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It sounds like as you push yourself to complete the 50 push ups your body is getting out of proper form. Here's an article with a video on push up form: the first part of his speech is a person's tendency to push their head forward as they get tired - doing this myself, I can feel the tension increase on my neck and cause the strain you're describing. ...

If your current fitness/strength level is low, then my suspicion is that you are experiencing muscle cramps due to increased demands. There are a few things I would suggest for rehab: First, deal with the cramping. Yes, massage works, and many massage therapists have special oils that really help the muscles to relax. If you can't afford the massage ...

I would be concerned with the strength and load-bearing abilities of your neck, back, and to a lesser extent your legs. It seems to me that doing load-bearing exercises would prepare you better to carry weight on your head/neck and sustain pressure along your spine. Two come to mind: Neck bridges (like in wrestling) (see this thread from the Crossfit ...

I like to grab a pull up bar and drop one hand hang at full extension then switch to the other hand. As you switch you trap will be engaged to lift you up to switch hands. The longer you can sustain the state between hanging on one hand and grasping it with your other the more completely you will utilize the trap.

The best bodyweight substitution for a weighted shrug is just a shrug from the inverted hang (aka inverted shrug): This can be done on rings, straight bar, or even parallel bars:

Neck training is really important for your health and posture. Daily activities such as driving and sitting in front of a computer cause your head to slightly lean forward and your neck to go out of alignment. In time, this contributes to a poor posture and makes the muscles and ligaments in your neck and shoulders stretch. Permanent tension in this area can ...

My qualification for answering this I am no fitness expert beside being involved in sports even before teen years. In my teens and early adult life i would train 4 to 6 days a week, until I started working. I am also a software developer, and been in industry for way more than an hand full so I can relate easily to you. Short answer Yes. Anything is way ...

Deadlifts, squats, benchpress, military press and Chins? :) No but seriously, I really believe a good strength program is something everybody should be doing. Especially people with sedentary office jobs. Don't lift to look good, lift for a well functioning movement apparatus. Also, try to walk as much you can. Go to a bathroom further away. Go talk to ...

Assuming there is sufficient room in your cubicle/home office, I would suggest getting an appropriately sized Swiss ball to sit on. In general you'll be moving around slightly while on it, which will help stimulate your core stabilisation muscles. It's also quite easy to do a back bend over the ball, which would be a good idea to do throughout the day to ...

Shrug Dips or Dip shrugs, whatever Kelso calls them are very effective. you get in the position of doing Dips and instead of going down push yourself up, hold this position and then lower your self down. the actual movement should be no more than 6 inches. your elbows dont bend during the whole repition. Search the internet for Kelso's dip shrug and you ...

Further to Ron's link to Yoga Exercises for neck and shoulder pain, the routine in this video for Yoga at Your Computer to Loosen Tight Upper Back Muscles I've found very helpful. Based on the comments, other people have found it useful too.

Here are several exercises specifically for stiff neck: Chinese Holistic Exercises - Stiff neck exercises and tips for relief using acupuncture (consult with your health professional first before trying these, though.) Yoga Exercises for neck and shoulder pain - Six excerises you can do at your desk to relieve tension in your wrists, back, and shoulders. ...

If you want to stick with body weight exercises, then I would suggest the following: Reverse pushups Pullups/Chinups Back extensions The reverse pushups will help strengthen your back. If you set your feet on a raised platform (like a chair), it will provide more work for your back to do. The goal is to use your back muscles and not your arms to do the ...

The first thing that comes to my mind is working with a head harness: Here's a link explaining it along with some other related neck exercises: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/neck.htm In Addition to that I would think adding Shrugs would be beneficial: http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/barbell-shrug Neither of these should be ...