Have you ever been driving and instead of glancing over your shoulder - you had to turn/rotate your whole torso because your neck was tight/restricted?

Pains in the neck can be annoying and other times it can feel more serious. 

Disclaimer, I am not a doctor or physical therapist and I don't play one on the internet.  If your aches and pains require a professional - please go to one and get checked out.

For me 80% of the time not worries.  When mine has been a pest in the past, has been when I did a lot of presses (sometimes volume/sometimes max-ish).   

Retroactively I have had success in the past doing some type of SMR (video below) after the fact.  It was never immediate relief - but gradually felt better and better.  Watch the video below - it does feel great and I will occasionally add some sort of upper body SMR following presses because it feels good & I think it helps with recovery. 

So that's all fine and dandy most of the time.  But when I have gotten a stiff neck is sucks.  Your performance is diminished.  You might restrict certain movements or events because you don't want to delay the recovery time.  So how can you prevent it from happening.  Staying true to your form during exercise can help.  Practicing get-ups more frequently has helped me.  But I believe most of all has been neck mobility/range of motion drills. 

Now I will be the first to admit, they look a little silly.  In fact my wife busts into laughter every time she sees me doing them.  I was shown these drills by martial artists before I was a teenager (yes, long time ago), but I thought they were useless or silly myself.  Even a few years ago in a group setting the instructor had us do these as part of a warm-up drill.  But I thought I do warm-ups with weights - how could these help?  Plus the few times I did try them in the gym, every direction I turned my head, people would start making eye contact with me -it was weird.
 
Then one day when I was in the gym I met a guy that was in some version of special forces.  He traveled semi-often.  But every day he was in the gym he would start with these neck drills.  He did many more and would do them lying, kneeling, and standing.  So I asked him, "Why do you do those & so many of them?"  He said, "Because if my neck is stiff and tight, and my ability to move is limited; not only do I put my life in jeopardy - but I put every guy on my team in jeopardy."

Made sense to me.  So I started doing them before every pressing session.  And believe it or not - it helps well.  Normally I will do 10 in each direction.  If I need to I will add an extra set.  Give it a try before your next pressing session and see if you feel looser afterwards (video below).

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I wanted to build a deadlift platform.  But most of my tools didn't survive the coast to coast and back move(s).  I did a few DIY Deadlift platforms searches online to get some ideas.  Some where pretty fancy (welded steel) and some where pretty low-tech (un-screwed stacked plywood) -I think I picked a good middle ground.  My wood center piece on this one is a bit more narrow than most I found online.  I deadlift conventional so the 2 foot width has been fine for me.  Plus I only had to cut the horse stall matt in half (1 cut) in lieu of trimming it twice -which would have needed to be done if the wood center piece was 3 feet (which was a common width I found online).   

Supply List
Home Depot
(3) 4'x8' OSB
(1) box of screws (1.25" deck screws)
(1) 2'x4' cabinet grade board 3/4" thick
(1) stain
(1) clear sealer


Tractor supply
(1) 4'-6' Horse Stall mat 3/4" thick
*These are not all created equal.  I read mixed reviews online.  Some said the mats where great; others said they were terrible.  My experience I went to 1 location a got a great mat.  I went to a different location to get a second mat, had a different experience.  Second mat seemed to be of a lesser quality material.  Had a different appearance & texture.  This second mat also had a strong odor that overpowered the workout space.  My advice if you don't like what you see - try a different location. 

Misc optional:
(1) left over webbing from a broken ratchet strap
(1) moving blanket
(1) Gorilla wood glue
(12-24) roofing nails [if you use the moving blanket for a bottom]

**If you do not add the Misc optional components you can skip past picture 4 to the "Not pictured" section where you will line up and screw together all 3 OSBs.

Added the webbing for handles because wanted to be able to move the platform around without having to have to take it apart or need to get help.   
Originally added the moving blanket to the bottom because the flooring is tile and wanted to protect the tile from getting scratched up.  Bonus the moving blanket helps slide the platform when moving it around by yourself (doesn't move around when loaded or just bumped into).

Picture 1:

1. Cut the Webbing into 4 equal pieces.
2. Measure from corner 8.5" & 13.5" (those are the center line of my handles, did this from all 4 width corners).  The handle loop is 11" long (that is what is exposed).  Tapped them in place for a temporary hold. 
   
3. Apply the glue to the top surface of the OSB.

Picture 2:

1. Put the 2nd OSBoard on top of the bottom one.
2. Load it up and let it sit (this one set for 24 hours).  

Picture 3:

1. Flip platform over.
2. Stretch moving blanket (used kettlebells to temporally pin down and stretch).

Picture 4:

1. Nail along outside perimeter (every 6" to 10" as needed).
   
2. If needed tape &/or nail joint (moving blanket wasn't long enough, needed to add an extra piece).
   

Not pictured:

1. Flip current platform over (2 OSBs glued together) so moving blanket side is down.
2. Place the 3rd OSB on top of the other 2. 
3. Use the 1.25" deck screws and screw all 3 OSBoards together.  This one is screwed around the outside perimeter every 6" to 8 ".  Not too close to the edge or it will splinter off. 
   
4. If you add the handles it would be a good idea to add a few screws at the handle lines:  Measured from corner 8.5" & 13.5" (from each of the width corners).
   

Picture 5:

1. Cut the horse stall mat in half, so both will be 4' x 3'.
   

Picture 6:

1. Put the 2 mats on each end of the 3 OSB platform with the plywood in the middle.
2. Make sure everything lines up well.
3. Screw the horse stall mats down with the deck screws.  On this platform, for each of the horse stall matt sections:  used 3 screws on the outside width, 4 screws for front, 4 screws back, 0 screws for the edge that butts up to plywood.
   

Sneak Peek.  Center wood unfinished.  Originally was going to try to create some sort of art work or my initials - but due to the fact that in school, I took art appreciation and not art skills- decided to stain the wood in lieu of messing it up with my lack of art skills. 

Picture 7:

1. Slide the center wood out (it wasn't screwed in)
2. Go somewhere well ventilated to stain.  This one is dark you could go lighter.  This one is 2 coats with 24 or 48 hours of drying between coats.
   
3. After your stain is to your liking slap on a clear coat.
   

P.S. You may need to sand or prep your wood.  This one was not prepped.  Also read the instructions for your stain and clear coat. 

Picture 8:
Here we are finished product.  Because I did not have the correct drill bit to countersink the screws and didn't want to mess up the wood -  did not screw the center board down.  It will slide out, if you slide it out.  But standing on it, it stays in place.
Thought about painting the front of the OSBoards black, but didn't think it was worth the trouble.  Maybe if we move I'll do it.   

How easy it is to move around by yourself (the video below).

Always Get Better Stronger

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‪#‎likeus‬ on facebook Always Get Better Stronger

If you are interested in:

• Online personal training


• Personalized strength program pdf


• In person training in the Dallas/Fort Worth area

email me at:
alwaysgetbetterstronger@gmail.com