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 racing. Plenty of drivers will bring specialized training gear for that purpose when they arrive in Florida for Sunday’s , 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 鈥渢ech neck鈥� don’t work in such extreme conditions, but the 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.
鈥淒oes a normal person need to have a neck like an F1 driver? Probably not,鈥� Antti Kontsas, an experienced performance coach who worked with four-time F1 champion and other stars of the sport, said.
Still, 鈥渢he healthy foundations are the same for the normal person and for the driver. Where you would start is exactly the same,” Kontsas told The Associated Press.
As with any other , neck training needs to be practiced safely and with attention to an individual’s 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’t know what might be causing your aching neck.
When you鈥檙e aware of your limits, 鈥渋t鈥檚 just knowing the loading, exposing gradually. That鈥檚 the safe way to progress,鈥� 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 success; the seven-time champion from Germany emphasized cardio and strength training. After all, fatigue causes mistakes.
A key element of Kontsas鈥� 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.
鈥淭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鈥檙e holding your head still and seeing how long you can hold that. That鈥檚 a good way to train, particularly, the front musculature,鈥� 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 鈥榗omputer neck鈥�
Training doesn’t have to take up a lot of time. Even 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.
鈥淐omputer neck,鈥� a modern ailment that causes neck, shoulder and back pain, comes when 鈥測our head sits in different positions off the spine鈥� while working, explains Jayanthi.
鈥淵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,” he said. “So 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.鈥�
There’s evidence that having a strong neck and trunk can help with other serious issues, according to Jayanthi. For example, neck training is 鈥渙ne of the most accessible, least expensive鈥� 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鈥檚 hard to measure how much faster fitness makes a driver, but it’s notable that one of Formula 1’s most celebrated non-driver staff members of the last 15 years is , longtime personal physiotherapist to seven-time champion .
The at the top level can be shock to first-timers.
At age 18, British driver made his F1 race debut with two days鈥� 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.
鈥淒estroyed鈥� was his response to being asked how he felt afterward.
鈥淧hysically it was a really difficult race. … I think especially my lower back and my neck, it鈥檚 hurting,鈥� Bearman added.
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