Top Tips to Avoid Neck Strain From Pull Ups

Within the past half a year I fell in fitness love with pull ups and all the challenging variations that come with them. Along my pull up journey though I found my neck was getting sore. I started to get worried and I knew that something had to change. I did some reading and some research while thinking about my form. I no longer am experiencing neck pain and I wanted to share the Average Guy's top tips for avoiding neck strain from pull ups. 

1. Avoid Trying to Reach Your Neck Over the Bar

This was actually the most important thing I did. I was often really pushing (I guess pulling actually) to get one more rep and when I was beginning to stall I was attempting to crane my neck over the bar. I doubt that last rep was going to greatly improve reaching my goals and if anything I was one bad rep away from injuring myself.

2. Practice Good Form 

This could be a tip for avoiding injury for any type of fitness activity and the pull up is no exception. It is common for people to use momentum while performing a pull up instead of doing them strictly. It feels good to get a few extra reps but it is not a good idea when it comes to safety. When doing a pull up don't completely lock out the elbows at the bottom. Push down through the elbows and remember to -

3. Keep Your Shoulder Blades Tucked Into Your Back

This is so important that even though it could be under practice good form this deserves to be highlighted by itself. Keeping your your shoulder blades tucked into your back gives strength and stability to your shoulder girdle which helps to protect your neck. After reaching the top and not straining your neck over the bar lower yourself in a controlled manner to the bottom position and repeat. 

4. Use A Chair 

If you can't do pull ups or as many as you would like with proper form use a chair to make the movement easier. The closer the chair is to your body the easier it will be. To start you can place both feet on the chair and as you gain strength you can just use one leg and begin placing the chair farther away. This will allow you to gain strength and the ability to do multiple pull ups with no assistance. 

5. Warm Up

We are all so busy in the modern world that it is easy to try and skip our warm up and just jump straight into our exercise routines. It is important to do about 5 minutes of cardio to get the blood flowing followed by some ballistic stretching including

6. Neck Stretches

These will help to loosen up the neck and relieve tension. I find the two neck stretches in the P90X resistance day warm ups are effective for me. I especially like the chicken wing neck stretch. 

7. Cool Down  

Also just as important as warming up is proper cool down. You don't need to focus as much on just the neck here as total body. Stretching helps to set the stage for recovery which only happens if you

8. Get Enough Sleep

You can only recover and heal your body while sleeping. Eight hours of sleep is a good goal but I have read recommendations for getting up to ten hours of sleep if you exercise hard! So grab your pillow and get to work. 

Exercise Update - May 2013 Edition

For the most part my fitness routine hasn't changed much from last month. I did decide to move all of my bodyweight leg work to the cardio days. I was often feeling tired and sore and my joints felt like they could use some extra rest. When I do Insanity on Tuesday and Saturday I do 3 sets of pistol squats during the stretching. Despite Shaun T insisting that the stretch is the most important part of the workout besides the warm up I disagree. I've started doing some dynamic stretching before going into the sets of the pistol squats.   I often found that the static stretching sequence was leaving me tired and not ready to jump back into the intense cardio. I also now spend more time stretching at the end of the workout.

I have been able to push much harder during the Insanity workouts since moving the body weight leg work to those days. I've been able to get my sustained heart rate very high, in the low 160's, which is about as hard as I can go. Overall this change has made me feel better about both my cardio and body weight resistance training.

I was doing yoga on some Thursdays but have changed that to active recovery days consisting of stretching and walking. I changed this because I felt like my body could really use the extra day off during the week. I've also become tired of the same yoga dvd routines that I own. Once a workout becomes uninteresting it is generally a good time to change it up. I do plan on continuing with yoga but I'll need to join a class or buy some new dvds!

Coming up in June I have some exciting stuff going on such as my birthday and a trip to Florence. I'm hoping that the added year and delicious carby Italian food don't doom my waistline. I'm sure I'll be doing lots of walking so I think I'll be fine (tell that to the pizza and pastries though). There is also a new beer store with great selection (by German standards) in Hamburg called Craft Beer Store so I'll also be battling temptation while at home to only sample a reasonable amount of tasty beers. I also started a new beer blog called, Average Guy's Guide to Beer, which you should check out. Don't worry though I will still update this blog with monthly beer reviews!

