Strengthening The Neck

Protects Your Athletes

New research offers evidence-based protocol,

which may be a step in reducing concussions

By Ralph Cornwell, Ph.D. and Mark Asanovich, MS,

Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Va.

As strength and conditioning professionals, you are charged with the duty of first and foremost…

DO YOU KNOW THE NUMBERS???

DO YOU KNOW THE Numbers???????

COACHES EVERYWHERE KNOW HOW MUCH THEIR ATHLETES BENCH PRESS OR SQUAT.

ATHLETIC TRAINERS ARE AWARE OF MUSCLE IMBALANCES , INJURIES  OR THE PREDISPOSITIONS OF THEIR ATHLETES.…

Musclebound Women                                                                  

It was assumed in the early era of weight training that athletes would develop inelastic overdeveloped muscles.  The condition was deemed 'musclebound'.  Becoming musclebound dominated the early conversations of strength training.

The newly created position of Strength and Conditioning Coach in the 1970's was dubious.  Strength Coaches not only had to…

Project Neck- The Female Study

According to a study published in the Journal of Athletic Training in 2007, female high school athletes suffered almost 40 percent more concussions than males did. It estimated that female players suffer about 29,000 concussions annually with boys suffering 21,000.…

Do You Want To Run Better?

If you want to run better train your neck musculature.                                                                                                                                                

Scalenes

The anterior, medial and posterior scalenes firmly fix to the frist and second ribs.  The scalenes aid in deep respiration, something we certainly do in heavy running.  The Scalene muscles are active…

Desmond And Desmin

The Early Stages Of Strength Gains                                                                      

Fixed Versus Mobile

Part of activating muscle is having it.

The Pashby Sports Safety Award is an award presented in Canada to recognize and honor people who make sports and recreational activities safer from catastrophic injuries, which typically involve the eyes, spine or brain.  Dr. Karen Johnston MD, PHD was given the Safety Award for her outstanding work to prevent injuries, most specifically concussions.

She is also Director of the Concussion…

Ralph Cornwell, Jr. PhD. Candidate from Virginia Tech announced today of the expansion of his research study looking at lowering concussive and subconcussive forces with anatomical changes to the  neck, trapezius and upper back , accomplished through resistance training.

Cornwell’s research appropriately named Project Neck,  is charged with creating…

If You Do Not Train It - Do Not Expect It To Grow

How About Having Strong Fingers

How About Having Strong Fingers                                        

Strengthen The Head And Jaw

The infrahyoids are made up of four muscles; three of which attach to the hyoid bone, the omohyoid, the sternohyoid, and the thyrohyoid.  They lie right over the trachea.  The infrahyoids can be and are often damaged in whiplash.

Infrahyoids: flex the neck.

Suprahyoids: open the jaw.

The hyoids are involved in chewing and movements of the tongue.

The hyoids are heavily involved in posture and a…

Something To Think About As You Get Them Strong.

A muscle biopsy is a procedure used to remove and examine a piece of tissue microscopically.

Athletes all over the nation that play fall sports in high schools and colleges are involved in winter strength and conditioning programs.

If you were to do a muscle biopsy on a single fiber of these athletes prior to training and then did the same biopsy post training you will find something very…

Leg Press Those Linemen?

Leg Press Those Linemen With few exceptions muscles exert smaller tension at shorter lengths.

The rectus femoris muscles and wrist extensors are in deference to the above rule in some populations.

The rectus femoris is one of the four powerful quadricep muscles of the upper thigh. The rectus can flex the thigh at the hip and extend the leg at…

Get Strong

Brace Yourself

Brace yourself to get ready.

Only at a velocity of zero can a muscle produce its maximal force, yet its length does not change.   In training this is called an isometric contraction and techniques such as pushing or pulling on an immovable bar or against a given load on an exercise machine at a particular angle are used to Get Stronger.

If you brace, tensing your musculature as…

Still Fast But A Lot Slower

Still Fast But A Lot Slower

If you look at men or women from the ages of 18-80 and examine the shortening velocity of their musculature you may be tremendously surprised to find that age has no effect on how quickly a muscle can change its length or V max.

With aging there is a decrease in maximal force and power due to the loss of muscle mass and not to the unloaded shortening…

The No Hands Shrug

The No Hands Shrug

Very seldom in any contact sport do you complete a season without a  hand or lower arm injury.

When playing a collision sport it is extremely important to keep the stiffness and volume of the muscles of the head and neck up, especially during the season. Continuing to train all the cervical musculature means also training the trapezius.

At the University of Toledo heavy rubber bands are used for…

Stanford Strength Coach Kevin Tolbert

Kevin Tolbert is the Head Strength Coach at Stanford University. He…

Colgate University Knows How to Train the Head and Neck Musculature of Their Athletes.

Gabe Harrington and I worked together at The United States Military Academy at West Point as assistant strength…