Q:  I have been spending a lot of time on the computer lately. I have noticed that my neck is really starting to bother me, and I am starting to get headaches as well. What exercises can I do to avoid these aches and pains?

A:  This is a very common problem and one that is usually due to poor body positioning and/or weakness of the shoulder and neck muscles. Strong shoulders and upper back muscles actually help to take pressure off of the neck and help maintain the head and neck in an anatomically ideal position.

The first step in avoiding chronic neck pain involves assessing the position that you are in while at your desk or computer. The elbows should be at a 90 degree angle with the work station so your hands can work with minimal involvement of the arm muscles.

Next, is the position of the shoulders. Anything that causes you to round your shoulders forward will put excessive strain on the neck. If you find that your shoulders are rounding forward while you sit at work, here are 2 simple exercises that will help to counteract this posture:

1)  The first exercise involves developing the latissimus dorsi muscles, which are located along the lower side ribs and mid back area. One way to strengthen these muscles is by performing an exercise that pulls weight against resistance from above your head, such as a Total Gym Lat Pull Down (see the exercise here). The idea is to train your shoulder muscles to be pulled down, away from your ears while at rest.

2)  The second exercise involves recruiting your back muscles, including the rhomboids, teres major and minor, to help keep your shoulders back and down away from your ears.  You can recruit these muscles by squeezing your shoulder blades together and holding that position for 30 seconds, or perform Pull-ups on Total Gym. Try this exercise by visiting http://www.totalgym.com/c-18-upright-prone.aspx and click on the “Pull-up” video.

If you do 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions of these exercises 3-4 days a week, that is all you need to develop healthy posture and avoid neck pain.

Find more Total Gym Back and Shoulder Exercises by visiting the NEW Exercises section of Total Gym.com at www.totalgym.com/exercises. You can search for exercises by Body Position here: http://www.totalgym.com/c-7-back.aspx.

Remember:  Avoid any exercise that requires you to push weight up and over your head, which could develop your trapezius muscles that sit high up on your shoulders and can aggravate your neck pain.

In addition, any type of stretching, range of motion or yoga exercises can help to relax your neck as well to increase your flexibility. Of course, if you are not sure of the cause of your neck pain or headaches, or if you have weakness or numbness of your hands or arms, consult your doctor as there may be more to the issue than just neck strain.

In the meantime, continue to use your Total Gym, consulting with a personal trainer or physician along the way, to ensure you are doing the exercises properly.

Keep working hard at staying well and healthy!

Until next time,

Elizabeth Salada, MD

Dr. Salada is board certified in Internal Medicine and has been in practice in San Diego since 1996. She attended medical school at Wake Forest University where she received high honors in Family Practice and Internal Medicine. Her final training was obtained from Pennsylvania State University where she completed her residency in Internal Medicine. Visit Dr. Salada’s website for more information: http://elizabethsaladamd.com/. 

Healthy posts from “Fytness Fanatik” Amanda Lynn Hare!

Total Gym Inside blog contributor Amanda Lynn Hare has been a Total Gym user since 1998. Amanda Lynn is here to share her enthusiasm for healthy, fit and fun living.

Today, Amanda Lynn demos her favorite Total Gym Shoulder & Squat Combinations for a fast, effective strength & cardio blast!

Perform 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps of the following exercises:

* Squats with Shoulder Shrugs

* Squats with Shadow Boxing

* Calf Squats with Parallel Arm Flex

* Calf Squats with Shadow Boxing

* Singe Leg Calf Squats with Parallel Arm Flex

To help counteract the calorie-laden Thanksgiving meal, we’ve put together a full-body Total Gym “Fit Before Feasting” workout! Warning:  Feeling this good may cause you to make healthier food choices come turkey time!

Try to complete 10-15 reps of each exercise demonstrated below in 2-3 sets.

