Project Neck Case Study Eight Week Results

Project Neck Case Study Eight Week Results

Posted by intelligentexerciserx

Eight Weeks Of Training On The Pendulum 5 Way Head And Neck Machine
Ralph Cornwell is a Ph.D. candidate in health promotion/human performance at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Prior to pursuing his Doctoral Degree he was a collegiate strength coach

Ralph finished a pilot study on head and neck training.  The purpose is building a training model for force dissipation by increasing the circumference of the head and neck musculature.  Dissipation of force from contact will lower concussive forces and protect the athlete during play.

Most Improvement in 8 weeks

4 inch circumference increase in upper neck,
3 3/4 inch circumference change in lower neck
53. 5 pound increase in head and  neck extension
49.5 pound increase in flexion
140 lb increase in parallel grip row
261 lb increase in levator scapula/ shoulder girdle elevation barbell movement

Least  Improvement in 8 weeks

1.5 inch increase in circumference upper neck
2.5 inch increase in circumference in lower neck
125 pound increase in parallel grip row
47.5 pound increase in neck extension
44 pound increase in head and neck flexion
215 pound increase in levator scapula/ shoulder girdle elevation barbell movement



Keep in mind, the speed of movement used was 3-4 second concentric 4-5 second eccentric, there was a pause in the contracted position of 1 second or the rep was not counted.  Over the weeks of the study the form became better and the weight increases continued steadily without compromising the strictest of technique required.


WE MUST PROTECT THE ATHLETE!

Project Neck- The Female Study

Project Neck- The Female Study
According to a study published in the Journal of Athletic Training in 2007, female high school athletes suffered almost 40 percent more concussions than males did. It estimated that female players suffer about 29,000 concussions annually with boys suffering 21,000.

A new study to be published in the Journal of Athletic Training found that in high school soccer, girls sustained this type of head trauma 68 percent more often than boys. Female concussion rates in high school basketball were almost three times higher then boys and the girls took longer to return to play.

When there is an Epidemic in The United States we don’t just inoculate one section of the population we give the antidote to all that need it. In light of research and just common sense our female athletes need to be protected.

Because of physiological differences, women do not have to worry about getting ‘huge’ necks, but they can become very strong. The physics of kinetic energy dissipation applies to females as well as men. The female athlete can protect herself by strengthening the musculature around the cervical spine.







Their  training is not dissimilar then the men who train theirs. They train  the flexor, extensors and trapezius muscles that allow for increased neck stiffness and high performance moves on the playing field.




Project Neck- The female Study examines the changes both anatomically and morphologically, when resistance training is introduced.








The female subjects will follow the same protocol of their male counterparts used in Project Neck earlier this year.










Females Can Get Strong

Weight Room Charts Send The Wrong Message To Athletes

5 pounds x 10= 75 pounds
225 pounds + 75 pounds = 300 pound max
Once a value is assigned to the repetition based upon the study, in this case 0.0333,  a ‘Weight Lifting Percentage Chart’ is constructed for the general population.

To use the chart a weightlifter simply finds his or her maximum along the left side.  The weight to workout with is taken from the chart based on the percentage and repetitions they are asked to utilize in their workout plan.
Sample of an athletes instructions from the Coach…
Today we are going to use 75% of our maximum for 10 reps, then 85% of our maximum for 6 reps and 90% for 4 on the bench press.  The above chart tells you the weight you should be working out with based on your individual max to Get Strong.
The athlete with a 270 max chooses…
75% – 205 x 10
85% – 230 x 6
90% – 245 x 4
Exactly what these percentages really mean to the muscle tissue is a huge question.  Weight Charts can be used as guides, yet to be accurate and take into account individual differences you need to make a chart for every exercise and every individual.
Try this to explore the reasoning of many charts…
Find your one repetition maximum in a multi-joint exercise such as a free weight barbell squat or bench press.  Select a percentage such as 65%, 75% or 85% of that maximum and do as many repetitions as possible with that percentage and record your repetitions.

