Vytautas Pilkauskas Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Hello, So I've came across this idea that neck muscle imbalances plays a major role in body development and most chances are that if you have some kind of imbalance in your neck, your muscles below will never work to peak performance. It sounds convicing since the posture is really important for body to function properly both physically and physiologically but my question is how we, GB (or GST outside GB curriculum) trainees, develop our neck muscles and alignment? Is it something that we do indirectly training things like HS, all levers, etc?The article can be found here http://elliotthulse.com/weird-weakness/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biren Patel Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I'm not 100% sure, but I think back in 2008-2009 someone asked this question and coach replied that his students did not do any neck specific training except for a set of neck bridges in warm up? You can try to search for this post, its definitely somewhere in the forum and I'm sure I misquoted a bit so take it with a grain of salt.That said, I think HS is a nice way to train your neck, especially if you practice pulling the head all the way into the chest and all the way out. Hollow body holds I also feel in the front of my neck, and of course arch body holds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikkel Ravn Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I wouldn't trust Elliot Hulse for advice. First he's trying to convince something is wrong with you (...99% of all people got this bla bla), then he'll sell you the remedy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Dupree Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Devils advocate: 99% of people don't have the connective tissue strength to train rings seriously... Let me sell you some foundation series but seriously, most people have something wrong with them, and some people make a legitimate living trying to help. I don't see Elliot trying to sell anything, I had been watching his videos for quite a while before I realized he had anything to sell. He can be brash and out there, but he makes some good points. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marios Roussos Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 On 2/27/2015 at 2:04 AM, Jason Dupree said: Devils advocate: 99% of people don't have the connective tissue strength to train rings seriously... Let me sell you some foundation series but seriously, most people have something wrong with them, and some people make a legitimate living trying to help. I don't see Elliot trying to sell anything, I had been watching his videos for quite a while before I realized he had anything to sell. He can be brash and out there, but he makes some good points.Everybody's trying to sell you something. The several years of free vids and information are the exposure necessary to develop a devoted following who will then buy your book/video/program once you release it. Furthermore, emphatically denying PED use while looking like a pro bodybuilder is the other crucial part of the scam that leads people to believe that you've found the secret to adding on "tons of muscle while burning fat like a furnace" in several months. Check out the link below and think about what's written there for a bit, it's hard to argue with the logic presented. http://nattyornot.com/elliott-hulse-steroids/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Long Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Hahaha sounds like gymnasticbodies free stuff for ages then bam! Foundation rings stretch movement Hungarian handstand!! Although to be fair coach has some serious qualification an my body generally feels better doing this stuff. Hard part is knowing when to take it easy and when to push. You can hurt yourself even on these courses if you push too much and do too much. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vytautas Pilkauskas Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 The concern is not Elliott Hulse, it is neck muscles development relation to the rest of the body development in GST field. While you can find information on neck placement and positioning doing, say, planche variations it is not clear how does that develop neck muscles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Davies Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 The biggest muscles of the neck are the upper traps, which are crucial for strength in any sport, not just GST. The smaller muscles will presumably be trained in whatever position you do your exercises in. I recommend a neutral head position when at all possible for healthy neck development.I find my neck posture tends to improve after a real good 30 minute headstand session. It's the only thin ice found that works for me. I don't know of any specific exercises you can do that improve neck posture. Or rather, I can't endorse any because none of them worked for me... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannibal Ahmed Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) On 2/27/2015 at 5:02 AM, -MR said: Everybody's trying to sell you something. The several years of free vids and information are the exposure necessary to develop a devoted following who will then buy your book/video/program once you release it. Furthermore, emphatically denying PED use while looking like a pro bodybuilder is the other crucial part of the scam that leads people to believe that you've found the secret to adding on "tons of muscle while burning fat like a furnace" in several months. Check out the link below and think about what's written there for a bit, it's hard to argue with the logic presented. http://nattyornot.com/elliott-hulse-steroids/ Lol bro, elliot hulse has said that he did briefly use steroids, but stopped cause he didn't like his balls shriveling up, and you gotta put into context that the dude used ot be an extra fat strongman competitor, then he leaned out a lot over an extended period of time, all the muscle didn't disappear... Edited March 3, 2015 by tennissports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marios Roussos Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 On 3/3/2015 at 1:42 AM, tennissports said: Lol bro, elliot hulse has said that he did briefly use steroids, but stopped cause he didn't like his balls shriveling up, and you gotta put into context that the dude used ot be an extra fat strongman competitor, then he leaned out a lot over an extended period of time, all the muscle didn't disappear...I stand corrected bro; if Elliot Hulse says he no longer uses, it must be true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannibal Ahmed Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 lol, not trynna defend, just showin another side 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vytautas Pilkauskas Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 On 2/28/2015 at 7:47 AM, Bipocni said: The biggest muscles of the neck are the upper traps, which are crucial for strength in any sport, not just GST. The smaller muscles will presumably be trained in whatever position you do your exercises in. I recommend a neutral head position when at all possible for healthy neck development.I find my neck posture tends to improve after a real good 30 minute headstand session. It's the only thin ice found that works for me. I don't know of any specific exercises you can do that improve neck posture. Or rather, I can't endorse any because none of them worked for me...Few times a week I do neck circles after my training sesion. 