Review: 7 Minute Research Based Whole Body Workout

I recently came across an interesting article on lifehacker. It was a quick whole body workout based on scientific research. If you would like to read the original journal article you can here. I can see several benefits from the workout although it is lacking if you are in better shape.

I think the strongest point of the workout is that it can be done in only 7 minutes. The article states that the routine should be done for twenty minutes but going through once to get acclimated would work if you haven't exercised for a while. Each exercise is done for thirty seconds with ten seconds of rest in between exercises (this actually comes to more than 7 minutes but I guess it sounded cooler like that?). This kind of high intensity interval training has been shown to be great for you. The exercises are setup to work different muscle groups in rapid succession. The most common excuse for not exercising I hear is that people don't have time and since this can take less than ten minutes I think most people could fit it into their schedule.

Another great aspect of this routine is that it only requires a chair. I think the next biggest obstacle that keeps people from exercising is the cost of equipment and gym memberships. I myself have avoided joining a gym recently do to the high cost of all the gyms in my area. Also if for some reason you don't have a chair only two of the exercises in the routine require one and you may be able to find other objects to substitute for the chair if needed. This routine could easily be done in a hotel room or while traveling. It is always good to have an idea of an easy body weight routine you can employ if you want to exercise and can't get to the gym.

This workout is obviously targeted towards a person who is sedentary. This isn't a negative if it fits your current level of fitness but I would also imagine that this routine could become unchallenging in a short amount of time. If it serves the purpose of getting someone motivated to exercise again than that is all that matters. It would work to do more rounds of the routine but that also has limited potential. I couldn't imagine someone doing this for more than three rounds before they would get bored and the workout wouldn't be short then either.

I think the largest shortcoming of this routine is the lack of back exercises. I can understand why they are left out. The two most common and effective bodyweight exercises are pull ups and rows and both of those would require more equipment than just a chair. It is possible to do bodyweight rows with a table or two chairs but it is difficult to grip the edge of a table and chairs often lack the weight and balance to be safe to do a row with. Also most people who are sedentary would lack the strength to do pull ups and rows with proper form. A pull up bar and a chair can be used to build up strength until you are able to do pull ups without assistance but once again that requires more equipment which doesn't work with the concept of this routine.

Overall the 7 minutes research based workout is a great routine for a sedentary person to start getting back into shape. Quick simple routines that don't need much equipment and use bodyweight are an excellent starting point for most people who don't exercise. The lack of back exercises is the main flaw I find with this routine. A pull up bar is a small investment and pull ups and rows could easily be added in the routine. Exercise is very important and if you are short on time or have been putting in too many reps on the couch this could help you get back up on your feet and full of energy.

One last question though ... does anyone actually do crunchs anymore? (The abdominal crunch is exercise four in the routine if you haven't check it out yet).

Exercise Progress Update - April 2013 Edition

After returning from my trip home to the U.S. I decided to design and execute my own fitness routine. I wanted to keep it as simple as possible so I went with a full body routine following an  ABAB pattern (I've been doing this Monday, Wednesday, Friday). I've been tinkering it some throughout the month and I can't say that it is quite where I want it but overall I'm happy with it. Each workout consists of 5 pushing, 5 pulling, and 5 lower body exercises. I also have added in 2 to 3 sets of core work and 1 set of bridge work during every workout both of which I have been liberally borrowing from Convict Conditioning (which I may review here at some point).

