Neck exercises (neck exercises) for gamers

If there’s one thing gaming and desk jobs have in common, it’s the encouragement of poor posture. It’s practically an epidemic; so many of us spend hours hunched over, staring at a bright screen and putting a lot of strain on our spines. this leads to back painSpinal dysfunction, joint degeneration, unattractiveness and other painful conditions.

After years of sitting in a horrible posture, I really felt the effects. In particular, I began to experience severe discomfort and pain all along my spine when I lay on my back, as if I had a tight knot in it. Having always slept curled up and spent my days hunched over a keyboard, my spine wasn’t used to me lying flat! I also began to see the consequences for my standing posture. My head just seemed a little too far forward. It looked “off”. My neck muscles felt weak after years of bending my head forward.

I decided that I would try to maintain good posture while playing, but I inevitably and unconsciously slipped back into anticipation. Drastic methods were necessary.

That’s how I discovered what I like to call “neck exercises.” It is exactly what it sounds like. With the weight of your head and a slow, steady progression, you can strengthen your neck and much easier to hold it up with great posture. If you’re interested in making some gamer gains, here are two great exercises.

The standard head raise

You can do this super simple exercise at home or at the gym.

All you have to do is find something flat and comfortable to lie on, with your head dangling over the edge. A bench or firm bed works well, but an exercise bench would probably be most comfortable.

Lie on your back without resting your head off the edge, slowly lower it back as far as you can, then slowly raise it to a slight chin area. Repeat as many times as you can, aiming for around 30 reps. The goal is to do about three sets of as many as possible under 30.

If you can easily perform three sets of 30 reps with just your headweight, add a small exercise weight. I recommend small increments of 0.25 pounds. We’ll discuss how to add and support that weight in a moment.

The hidden raise

We’re going to do the same as before, but face down. We use it to train the other side of the neck.

Keeping your head off the edge, slowly lower it into a hanging position, and then raise it back up so it aligns with your body. Don’t try to raise your head back much further. We aim for a normal standing orientation. Try your best to get three sets of 30 reps; These are high volume, light exercises.

add weight

When training your neck, it’s imperative to play it safe and take things slow. It’s important to remember Neck injuries can have profound effectsbut it will be okay if we relax and take things easy.

For the standard head raise, place a towel on your forehead. This is to create friction to hold the weight securely and act as a buffer against your forehead. Carefully place the 0.25 pound weight on your forehead and hold it in place by gently pulling it down towards you. Maintain this grip and continue with the exercise.

We proceed in a similar way with a hidden raise. Place the towel and weight on the back of your head, use your hands to hold the weight securely in place, and continue as usual.

The benefits of neck exercises

After doing this for a few days, I noticed that it became easier to support my own neck weight. This made it a lot less tiring to maintain good posture while playing, even unconsciously.

Some people also swear that developing a thicker neck through exercise can increase your physical attractiveness. I’ll leave you to make up your own mind, but it seems convincing enough.

In my own experience, other benefits include relieving back tension as your postural habits improve, as well as increasing overall confidence in your ability to walk with a straight head.

In terms of my posture, the improvement is day and night. I feel like I have a greater presence in the eyes of those around me. I’d always felt a little invisible when I hunched over. Maybe it’s purely mental, but trust is mental! I also felt encouraged to gradually increase exercise and improve my overall fitness by slowly starting neck training. Perhaps most importantly, my gaming habits are also much healthier and gaming for ages hasn’t put nearly as much strain on my back as it used to.

At least it’s worth a try; Then you can decide if neck exercises are right for you!