"This Hurts My Neck"....How To Reframe This Common Complaint

"This hurts my neck".....is this you when you’re doing exercises lifting your head and shoulders off the floor?

I find this is one of the most common barriers that I come across when teaching people the floor mat exercises.

Some ways that I USED to address this in the past included....

"No worries - we can just not do it"
"Always keep your head on the ground for this one"
"It's because your head isn't in the right position"
"It's because your Abs aren't strong enough yet"

Now looking back I can see that all of these responses do a couple of things....

It teaches us that the uncomfortable sensation you are experience in you neck is to be avoided at all costs.
It also blames yourt position or strength for "not getting it right".

Both of these things are pretty disempowering.

These days I address this comment from a few different angles....

1. Load tolerance

Yep - it feels pretty uncomfortable to hold your head up off the ground for extended periods of time! Your head is full of brains and is really heavy! If I had to hold 5kg out at the end of my arm for a long time my arm would get sore as well!

Part of what you're feeling is your neck not being used to doing that job yet of holding the weight of your skull.
It's totally ok to let that be the limiting factor to how long you are in that position for.

As we move forward see if you can stay up there for a little bit longer each time and gradually over time your tolerance to that position will increase!

2. Position

Yes there will be different positions of the head and neck that might feel more, or less, uncomfortable. One's not better or worse, they are just different based on our anatomy. Play around with them and see what you can discover about your body. You'll likely find one that helps you to feel more powerful and connected...stick with it.

3. Strength & endurance

Yes your strength and endurance will play a part in how this feels.
With more strength you'll be able to lift the weight of your head, neck and shoulders more easily, and with endurance you'll be able to stay there longer. 
Your neck can get stronger just like your abs can....they'll be working together with the rest of your body to make these shapes happen!

Remember - With anything that involves discomfort you are the boss of your own body....only YOU can make decisions about how much is too much.

But....as a general conversation we want to start playing with the idea that discomfort isn't alway bad....if it's tolerable to explore then often that's where some big changes might be found. 

AOK