Workout A

Pull - chin ups x 2, v pull ups, and close grip pull ups x 2

Push - pike press x 3 (I've been trying to work my way higher up the wall instead of just using a chair to put my feet on), diamond push ups x 2 (I was originally doing 1 set of diamond push ups and 1 set of wide grip push ups but I found that the wide grip push ups were not challenging enough)

Lower Body - pistol squats x 3, wall squats x 2 held for as long as possible

Core work - flat knee raises x 3

Bridge work - straight bridges x 1


Workout B

Pull - pull up x 2, wide grip pull ups x 2, close grip chin ups x 1

Push - dive bomber push ups x 3, military push ups x 2 (I originally had 1 set of incline push ups instead of 2 sets of military push ups but soon found the incline push ups weren't challenging enough)

Lower Body - 1 leg lunges x 3,  1 leg wall squats x 2 held as long as possible (I've tried other exercises here such as the body weight deadlift but haven't found an exercise I really like)


Core work - flat knee raises x 3

Bridge work - straight bridges x 1

On Tuesday and Saturday I have been doing modified Insanity workouts. I generally redo the first half of the video instead of the floor work with the push ups, ski abs, and burpees because I am already doing pushing exercises on other days. Thursday is consists of either yoga or stretching. When I do yoga I tend to try different routines I find on the internet or go back to yoga videos I already own like the P90X Yoga video. 

Overall I am happy with my current routine but I definitely feel there is room for improvement with it. As exercises become more simple I'm swapping them out for more challenging ones. I've also been thinking about moving all of the lower body work to the cardio days. I want to avoid overtraining and keep my workouts as focused as possible. For now the lower body work is staying put though. Later this week I'm off to Milan and will most likely be taking a week off from exercise but, I will be getting in plenty of walking!

P90X Review

I think everyone has heard about P90X but just in case you haven't

"P90X^® is a complete 90-day home fitness system designed to get you in the best shape of your life. Created by trainer Tony Horton, the program includes 12 intense workouts that use resistance and body-weight training, cardio, plyometrics, ab work, martial arts and yoga, along with a nutrition plan, fitness guide and workout calendar."


Wow .... Best shape of your life ... well I say - Bring it! That is a lofty claim and I'll discuss some my likes and dislikes of the program.

For the bare minimum to do the program you'll need a set of resistance bands with a door attachment.  Although not required I'd highly recommend investing in a pull up bar if you want the best results from the program. Pull ups are one of the two most effective resistance exercises for the back (rows are the other) and the resistance bands can't simulate the difficulty of the pull up. Most of the people on the dvds are using free weights and if you have an extensive set of dumbbells that will help your results with the resistance workouts. Most of the people on the dvd use push up bars but you could use a pair of hexagon dumbbells for a little extra depth. Definitely the most important thing you can buy is a pull up bar though.

Before I start with the review of the program it is important to address that the price is restrictive. At 120 dollars for many people this will be a serious investment.  Adding in the cost of resistance bands, push up bars, and a pull up bar will up the cost (just imagine if you bought a whole range of dumbbells!). Despite the high cost of the program if you hate going to the gym it will give you workouts you can do from home. I should mention that if you try and do any of the cardio routines in an apartment and your downstairs neighbors are home they will not be impressed.

The program is designed and led by the affable and slightly annoying Tony Horton. He is likable but after 90 days his jokes will become increasingly less funny. Every workout has three other people doing the routine and they show how to do different modifications of the exercises. This is helpful and makes it possible to get more out of the routines.

The program consists of 12 workouts one of which is the shorter Ab Ripper X. The other 11 workouts can be broken down into 5 resistance workouts, 3 cardio, 1 yoga, 1 active recovery stretching, and Core Synergistics which is a mix of resistance, cardio, and core work. Most of the workouts are very intense and can continue to be challenging but a couple fall short compared to the others.

The Chest and Back workout is made of mostly classic push and pull exercises consisting of variations on push ups, pull ups, and rows. This workout can continue to be challenging for most people and is a great upper body routine. This is one of my favorite workouts from the program. Back and Biceps and Chest, Shoulder, and Triceps are also challenging upper body workouts but, I do feel that there is just too much arm work. If you are concerned with the size and definition of your arms the isolation exercises performed are not going to help much. The best way to transform the arms are through heavy compound movements  such as bench press, row, and pull up variations. I'm not saying to completely avoid arm work on these days but, I don't think you need to do twelve sets of bicep curls.