Cardio Pull - A great compound exercise to warm up the upper and lower body.
Cardio Pull

[Unhook cable pulleys from glideboard]

Squat Progressions - From single to double leg, to plyometric squats. You’ll feel the burn! Squat Progressions

[Attach cable pulleys to glideboard]

Flys and Curls - Sit laterally to perform single art chest flys and bicep curls.
Seated Lateral_Single Arm Chest Fly-Lateral Biceps CurlsAdvanced Cable Work – High-level progressions for shoulders, arms, chest and back, with recruitment of core stabilizers. Advanced Upper Body Cable Sequence

[Detach cable pulleys from glideboard and add/engage foot holder]

Hamstrings and Abdominals - Get an optimal stretch and flexion for hamstrings, while maximizing abdominal involvement
Upper Extremity Progressions

[Remove/disengage foot holder]

Sprinter Start – Explosive leg exercises that mimic a sprinter’s start to torch calories!
Sprinter Start

Total Gym GTS and PowerTower video

Visit TotalGym.com for an overview of all our products.  For more great exercises and videos check out GRAVITYClubhouse.com.

Our mystery guest is none other than Todd Durkin, founder of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, named one of the “Top 10 Gyms” in the U.S. by Men’s Health.

Todd is a recognized performance coach, personal trainer and motivational speaker with a heavy-hitting client roster that includes NFL players Drew Brees, Kellen Winslow and LaDainian Tomlinson as well as Tim Stauffer of the San Diego Padres and Olympic snowboarding champ Shaun White.

Todd has trained the best and now you get his exclusive Total Gym Insider Training Tips only on this blog!

This week Todd shows you some of his favorite exercises on Total Gym PowerTower, which is included in many of his pro athletes’ training regimens.

NEXT WEDNESDAY we’ll reveal Todd’s Total Gym Insider Tip #2. Todd’s second video features his favorite mix of heart-racing, calorie-torching bodyweight resistance training exercises that you can do at home.

Get your copy of Todd’s new book The IMPACT! Body Plan on store shelves now. Visit http://www.todddurkin.com/impact.html for details and retail locations.

Our mystery guest is none other than Todd Durkin, founder of Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, named one of the “Top 10 Gyms” in the U.S. by Men’s Health.

Todd is a recognized performance coach, personal trainer and motivational speaker with a heavy-hitting client roster that includes NFL players Drew Brees, Kellen Winslow and LaDainian Tomlinson as well as Tim Stauffer of the San Diego Padres and Olympic snowboarding champ Shaun White.

Todd has trained the best and now you get his exclusive Total Gym Insider Training Tips only on this blog!

This week Todd shows you some of his favorite exercises on Total Gym PowerTower, which is included in many of his pro athletes’ training regimens.

NEXT WEDNESDAY we’ll reveal Todd’s Total Gym Insider Tip #2. Todd’s second video features his favorite mix of heart-racing, calorie-torching bodyweight resistance training exercises that you can do at home.

Get your copy of Todd’s new book The IMPACT! Body Plan on store shelves now. Visit http://www.todddurkin.com/impact.html for details and retail locations.

I wanted to briefly recap my rehab for my left ankle, which started with exercises on Total Gym, as you’ve seen, including lots of stretching of the ankle and calf for that ever-shrinking left calf. Today, I incorporated vibration training on Total Gym Zen Pro, one of the new Vibration Training Platforms. First thing I noticed was the added ankle flexibility while squating on the platform. It was a nice feeling doing calf raises while on the Zen Pro and I felt a nice loose sensation in my lower body. More to come on my vibration training…

Enjoy the video and your weekend!
Tom C

Always consult your doctor or rehabilitation specialist before performing Total Gym exercises if you are injured or recovering from an injury.

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One of the best upper body exercises is the pull -up, but not many people are able to do them using their full body weight.

Total Gym allows you to unload your body weight using the incline plane so you can do higher-repetitions of pull-ups that you can’t do on a static pull-up bar in the weight room.  Do these exercises with your Three-Grip Pull-Up Bar attachment for your Total Gym 14000 or 26000 (for Total Gym XLS accessories click here), or your Total Gym GTS or PowerTower model with folding LAT bars.

Check it out!

Tom

Always consult your doctor or rehabilitation specialist before performing Total Gym exercises if you are injured or recovering from an injury.