an appropriate weight. Most men can handle 80 to 85 pounds — women start at 35 to 45 pounds — and adjust down if you can’t maintain strict technique.

• Stand with your knees flexed and torso bent forward at about 45 degrees (back straight and head up). Use an overhand grip on the bar, just wider than shoulder width, arms at full extension straight down.

• Pull the bar straight up to just above your navel, contracting your shoulder blades and holding for a 1 count.

Resistance bands: Loop the band around your feet, taking the same position as with the bar version. Grab the ends of the band in each hand and pull up to just above the navel.

Upright row

This is an intense barbell exercise for the upper trapezius, neck and middle rear deltoid muscles. The wider the grip, the more the emphasis shifts from your upper trapezius and neck to your deltoids. Men start with 45 pounds, going up in 10-pound increments if 45 doesn’t feel like enough. Women start with a body bar in the low 20s and go up from there.

• Stand straight with an overhand grip on the weight bar, hands one hand-width apart and arms at full extension straight down.

• Elbows MUST stay higher than your hands as you raise the bar along your body to mid-chest level.

Resistance bands: Loop under your feet, and use the same grip position and movement as above.

Bob Thomas is director of the Navy Wellness Center in Pensacola, Fla. Click here to email him.