This emphasis on arm work comes to a peak in the Shoulders and Arms video. I do feel that shoulders need plenty of work but as I mentioned before there is no need to work the arms as much as they are. This video feels like a waste to me and at a few seconds short of a full hour you'll be dedicating plenty of time on it. Also if like most people you don't have dumbbells at home the resistance bands just aren't going to cut it. If you were going to skip any of the resistance videos this would definitely be the one.

Legs and back is done in every week except for the recovery ones. This is one of the more challenging routines but it gets repetitive doing it so often. All of the back exercises are variations of pull ups. The legs are more of the focus in this routine. I think the biggest drawback of the video is that the leg exercises use mainly body weight since people are capable of putting on more muscle in the lower than the upper body with progressively heavier resistance. Only a few of the exercises use dumbbells and those can't be done with resistance bands. Despite the drawbacks this can be one of the more intense videos if you push yourself.

Many people's least favorite video of the program is Yoga X. From most complaints I've heard it is the length of the video people dislike and at an hour and a half I can understand that. If I'm in a hurry I will skip the balance postures and just do the first half of the video and then come back for some of the stretches and cool down at the end. This video will take many people out of their fitness comfort zone if they haven't done yoga and that is a good thing. Yoga is challenging for strength, balance, and endurance and it will help you improve in all of these areas. After the length of the video my main complaint would be that since the routine is done every week and three times on the recovery weeks it can become repetitive. Overall though it is a great routine and a very important part of the program.

Even the name of the Plyocide routine sounds intimidating and if you haven't done plyometrics before your joints and lungs should be afraid. This is by far the most intense of the cardio videos and it can definitely get the heart pounding. If you aren't able to do the exercises on the video and need to modify them you can still get a good workout but it won't be nearly the same. I've gotten much better at many of the moves but sometimes it does leave my joints aching. I do enjoy this video but I feel that it could do a better job of truly getting into the HIIT zone. If you can't perform this video there is also the option to do Cardio X.

Cardio X is a lighter version of plyometrics mixed with the martial arts moves of Kenpo X. If you are run down but still want to do some cardio then this is a good option. Also if you aren't feeling up to the other cardio routines this is an alternative workout. If you haven't done much cardio and are looking to build up your endurance this is also a good place to start. After a certain point of training this video won't be effective but it does serve its purpose to bridge the gap to the more difficult cardio routines.

Kenpo X is a martial arts and kickboxing themed cardio video. This video is done every week and is the last workout most weeks. Its timing as the last workout is good because it still gets you moving around but is low impact and not too strenuous. This can become a problem because as your endurance and athletic ability increases this video becomes less challenging. I personally don't enjoy the routine as I feel a bit silly jabbing and kicking at my imaginary air opponent and even though it keeps my heart rate up and steady it is difficult to really push my heart rate to its limit. I also don't like the warm up at the beginning and often feel my body isn't ready to go directly into some of the stretches. Despite my personal dislike of the video it does serve its purpose in the program and I do think many people would enjoy it.

If you are looking for a routine for active recovery or to do on the seventh day of your workout week then you have X Stretch. This isn't a workout but it can help to improve your future workouts by focusing on static and ballistic stretching. Often people over train and this video can help to prevent that by taking time to heal the body. If you want to burn calories this video won't help but it can assist in reaching your fitness goals.

In between the different phases you'll finding yourself doing the a full body workout called Core Synergistics. Even though this is a full body workout there isn't much emphasis on the back but since the back is trained so heavily on other weeks this can be a good break. This routine features many moves not found in the other workouts so it can be challenging. Despite being challenging I don't find this video very engaging. It at times just feels like all the exercises that didn't get fit into the other routines are mashed into this one. Although I don't care for this workout I do feel the weekly workout before the next phase where this routine is located is well timed and a productive change of pace.

I'm not sure if many people enjoy doing core or ab work and I don't think that Ab Ripper X is going to win over many devotes. Working the core is important but this video is fifteen minutes and done after the resistance routines which makes it difficult for me to find the motivation to do it. I'll sometimes go back later in the day but I rarely want to work abs after exercising for an hour and I feel that the extra fifteen minutes pushes many people past the amount of time they want to or can afford to work out. The video is challenging physically but even more challenging to actually find time to do.

