WODdoc Episode 111 Project365: Sitting Bar Mash For Your Neck

October 21, 2014 11:58 pm

When doing a blog day-in and day-out there is bound to be a mistake. It took 111 episodes but today we had a little technical glitch. It seems there is no sound. Nope… I mean, there is no sound. Thanks ok because, often times when one sense is taken away it enhances the others. We may not have my ramblings (which I am quite upset about because I said some funny comments, let me tell ya!) but, we have picture. So just play close attention with your EYES.

What we were talking about today was the scalene muscles. Independently this set of muscles is responsible for various lateral bending movements in the neck. Similar the SCM we discussed several episodes ago, during normal respiration the scalenes are dormant but, during forced respiration they are heavily recruited to help raise the chest cavity. Thus these muscles can fall subject to the same fate as the SCM. Burnt out and barking after long periods of heavy breathing.

Here is the step by step for self care.

1. Set up a weighted bar at approximately bench press height. (maybe a little higher).

2. Place a bench underneath.

3. Make sure there is enough room so you can sit on the bench and slouch under the bar.

4. Shimmy under the bar in a slouched position setting the bar as high as possible on your upper trap.

5. Grab the end of the bench with the hand that is under the bar.

6. Straight up posture applying pressure to your trap and scalenes.

7. Laterally flex neck away from the bar building tissue tension.

8. Rotate head 30 degrees toward and 30 degrees away from the bar.

9. Increase lateral flexion as needed to keep tissue tension.

10. Complete 15 reps in each direction then switch sides.