10 to each side. Sometimes I wake up with sore neck the following day.I only recently started to feel that I actually do have working muscles in my traps, lol. This is all because of shoulder dislocates and H1 training. I find HS training to be working well as well. Thanks for sharing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnicky Roy Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Posture is one of the easiest things to train. The only issue is finding out why you have bad posture. It could start from your hips, your torso or your upper back/shoulder region. Stretching those areas will assist in good posture, but after that you have to train good posture. From walking around with your head tall, to keeping your head in a good position during planks instead of letting it sag. Neck bridges strengthens the entire spine quite well. I've always felt I stood with my best posture without having to think about it, when I did neck bridges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quick Start Test Smith Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Don't mean to resurrect an old thread, but I used to do a great deal of neck bridges and never saw significant growth in my neck muscles. I actually didn't see a huge boost of muscular strength or size until I started doing static neck holds (while lying down) for the front and sides of my neck combined with high rep neck curls and neck extensions with a neck weight. The traps are definitely important, but I think if you want that masculine look of a well defined neck, you need to do flexions, extensions, and front/side static holds. 3-5 times a week for about 5-10 minutes each and you'll probably have a pretty well defined neck. It works for me, anyhow, and I've always had trouble growing my neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Libke Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 If heavily developed neck muscles are the goal, then go wrestle. Most very serious wrestlers I know have very developed necks. My sense is that they both train the neck directly, and that the sport itself puts demands on the neck. For myself, because my neck and head posture are awful, I have been doing some ballet practice, from video and books. My wife used to dance, so she can point out how bad I look. But really, there is no better discipline I have found for getting your head above your spine. I also do some neck bridging in warm and cool down, but much less so than when I did grappling arts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnicky Roy Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Yea, if heavy neck muscle development is the goal then you definitely need volume concentric training. But if it's just basic strength you don't need nearly as much. might as well do you strongman. Training that gives you a thick neck and thicker wrists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Connor Davies Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 On 4/6/2015 at 11:00 PM, Patrick Smith said: Don't mean to resurrect an old thread...We love resurrecting old threads around here! Resurrect as many as you want. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Jefferys Posted November 2, 2015 Share Posted November 2, 2015 On 4/7/2015 at 2:58 AM, Bipocni said: We love resurrecting old threads around here! Resurrect as many as you want.It hath been resurrected! What do you guys think of performing neck flexion/extension/translation exercises with one's relaxed arms as resistance? Is it worth the effort, or would the strength gains be little to none? With very little work, my family members have commented on me having a bigger neck, though they couldn't tell why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesley Tan Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 There are many muscles in the neck, the most superficial ones like trapezius and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) unite the base of the skull with the shoulder girdle (scapulae, clavicles and manubrium). These muscles produce large movements and span the entire neck without directly attaching to any of the neck vertebrae. These muscles would develop more with larger movements of the head as in neck bridges, bridge rolls and shrugs. Levator scapule could also be included here uniting the upper cervical vertebrae with the Scapulae. The deeper muscles such as the scalenes, longus coli, splenius cervicis & capitis are more involved in spinal stability, control, support and posture. These would naturally be more inclined for endurance work so static holds would be more likely to produce better results here. Forward head posture as has been alluded to above, is the result of shifts in the AP (anteroposterior plane/ forward & backward plane) at other points along the spine. Thoracic kyphosis, anterior pelvic tilt, even the arches of the feet can influence these. Only way to change head posture is tackle all of these simultaneously. Forward head posture usually has shortened and contracted SCM with weakness in the deeper underlying longus coli. Static holds and more subtle neck movements such as controlling the negative of a shoulder bridge can help these as to subtle neck flexion lying supine. I have find that GST can correct and improve posture substantially. The key is working on those movements that are restricted and muscle groups that are weak. Changing the myofascial balance so to speak will change posture. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Egebak Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 On 11/5/2015 at 6:02 PM, Wes Tan said: There are many muscles in the neck, the most superficial ones like trapezius and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) unite the base of the skull with the shoulder girdle (scapulae, clavicles and manubrium). These muscles produce large movements and span the entire neck without directly attaching to any of the neck vertebrae. These muscles would develop more with larger movements of the head as in neck bridges, bridge rolls and shrugs. Levator scapule could also be included here uniting the upper cervical vertebrae with the Scapulae. The deeper muscles such as the scalenes, longus coli, splenius cervicis & capitis are more involved in spinal stability, control, support and posture. These would naturally be more inclined for endurance work so static holds would be more likely to produce better results here. Forward head posture as has been alluded to above, is the result of shifts in the AP (anteroposterior plane/ forward & backward plane) at other points along the spine. Thoracic kyphosis, anterior pelvic tilt, even the arches of the feet can influence these. Only way to change head posture is tackle all of these simultaneously. Forward head posture usually has shortened and contracted SCM with weakness in the deeper underlying longus coli. Static holds and more subtle neck movements such as controlling the negative of a shoulder bridge can help these as to subtle neck flexion lying supine. I have find that GST can correct and improve posture substantially. The key is working on those movements that are restricted and muscle groups that are weak. Changing the myofascial balance so to speak will change posture.Thank you for taking your time to write that. That helps me understand my neck problems much better 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kiggundu Posted November 7, 2015 Share Posted November 7, 2015 On 11/5/2015 at 6:02 PM, Wes Tan said: There are many muscles in the neck, the most superficial ones like trapezius and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) unite the base of the skull with the shoulder girdle (scapulae, clavicles and manubrium). These muscles produce large movements and span the entire neck without directly attaching to any of the neck vertebrae. I have find that GST can correct and improve posture substantially. The key is working on those movements that are restricted and muscle groups that are weak. Changing the myofascial balance so to speak will change posture.Thank you Wes. I didn't know that I had a bad case of forward head posture until I started doing GST and realized that it was something that I had to fix. It's still a work-in-progress, but getting better by the day. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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