Now select a ‘single-joint‘ exercise such as barbell curl and repeat the test.  Whether trained or untrained you will find you achieve fewer repetitions at the same percentage of 1RM with a single-joint movement and more repetitions with a multi-joint movement.   In other-words multi -joint and single-joint exercises have different values of a repetition.  The amount of muscle mass involved in a multi-joint exercise and the neural system alter the outcome.
If this same test is done with a large group of athletes, say a team, you will get a similar result.  You will also find a great deal of variability from athlete to athlete in the data.

Try this also……
Take all your athletes who’s maximum is the same in a particular exercise.  Let’s say their maximum is 270 pounds on the bench press.  Using 75% of their max in the above chart (205), test the maximum amount of repetitions they can do.
In general, most may achieve 10 reps as indicated on the chart, but you may find an athlete who can only do 6 reps or another who can do 15.  Very normal stuff, as we all have different neurological efficiencies.
Charts are charts, they set a course.  They give direction. Understand that they are not based on the scientific method and each athlete will be effected differently with the recommended weights and repetitions.
The best chart to hang in your weight room is the ‘Effort Chart’.  When you go to it, it says…. give a 100%  effort to any weight you choose to….. Get Strong.



Pendulum 3 Way Row

Tags: Strength Training, Muscular Growth

The Ralph Cornwell Files

Eight Weeks Of Training On The Pendulum 5 Way Head And Neck Machine

Ralph Cornwell is a Ph.D. candidate in health promotion/human performance at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Prior to pursuing his Doctoral Degree he was a collegiate strength coach.
Ralph finished a pilot study on head and neck training.  The purpose is building a training model for force dissipation by increasing the circumference of the head and neck musculature.  Dissipation of force from contact will lower concussive forces and protect the athlete during play.
Most Improvement in 8 weeks

4 inch circumference increase in upper neck,
3 3/4 inch circumference change in lower neck
53. 5 pound increase in head and  neck extension
49.5 pound increase in flexion
140 lb increase in parallel grip row
261 lb increase in levator scapula/ shoulder girdle elevation barbell movement

Least  Improvement in 8 weeks

1.5 inch increase in circumference upper neck
2.5 inch increase in circumference in lower neck
125 pound increase in parallel grip row
47.5 pound increase in neck extension
44 pound increase in head and neck flexion
215 pound increase in levator scapula/ shoulder girdle elevation barbell movement

Keep in mind, the speed of movement used was 3-4 second concentric 4-5 second eccentric, there was a pause in the contracted position of 1 second or the rep was not counted.  Over the weeks of the study the form became better and the weight increases continued steadily without compromising the strictest of technique required.

Use The Pendulum 5 Way Head And Neck Machine to Get Strong.
Ask about the New 4 Way Pendulum Head And Neck Machine.

Tags: Neck Training

Fixed Versus Mobile

Fixed Versus Mobile

Part of activating muscle is having it.
The Pashby Sports Safety Award is an award presented in Canada to recognize and honor people who make sports and recreational activities safer from catastrophic injuries, which typically involve the eyes, spine or brain.  Dr. Karen Johnston MD, PHD was given the Safety Award for her outstanding work to prevent injuries, most specifically concussions.
She is also Director of the Concussion Program at the McGill Sports Medicine Clinic.
Dr. Karen Johnston says that, “The force required to concuss a fixed head is almost twice that required to concuss a mobile head”.
Mouthguard companies understand that by activating head and neck muscles at the time of impact rotation will be decreased, which will lead to less harmful movement of the brain inside the skull.
By being able to clench down hard on a mouthguard activates the head and neck muscles and stabilizes the head.
Ralph Cornwell is taking this one step further,  building bigger stronger cylinders by developing the musculature around the head, neck and thoracic spine. The developed muscles dissipate more force and ‘clenching’ on the mouthguard with a stronger head, neck and jaw augments the value of dissipation by stabilizing movement.  This further reduces the subconcussive forces involved in causing a concussion.
A Virginia Tech doctoral canidate Ralph Cornwell, is doing research at Elon University in North Carolina.

He is not only building necks, but a mathmatical model of force dissapation.
Build head, neck and trap muscle to dissipate force and fix the head to lower concussive forces and Get Strong.

