Building a Strong Neck By Chris Gorden
Whether it’s Freestyle, Greco, or Folkstyle a wrestler with strong neck muscles can have many competitive advantages which include: good head positioning, a solid neck bridge, gut wrench/leg lace turns, and concussion reduction. Neck strength will build naturally from being on the mat as every wrestling conditioning program incorporates neck strength development. Strength and power gains in the upper back and neck muscles help a wrestler maintain head position, reduce the susceptibility of a snap down front headlock, and allows for a stronger 5th post, along with many other competitive advantages.
Personally, I believe good neck strength also helps a wrestler maintain their composure with head pressure; sometimes not being rattled and being able to focus on the task at hand can make all the difference in a match. A wrestler can also find advantages in winning positions such as finishing a gut wrench or winning head position with a two on one, or underhook. When a wrestler focuses on building a strong neck during, in and off seasons, concussion risks can be reduced along with the turnaround post concussion.
Below are a few examples one can add to an existing program or use to develop a new program.

Exercise	Target Muscles
Lat Pulldown	Trapezius,Teres Minor
Seated Cable Rows	Rear Deltoid,Trapezius
Single Arm Dumbbell Rows	Trapezius,Rhomboid, Sternocleidomastoideus
Barbell Bent Over Rows	Trapezius,Rhomboid,Teres Major/Minor
T Bar Rows	Deltoid Posterior,Trapezius,Splenius, Infraspinatus
Deadlift	Scalene,Trapezius,Splenius, Sternocleidomastoideus
DB Shrugs	Trapezius,Levator Scapulae,Rear Deltoids
Barbell Shrugs	Trapezius Middle/Inferior/Superior,Minor
Banded Upright Rows	Teres Minor/Major,Deltoids,Trapezius

External resistance exercises can also be modified using Tubing, TRX, Kettlebells, Landmine exercises, Sandbags and more; variations can be applied for progression, undulation, or injury management. Traditional Olympic lifts, Clean and Jerks, Snatches and all derivatives to include Power Clean and Power Snatch, greatly benefit a wrestler’s overall neck strength.
Building a strong neck can also benefit an athlete’s back squat; one key coaching point I try to emphasize to each wrestler is to create a “shelf” with their trap muscles by expanding their chest and retracting their shoulders. This helps to activate the trapezius muscles and adds a layer of protection between the barbell and the cervical vertebrae. Many of us who learned how to lift heavy back squats in the 80’s and 90’s without trapezius protection, tend to have inflamed cervical vertebrae years later from having a heavy barbell directly on the neck. Strengthening neck muscles can be a good preventative measure along with using a trap pad or towel between the neck and barbell. It is also a good practice to maintain neutral spine positioning and avoid rotating the neck when lifting.

Workout 1 Load/ Stabilization	Workout 2 Strength	Workout 3 Power
12-25 Reps 2-3 sets 50-70% Intensity	1-12 Reps 3-6 sets 70-100% Intensity	1-10 Reps 3-6 sets 30-45% one Rep Max Intensity
½ Kneeling Band Single Arm Scapular Pulls x12 ea	Close Grip Lat Pull Down x12 or Pull Ups @60% Max Effort	DB Shrugs (left, right, both =1 rep) x10
Band High Pull x20	KB High Pull x12	BB Rack Pulls x5
Band Face Pull x15	DB Rear Delt Flys x12	DB Snatch x5ea
Plate Bus Drivers x12ea	BB Behind Neck Press x10	BB Power Clean x5
Small Plate or TRX I’Y’T’s x12	BB Deadlift x8	Banded single arm Lat Pulldown x6ea
DB Single Arm Rows Bench Supported x15ea	BB Bent Row x8	T Bar Rows x8
DB Shrugs x20	BB Shrugs x12	KB Single Arm Swings x8ea
Rest 0-1 min 30 seconds	Rest 45 seconds to 5 min	Rest 3-5 min

This program can be modified for beginner, intermediate, and advanced wrestlers. Each workout can be run as a circuit or be set based. If you run a weight room with varied skill levels, you can pair the newer wrestlers and those who are returning from injury or time off, to complete workout one, and the more experienced wrestlers with workout two, all while ensuring the entire weight room stays on a 4-6 week training cycle. Cycle Two introduces the newer wrestlers to Workout Two’s movements while keeping their training loads at 65-70% Intensity. More experienced wrestlers can continue with 90-100% Intensity, but with longer rest periods. During the final weeks all athletes can be combined for Cycle Three with the loads being lighter for an explosive tempo.
This program can cover a solid 4-5 months of trapezius development and, with a 3-4 month long high school season, it gives a lot of wiggle room to blend into both team and individual training throughout the year; you can follow this program one to two times per week, maximum, with mat time factored in. You can also use resistance bands for lateral movement of the neck, but it’s recommended you don’t perform any neck rotations with external resistance due to risk of injury. Open communication with your wrestler’s strength coach, athletic trainer, and/or physician in regards to training outside of the team’s program (ex. club team conditioning workouts, physical therapy, personal training programs) can be helpful in ensuring the athlete isn’t overtraining targeted muscle groups in season or in the offseason.
Chris Gorden (775)342-9564 cgorden0117@gmail.com