Does any one know of good kneck and shoulder excersies I can do. My kneck and shoulders are always stiff. I have a weird habbit of cracking my kneck just like some people crack their knuckel's.

Neck

Lie on the floor, on your back, with a pad or cushion under your head. Now make a wrestler's bridge.



Only your feet (or toes) and head should be in contact with the floor. Roll your body side-to-side and touch each ear to the floor, while staying in the bridge. "Roll" around while in the bridge, letting various parts of your head to make contact with the floor. Lower your bridge until your back brushes the floor, and then go back into a full bridge. Do all these exercises slowly. Don't let your body "drop." Lower it slowly. Do this for about 10-15 minutes daily, taking one day off a week. After a while, when you notice your neck getting stronger (and bigger), add some weights to your chest, holding them in place with your hands. Eventually, you will be able to do this while supporting another person. When I wrestled, not only could I support the heavyweight on our team (who outweighed me by about 120 pounds), but no one could "break" my bridge.

Shoulders

Stand upright, with your arms at your sides, holding a full gallon of milk (or whatever) in each hand. Alternately, try to touch each shoulder to the corresponding ear, but keep your head straight. Don't move your head, move your shoulder. Just about the only part of your body that moves should be your shoulders, one at a time. Don't rock back and forth to make it easier, don't bend to the side, and don't swing the bottles. Do each side 10 times the first day, and increase the number as you can. When you start taking too much time, increase the weight.

Still holding the bottles at your side, slowly raise each arm (separately) to the front, and slowly lower it. Start with 10 times with each arm, and increase as you can. Now do the same thing, but to each side. At neither time, to the front or to the side, should you swing the weights. That would defeat what you are trying to do. It isn't a contest.


In the same position as the shoulder work above, slowly shrug both shoulders. Do this 10-20 times. Now, still standing still and holding the bottles, rotate or "roll" each shoulder forward and back. Do this 6 days a week as well. As it becomes easier, increase the weight.

At this point, you may have to buy a pair of dumbbells. A plastic gallon of milk or water weighs just a bit over 8 pounds, so you will need to judge for yourself how much to increase the weight.

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Don't expect results overnight. If you allow your body time to adjust to this, you will see your strength improve within 2 or 3 weeks, and continue to improve as long as you keep challenging your muscles. You may have some bad days, and some days when you just can't lift as much as you were lifting. Take a few days off, then start back up.

I think you need stretching and flexibility exercises for your tense, contracted muscles rather than weightlifting exercises.

You can find many websites with instructions by searching under the term "yoga exercises for neck and shoulders." Here are a few:

Yoga for Neck Pain free online instructional video

Photos of neck, shoulder, and back exercises you can do throughout the day while sitting to improve posture and work out your kinks and stress.

More neck & shoulder exercise instructions.

Click on "Stress Postures" and "Yoga Postures" to see animated demonstations of various exercises, including several for neck & shoulder tension relief.

All of these exercises should be performed SLOWLY while breathing deeply. And to be effective, they need to become part of your daily routine...just a few minutes each day.

I recommend using yoga videos or attending yoga classes when you are first starting out. It really helps to see the entire process in motion, done correctly.

Thanks. Also, I've been working out every M-F since Oct. '05. I was seeing some results in the arms back then and now, none. and no results in the abs. How long does it useally take to see very good results or some for that matte. A year? I see kids a bit bulked up more then me. Wonder how long they had to work out? I have a week stomach muscle. Kind of runs in my family. Sit ups are a tad hard but doable. How long til I see results in my six pack? Now I have a 0 pack.

Don't do sit-ups. They are bad for your back. Do crunches or curl-ups. Getting a 6 pack depends on many things, and one of them is genetics, so you may have to be satisfied with just a slim waist.

Another factor in getting good abs is diet. You can work your abs 8 hours a day, but if you eat junk, it is unlikely that you are going to see a 6 pack. Limit your fats, but don't eliminate them. Some are necessary.

Posture is another factor in how your abs look. If you slouch, guess where the extra skin ends up. Bench presses and half squats not only build muscle mass, but also help with your ab appearance. Both of those exercises require deep breating, which will increase your chest size, and also 'lift' your rib cage. Leg presses (best done on a machine) also will help with your lower abs.

Results will vary with individuals, as well as diet, and genetics. One thing is certain, though. Working out properly and with a purpose with improve your appearance, strength, and overall well-being.