Train The Head And Neck To Lower Concussive Forces

Train The Head And Neck To Lower Concussive Forces
Time Magazine talks about concussions. Get a copy. Train the head and neck. Lower concussive forces. Get strong.

The Pendulum 5 Way Neck

The Pendulum 5 Way Trains The Head And Neck

Tags: Pendulum neck

Brace Yourself

Brace Yourself

Brace yourself to get ready.
Only at a velocity of zero can a muscle produce its maximal force, yet its length does not change.   In training this is called an isometric contraction and techniques such as pushing or pulling on an immovable bar or against a given load on an exercise machine at a particular angle are used to Get Stronger.

If you brace, tensing your musculature as hard as possible to protect yourself from a collision, the velocity of the muscle fibers is  zero as impact occurs.
As the load increases during the brace due to a force applied by another object extrinsic to the muscle, the muscle will not yield appreciably up to about 30% of the change in the load.

In other words, a muscles ability to protect itself is about 30% higher than the force it can produce isometrically. This is natures built in cellular servomechanism. When the muscle is forced to lengthen against a load it is still able to resist the movement without accelerating at a velocity that will cause injury up to a inherit point.
This value or point is about a 2% velocity increase of a muscles V max or 2 % of how a muscle could voluntarily contract as fast as possible when it is unloaded.
In humans the built in servomechanism is important. If you are jumping or walking downstairs it enables a person to withstand a sudden load quite well.  This protects the musculotendon system from being improperly stretched and injured as the initial load is raised above the maximal isometric level.
When the load is above 40-50% of the muscle strength it will elongate the musculature at a fast rate and the forces and velocity begin to rise rapidly and often dangerously. Check out the above chart.
One of the many advantages of neck training is once the head and neck muscles  are strong the ability to slow down the acceleration of the head by bracing during contact is enhanced dramatically. As your strength rises so does the built in cellular mechanism of force protection against sudden loads.
A great reason to Get Strong.

Train those necks and Get them Strong

Train Year-around

Get Strong

Train Year-round

Train Year-round

The Pendulum Chest Press is an all weather year-round training machine to Get Strong.

Tags: Pendulum

Every Weight Room Needs a Great Row

Row Row Row Your Back Muscles
Every weight room needs a great row machine. Tyler Hobson explains, the function of the upper back is complex, so I decided to make a row machine that could be done with 3 preferred grips, underhand, overhand and neutral.

The primary function of the upper back musculature is to pull the arms from an extended position either down or in. By keeping the 3 handles on the machine in fixed positions, I felt the strength coach could easily dictate which measurable protocol he felt would be key to the athletes development.

Mississippi State University Weight Room

When you use the underhand grip you bring in the biceps to assist the row and also augment the lower trapezius and latissimus. The overhand grip not only targets the upper back, but fires up the rear delts. The neutral grip is a tremendously powerful position, which you need to be in to affect this large group of back muscles.

Northwood University Weight Room

I set the seat height so that in the fully contracted position the hands land just below the pecs. Normally, in a row you sit with your feet forward, which allows you to push with your legs as your arms extend, but there is an ideal place for your feet and that is behind you as you lean forward. With your chest firmly on the pad you have limited leverage and you  stimulate the lats directly with less weight.

West Virginia University Weight Room

On the front of the machine I placed S.E.T. (set extension technology), S.E.T. allows you to change the range of motion for varying limb lengths, and  perform extremely intense 'drop sets' by running the rails.

If you are ever in Conroe,Texas or want to stop by the Pendulum factory in Clare, Michigan...........S.E.T. on one of our machines to Get Strong.

Tags: Pendulum

What A Strength Coach Does After A Great Win

What A Strength Coach Does After A Great Win

What A Strength Coach Does After A Great Win                       


Kevin Tolbert the Head Strength Coach at Stanford University visits the Rogers Factory, in Clare Michigan, after their Orange Bowl Victory.

Kevin on the 5 Way Neck

Kevin Tolbert and Kyle Camp discuss the Pendulum Lat Pulldown

Photo Courtesy of Kathy Leistner

As a young man Coach Tolbert knew how to Get Strong. Now he spends his career Getting others Strong.

Tags: neck machine, neck training, neck, success

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