Neck exercises (neck-xercises) for gamers

If there’s one thing gaming and desk jobs have in common, it’s encouraging poor sitting posture. It’s practically an epidemic; so many of us are hunching forward for hours, staring at a bright screen, and putting severe stress on our spines. It can lead to pain, back stiffness, spine dysfunction, degeneration of joints, attractiveness and many other conditions.

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After years of suffering from a terrible posture, these were the first signs that I started to feel them. When I lay on my back I felt like my spine was in a knot. As I always slept curled up and spent my days hunched over a keyboard, my spine wasn’t used to me laying down flat! Also, I began to notice the effects on my standing posture. It seemed like my head was a bit too forward. It looked “off.” My neck muscles felt weak after years of leaning my head forward.

I decided I’d try to practice maintaining good posture while gaming, but I inevitably and subconsciously slipped back into a hunch. I had to resort to extreme measures.

That’s how I discovered something I like to call “neck-xercise.” It’s exactly what it sounds like. Using your head’s weight, and slow, steady progression, you can strengthen your neck and keep it upright, with great posture, much more easily. If you’re interested in making some gamer gains, here are two great exercises.

The standard head-lift

This exercise is easy to do at home, or at the gym.

You just need something comfortable and flat to lie on, that doesn’t allow your head to hang off of the edge. While a solid bed is fine, you might prefer a flat surface such as a table or bench. But a gym bench may be more convenient.

With your head completely unsupported from the edge of your bed, lay on your back and slowly lower your head. Then, lift your chin into a slight chin-tuck. This should be repeated as many times as possible, with a goal of 30. You should aim to perform three sets as many times as you can in as little time as possible, but no more than 30.

You can perform three sets of 30, with only your head weight. Then you can increase your exercise weight. You should add 0.25 pounds in small increments. We’ll discuss how to add and support this weight in a moment.

Face-down raise

We’ll be doing the same thing as before, but face down. We’re training the other side of the neck with this.

Keep your head slightly off the edge. Slowly lower your head to a hang position. Then, align your head with your body by bringing your head back into alignment. Don’t try to raise your head back much farther. Normal standing alignment is what we’re going for. Three sets of 30 reps is the goal. This high-volume exercise, but light in weight, should be your aim.

Add weight

When training your neck, it’s imperative to play it safe and take things slow. It’s important to remember that neck damage can have profound effects, but it’ll be fine if we relax and ease into things.

To do the classic head-up, you can place a towel directly on top of your forehead. To create friction and protect the weight, place a towel on your forehead. Hold the weight of 0.25 pounds on your forehead and gently pull it towards you. Continue to hold this grip.

For the face-down raise, we’ll do a similar thing. You can place the towel or weight on your back and use your hands to hold it in place. Then, go about your normal routine.

How neck-xercise can benefit you

This helped me support my neck for the next few days. It was much easier to keep a good posture while gaming, even subconsciously.

A few people also believe that training your neck to make it thicker can increase your physical attractiveness. I’ll leave you to form your own opinions, but it seems convincing enough.

According to my experience, there is also a decrease in muscle tension, improved posture, and a greater ability to stand straight.

My posture has improved dramatically. My presence seems to be more apparent in those I see. I have always felt somewhat invisible, hunched down. Perhaps it’s purely mental, but confidence is mental! Also, I felt inspired to slowly start neck training and increase my exercise. Perhaps most importantly, my gaming habits are far healthier too, and playing for ages doesn’t stress my back anywhere near as badly as it did before.

At the very least, it’s worth a shot; then you can decide whether neck-xercise works for you!