Working Out with Neck Pain

A few weeks ago I tweaked my neck when working out, and I was pissed! I had to make some adjustments in the exercise routine in order to stay active and stay in the right head space. Here’s what I did:

Personalized the Workouts

• Unfortunately, I had to stop taking CrossFit classes, and instead, make some workouts for myself. I focused on lower body and abs, and chose exercises that were low-impact and low-weight. See below for some examples and a sample workout routine.

Walked Around the Neighborhood

• About as simple as it gets! The GF made sure I wasn’t flinging my body around doing a HIIT class, and instead, was strapping on the walking shoes and checking out some new areas of the neighborhood.

Stretched

• …and not just the morning get-out-of-bed-reach-arms-tall-to-wake-up stretch! Actually took this extra time to focus on a bit of hip and hamstring mobility, and I think it’s actually paying off.

Focused on Nutrition

• I ate salads and egg whites for 2 weeks straight… NOT! I dialed in the nutrition by paying close attention to my macronutrients (Fat, Carbs, Proteins), tracking what I ate using an app on my phone, and finding balance in my diet. Big advocate of balanced eating!

Had to finish on the nutrition bullet point so that I could use this pun again: Just some food for thought :)

Exercises (Legs & Abs):

• Air Squats (3 seconds down, 3 seconds up)
• Reverse Lunges
• Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts (the slower the better!… and also the harder)
• Leg Lifts (for the abdominabals)
• Windshield Wipers (for the side-facing abdominabals)
• Sample Workout Routine

Stretches (hips & hammies):

• Pigeon Stretch
• Duck Walk
• “Touch Your Toes”
• 90–90 Hip Stretch
• Butterfly Stretch

Exercises (neck & shoulders):

• Shoulder Rotations (forward & back)
• Head Turns (left/right)
• Head Tilts (up/down)
• Chin Tucks (double chin)
• Head Tilts (ear to shoulder)
• Head Tilts (weighted)