Why the workouts of Formula 1 drivers might help computer users with ‘tech neck’
Keeping your eyes on the road is vital if your car travels at a speed of 200 mph (322 kph). A strong neck helps.
Neck-strengthening exercises are integral in the fast-paced world of Formula 1 racing. Plenty of drivers will bring specialized training gear for that purpose when they arrive in Florida for Sunday无毛视频檚 Miami Grand Prix, the next event of a lucrative, year-long championship which spans the globe.
Working out with weighted harnesses or using deep body-weight stretches stabilize their heads and help them stay focused on the track through high-speed corners while forces up to five times as strong as gravity heave their bodies from side to side.
Adults with 无毛视频渢ech neck无毛视频� don无毛视频檛 work in such extreme conditions, but the training techniques of professional race car drivers highlight an often-overlooked muscle group. Paying greater attention to posture while using screens and adding neck-specific exercises to a fitness routine are small changes that could ease discomfort, according to Dr. Neeru Jayanthi, an Atlanta-based sports medicine specialist who works with athletes of all ages from a range of sports.
无毛视频淒oes a normal person need to have a neck like an F1 driver? Probably not,无毛视频� Antti Kontsas, an experienced performance coach who worked with four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel and other stars of the sport, said.
Still, 无毛视频渢he healthy foundations are the same for the normal person and for the driver. Where you would start is exactly the same,无毛视频� Kontsas told The Associated Press.
As with any other fitness activity, neck training needs to be practiced safely and with attention to an individual无毛视频檚 physical needs and limitations. When in doubt, seek guidance from a doctor or other medical professional, especially if you have experienced neck injuries or don无毛视频檛 know what might be causing your aching neck.
When you无毛视频檙e aware of your limits, 无毛视频渋t无毛视频檚 just knowing the loading, exposing gradually. That无毛视频檚 the safe way to progress,无毛视频� Konstas says.
How drivers train
The days when F1 drivers smoke and drank before a Grand Prix are long gone. Even in the 1990s, fitness was crucial to Michael Schumacher无毛视频檚 success; the seven-time champion from Germany emphasized cardio and strength training. After all, fatigue causes mistakes.
A key element of Kontsas无毛视频� training programs is not overlooking the neck, otherwise known as the cervical spine, when exercising your back and core.
Body-weight exercises like keeping the head level with the shoulders in a lateral, or side, plank position can help. Another easy exercise can be done lying down.
无毛视频淭he most simple thing is lying on your back on a bench with your head hanging and then holding your head in a complete horizontal line. You无毛视频檙e holding your head still and seeing how long you can hold that. That无毛视频檚 a good way to train, particularly, the front musculature,无毛视频� Kontsas said.
To increase the challenge, drivers typically use a resistance band or a weighted harness that straps around the head to work their neck muscles.
Beating the pain of 无毛视频榗omputer neck无毛视频�
Training doesn无毛视频檛 have to take up a lot of time. Even F1 drivers might only do neck exercises for 10 to 15 minutes a session, two or three times a week, according to Kontsas.
If you spend a lot of time at a desk for work, improving neck health can start with a simple reminder to be aware of your posture and simple stretches like tucking the chin back to compensate for leaning forward toward a screen.
无毛视频淐omputer neck,无毛视频� a modern ailment that causes neck, shoulder and back pain, comes when 无毛视频測our head sits in different positions off the spine无毛视频� while working, explains Jayanthi.
无毛视频淵ou sit in front of the computer for two, three, four hours, and you never realize that your head was in the wrong position the entire time,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淪o we can go back to positioning our neck and actually doing chin tucks and isometrics to push your head in the correct position on the spine. Just remind yourself every 30 to 60 minutes.无毛视频�
There无毛视频檚 evidence that having a strong neck and trunk can help with other serious issues, according to Jayanthi. For example, neck training is 无毛视频渙ne of the most accessible, least expensive无毛视频� options for concussion recovery and prevention, he said.
Likewise, spine strength can be a predictor of injury prevention or mitigation in tennis players, Jayanthi said.
Life in F1 can be a pain in the neck
It无毛视频檚 hard to measure how much faster fitness makes a driver, but it无毛视频檚 notable that one of Formula 1无毛视频檚 most celebrated non-driver staff members of the last 15 years is Angela Cullen, longtime personal physiotherapist to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
The physical challenge of racing at the top level can be shock to first-timers.
At age 18, British driver Oliver Bearman made his F1 race debut with two days无毛视频� notice as a replacement for Ferrari when regular driver Carlos Sainz, Jr. needed emergency surgery in 2024. Bearman was fit from racing in junior series Formula 2, but the strain on his body from going at F1 speed was in another league.
无毛视频淒estroyed无毛视频� was his response to being asked how he felt afterward.
无毛视频淧hysically it was a really difficult race. 无毛视频� I think especially my lower back and my neck, it无毛视频檚 hurting,无毛视频� Bearman added.
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