Learn From The Turtle

Turtles for the most part have the longest life capacity than the majority of the animal kingdom. They can live up to as long as over 150 years old, that's insane. So how can we learn from the Turtle? Let's face it the most famous Turtles are the fictitious Teenage Mutant Ninja variety where you have 4 heroes in a half shell kicking butt and eating pizza. Although we focus on the cartoon aspect of Turtles and the story of the Tortoise & The Hare, Turtles have phenomenal things to teach us.

They have patience like you wouldn't believe, his home is literally a shell and it is consistently moving its neck. A Turtle's neck is something we don't always pay attention to but it is very powerful in a unique way. It has been written that some Turtles use their necks to snap up prey. Ever heard the phrase "Sticking Your Neck Out"?

As humans one of the most exposed body parts next to the arms is our necks; some have a thin neck, others very thick, some so big you can't tell if they have a neck or not. George F. Jowett once wrote "In men and the other male beasts, the neck has always been the true indication of a quality and quantity of his concentrated nerve power. A strong healthy man always has a powerful neck, and he always will have one.” Our necks are the line between our brains and the back, they connect to the spinal cord and have that electrical stimuli that helps us function in the nerves for movement. When that area is compromised in a severe way, it can paralyze us for life. It is important to train the neck accordingly so it can protect us from possible incredible injuries.

You don't have to have a neck the size of Mount Rushmore but if you want a powerful one, train it to a degree where it doesn't overstate your comfort levels and becomes painful. It can be discomforting while training the neck in specific ways but it never should be to the point of pain. Off and on for nearly 13 years, I have trained my neck to the point where I have never had a severe injury and this is from falling back onto my head & kicking over/back, bent spikes in the wrestler's bridge, moving my neck in a headstand, landing awkwardly playing sports, lifting heavy weight and others.

Train your neck doing various exercises that have calming effects but also ones that are a bit more vigorous like bridging, bridging gymnastics and so on. Now I will tell you this, bridging is the greatest form of neck training there is period, but it isn't meant for everyone, there are ways to train that area and still make it mighty strong. Most of them can be done standing, laying down or sitting in a chair. My personal favorites are doing isometrics and dynamic movements for the neck in multiple directions and angles. A more calming form of neck training that can be used for those over 40 and those who have no intention on doing any form of bridging is what's called Neck Chi Kung:

A style of Chi Kung where you move the neck using breathing techniques in various stages of movement. This is not meant to be done fast paced or rushed; it is very calming, relaxed and moving in a comfortable fashion. As you gain strength and flexibility, you'll move in a greater range of motion and learn a pressure point technique and massage method for the neck that feels amazing. Sign Up at Matt Furey's Furey Faithful Website to get the complete method of this program and literally tons of Special Reports, Books, Videos, Workouts & more on Health, Exercise, Meditation & Healthy Eating. 

If you're a more ambitious person that wants the strongest neck possible and snap up on prey like the mighty Turtle, grab Logan Christopher's Advanced Bridging Course. Learn the real methods of building a neck through stages of exercises that progress into more difficult exercises like the one exercise that made the legendary wrestler/strongman George Hackenshmidt have one of the strongest necks around.

Last one I will give you is a link to a program many athletes use especially those in Combat Sports like MMA, Rugby, Football, Wrestling & Hockey called the Neck Flex by the man who is known as "The Man With The World's Strongest Neck", Mike Bruce. A former marine and grappler that has taken neck training that literally less than a handful of people possess knowledge of and has strength 99.9% of the planetary population can't even match. Learn from this guy and he'll take your neck conditioning to a level that your competitors wouldn't dare want to think about. He is that awesome.