Yes, You Need to Exercise Your Neck if You’re a Cyclist
These neck exercises will enhance your ability to look around while you’re riding and stave off posture fatigue. Plus, they can do double-duty as powerful neck-pain prevention.
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After I wrote a story about increasing the range of motion of our necks to be able to better turn our heads and look behind us while we’re riding, I got a bunch of emails from readers saying that the topic resonated with them.
And that got me thinking about necks. About all we put them through during our modern day-to-day lives of looking down at various technologies, sleeping funny, bad posture, and just overall neglect. And how that leads to problems. Problems like pain, loss of flexibility and mobility, and worsening posture over time that can even affect our mood.
After all that, we then expect them to hold our heads up while we’re in the riding position for hours and hours and be able to look around freely on top of it.
If you think about it, that’s a lot to ask of the seven little vertebrae that make up our cervical spine.
“There’s another thing we must also pay attention to and maintain, and that’s strength”
Some of the super effective ways we can counteract some of these stressors we put on our poor little necks is by releasing trigger points and stretching. But there’s another thing we must also pay attention to and maintain, and that’s strength. Specifically, the strength of the muscles in our necks that we use when we ride.
To that end, check out these three super-effective moves below. They even include what I call “sneaky core work” — moves that involve recruiting and strengthening our core through the course of any given exercise. One of the benefits of doing these exercises on a stability ball is to sneak core stabilisation work into the move, which will translate to better stability and balance on the bike.
Be sure to read through the tips at the bottom, because there are some super important things to pay attention to while you perform these exercises.
The Moves
1. Neck Extender on Stability Ball
Reps: 5-10
Trevor Raab
Why Do It
Your neck extender muscles on the back of your neck are the workhorses of holding your head up when you’re in a cycling posture. This move keeps them up to the task.
How to Do It
Kneel in front of a stability ball and rest your chest on the highest point of the ball, and your neck extended. Engage your core and glutes to stabilise. Start with your chin tucked towards your chest. Then, in a slow and controlled manner, extend your neck and raise your head until it’s in a similar position as it would be while you’re riding. Slowly lower back down to the starting position. This is one rep. Perform 5-10 reps. Perform this movement at a 3-second count tempo.
2. Neck Flexor on Stability Ball
Reps: 5-10
Trevor Raab
How to Do It
Lie with your upper torso on the stability ball with the ball’s highest point underneath your shoulder blades. With your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Engage your glutes and core and lift your hips to the same height as your shoulders. Maintain this solid bridge position throughout the exercise. In a slow and controlled manner, curl your chin to your chest, then slowly lower back down until your neck is neutral. This is one rep. Perform 5-10 reps. Avoid dropping your head back towards the ball and perform this movement at a 3-second count tempo.
3. Side Neck Lift on Stability Ball
Reps: 5-10
Trevor Raab
Why Do It
This move strengthens a muscle that’s heavily involved in turning your head while you’re riding, an essential ability for any cyclist riding both on the road and off.
How to Do It
Lie on your left side on a stability ball, with your lower arm draped over it and the left hand on the floor. Engage your core and make sure your body is straight from head to feet. Bend right arm and touch your fingers to the temple. Start with your left ear close to the left shoulder. In a slow and controlled manner, lift your head as far toward your right ear as possible. Then lower back down to the left shoulder. Make sure you are keeping your neck straight with good posture when performing this exercise. This is one rep. Repeat for 5-10 reps. Perform this movement at a 3-second count tempo.
Trainer Tips
Take a moment to stabilise yourself on the stability ball for activating your core before you start the move. You want to perform the neck exercises from a stable place. It’s possible that this may need to be mastered prior to adding the moves themselves.
Make sure to use a stability ball that is fully inflated—the ball should be as firm as a blown-up beach ball
Perform these movements slowly, ideally a 3-second tempo, which means it takes three seconds to lift and three seconds to lower. (I’m repeating this here because of how important it is).
Make sure you have clearance from your physician or chiropractor before you start these exercises, especially if you have a history of neck pain or injury. Stop doing the move if you feel any dizziness.
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