Overall P90X is a challenging dvd workout program. If you are in decent shape and not sure what to do next then this is a great option. If you have a long term fitness plan though I'm not sure if this is the best direction to take. The program claims that you'll be in the best shape of your life after 90 days. I've been much stronger than this in the past and had better cardiovascular endurance but at separate times. So overall I am in the best shape of my life but, I know I am capable of accomplishing more then this program can give me. The best aspects one can take away from this program are to add pull ups, HIIT cardio, and yoga into your fitness routine. I can't give a blanket endorsement of P90X but for certain individuals it is just what you are looking for. 

Exercise Progress Update - March 2013 Edition

This has been a very different month for me and exercise. I spent two weeks visiting friends and family back in the U.S. and had to adapt my exercise schedule around my travels. Overall I was able to stay fairly active and still spend plenty of time with all the people I wanted to. I have limited access to weights at my home in the states. I own a small barbell with 50 and 25 pound plates and 30 and 15 pound dumbbells. There is also a chin up bar and some reasonably spaced kitchen counters for doing dips. I opted to do full body workouts to save time and limit the negative impact from not having different weights to chose from.

I wanted to do as many workouts as possible outside but overall the weather was wet and cold and the ground was muddy. Because of this I was only able to workout once outside which you can read about here. There isn't adequate space inside my home to workout with the barbell and I didn't want to scuff the wooden floors by picking up and putting down the barbell. My inside fully body workouts generally consisted of five sets of push and pull exercises for my upper body and five sets of leg work with some additional calf and hamstring sets.

My push sets consisted of body weight dips on the kitchen counter and shoulder work with the dumbbells. I would alternate between two and three sets of dips on different days doing as many reps as possible. I would fill in the rest of my push work with dumbbells doing overhead press, arnold press, upright rows, and lateral raises. I sometimes would do super sets consisting of maximum reps presses with the 30 pound dumbbells followed by alternating reps of upright rows and lateral raises with the 15 pound dumbbells. I enjoyed doing the dips because I don't have anywhere in my apartment in Germany to do them but, overall it wasn't a great workout.

The pull sets were divided between pull ups and rows. I would switch between doing three and two sets each workout for the exercises. I've definitely been enjoying pulls ups recently but I've also noticed that my progress hasn't increased much. I'm hoping that the dumbbell rows will help to break through my plateau. I would vary my grip on the rows and go for maximum reps because the 30 pound dumbbells aren't heavy enough for me. Much like the push sets I felt that my pull work was alright but lacking because of my limited selection of weights.

My leg sets were done with step back lunges, squats, goblet squats, stiff leg deadlifts, and calf raises. I quickly found that the two 30 pound dumbbells weren't enough weight for squats so I phased those out of my workout. I could have used more weight for the goblet squats also but I just went slow and made sure to get as low as possible in hopes of hitting some of weaker muscles that can be worked with deep squats. I was actually surprised that the step back lunges were so challenging with two dumbbells. I've never enjoyed doing lunges but they are an effective exercise. I also did stiff leg deadlifts to hit the hamstrings. Every workout I would also include one or two sets of calf raises depending on how I felt and the time I had available. I felt I got a better leg work in then my upper body work but it was also hindered by my limited selection of weights.

I'm glad I was able to consistently exercise while home but I definitely felt limited in what I was able to accomplish. I wanted to do as few body weight exercises as possible while home to change up my routine a little because I have been mainly focusing on body weight resistance while in Germany. I figured with only two weeks time it would be good to try something different and keep my workouts interesting. The wet and muddy weather kept me from doing any cardio while home besides just walking in the woods. If it was a bit drier I may have went for a run but I generally don't enjoy running and wanted to spend my time doing other things.

I'm taking a week off of exercise to give my body a rest during the last week of March before I start back in April. I'm currently planning on doing full body workouts three times a week using various body weight exercises. I'll also do one or two days of Insanity for cardio and one or two days of yoga. I'm looking forward to picking up where I left off before my travels.