NECK TRAINING

The neck, an underappreciated muscle group and the protective base for your most
prized organ - the brain. With such an important role, you would expect neck training
to be top of the list with weightlifters. That is not the case, other than with top level
athletes, and even then, some would benefit from more focused neck training.

Most people get scared away from ever doing neck training, thinking they may end up
hurting themselves. But that’s exactly the reason you need to do neck training.

As the support for your cervical spine, your skull, and your brain inside that, these
muscles need to be strong. Although football players and wrestlers need neck strength
absolutely, it’s a wise thing to train for anyone, women and children included.

In short, the neck and cervical spine serve as the conduit

from the brain to the rest of the body. Not much muscle
volume protects that all-important corridor. So, it is in your
best interests to train and strengthen these muscle groups.

muscles of the neck

digastric muscle mylonyoid muscle

stylohyoid muscle

digastric muscle

external carotid artery internal jugular vein

hyoid bone thyrohyoid muscle

thyroid cartilage superior belly of

omohyoid muscle
scalene muscles sternohyoid muscle

interior belly of
omohyoid muscle

clavicle
deltoidmuscle
pectoralis major trapezius muscle
muscle
sternocleidomastoid muscle sternothyroid muscle
manubrium of sternum
 BENEFITS OF TRAINING THE NECK

- Nerve impulses running from the brain through the spinal cord can be affected
by damaged, weak, or fatigued neck muscles. This can diminish both static and
dynamic balance as well as basic locomotive actions. A stronger neck can thus
improve balance and locomotion.

- Regarding head training, having strong jaw muscles can lower the risk ofinjury.
The ability to maximally bite down or clench on a mouthpiece prior to a collision is
desired. Regular chewing of mastic gum also contributes to this.

- Believe it or not, the strength of the neck can also impact the respiratory system
and the quality of breathing. The anterior, medial, and posterior scalene muscles,
along with the platysma and sternocleidomastoid muscles, contract and assist in
respiration, especially during demanding exercise. Personally, I feel like I have
more conscious control over the inner neck musculature and therefore airways
when I am regularly training my neck.

- Command respect and look juicy and jacked with a pillar of strength to set your
noggin on. No one likes a pencil-neck.

- A stronger neck can and does lower the risk of everyday neck pain. Like I
mentioned before, I’m sure you’ve woken up with a stiff neck one or two times and
wow, does it ever make other routine actions difficult sometimes. Luckily, building
up a stronger neck can help reduce these aptly named “pains in the neck.”

- Prevent being “ko’d in mma training or boxing - if you are rocked with a hard
punch, a strong neck can prevent your head from spinning sideways too quickly
and can greatly absorb the impact - reducing transfer to your head. Brain trauma is
a serious issue,so that should be motivation enough.

- A thick neck it supremely aesthetically important, as shown below in these

mockup images:

original original
TRAINING THE NECK

There are several ways to train the neck. You can start with bodyweight exercises, or
start with a light dumbbell, or resistance band, or have a partner push down against
your neck in certain directions and have you ‘resist’ against it. All that matters is you
applying a level of resistance to your neck muscles in all the major planes.

I simply started with ‘applying’ a force to my neck using a dumbbell, then flexing
against that in every direction. I will list some equipmentless exercises, some with
equipment, and also link some videos to show you how to do the exercises.

Start with twice a week, then move to three times a week once you’re used to it.
You can do these in your bedroom whenever, or do 15 concentrated minutes at the
end of your less taxing workouts if you’re using gym equipment.
  wrestler’s bridge with hands 

Lay on the ground with your feet flat and your knees pointed up.
Place your hands by your head with the elbows pointing up. Now
press up until the top of your head is resting on the ground. Your
hands will remain on the floor to help support your weight. Bring the
hips up as high as you can and hold for time.

You can also roll your head so the weight is laying more on your
forehead, or even touch your nose to the ground, to build additional
strength and flexibility into the movement.

  wrestler’s bridge without hands 

When you can do the previous version for several minutes without
too much effort, then you’re probably ready for this step.

The aim is to bring your hands off the ground so your weight is more
fully on your head and neck. As an intermediary step, you can raise
up onto the fingertips of your hands. Once again stay in this position
for time.

  front bridge 

Start off in a bear crawl position with your hands and feet on the
floor and the hips up high. Place your head on the ground and then
roll slightly towards the back of your head. The hips will remain high,
with the legs straight. Hold for time.

As in the wrestler’s bridge, you can start off with the hands on the
ground for support and then take them away as you advance.

  neck plank 

Starting in a front bridge position, with the hands off the ground,
walk your feet backwards and close to each other. Only your
forehead and your feet should be touching the ground. This is
basically a plank, except that the support is on your head. This works
the neck tremendously, as well as being a decent core exercise, too.

You can make this slightly easier by keeping the legs apart to some
degree. The hardest version is with the feet together and your body
straight, and no pike in the hips.
WEIGHTED EXERCISES

The essence of weighted exercises for the neck comprise these.

Do something for all of these movements and you’re golden.

All exercises can also be done isometrically (to start with), pushing
against your own hand providing resistance, as shown to the right.

 1 flexion   chin to the chest

Lie on a bench and apply a plate or weight to your forehead (buffer

with a towel) so that your head is being ‘pushed’ backward. Flex the
neck forward, chin to chest.

→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHhaq5q7_mM

 2 extension   chin away from the chest

Lie on a bench face down, with your head off the edge of the bench.
Apply plate or weight to the back of the head and bend the neck
upwards like a cobra rearing its head.

  3  lateral flexion    side to side, ear to the shoulder

→ https://youtu.be/xfkrBecjgMU
   4 rotation 

This one can be done with a neck harness if your gym has one,
alternatively with a resistance band. To start with, can also be done
as an isometric exercise(pushing against your own hand providing
resistance). Look to the right and left. So to rotate your neck:

Neck Rotation - Exercise Band

→ https://youtu.be/bhR3--amjnQ

- tuck your chin back to retract your head,

- keep your head level throughout the rotation (don’t tuck or lift your
chin), and
- rotate your head as far as you can to one side, then the other.

At the end of each turn, try to rotate one or two degrees more at
the end of the motion. Rotate only your neck and head, not your
shoulders and torso.

  5  protraction and retraction 

Partner Assisted Neck Protraction, Retraction

→ https://youtu.be/v5h-kQ-_Wvg

This is the movement of pushing your head forwards and backwards,

like a turtle moving its head out of and back within a shell.

Using resistance in the form of a partner, or with weights similar to

the other exercises (on the forehead or back of the head respectively).
 NECK STRETCHES

With your new neck training regime, you’re going to need to perform
the appropriate stretches too.

  1  shoulder rolls 

Warm up the shoulder and neck muscles, prepping them for a good
stretch. Do both directions.

Back of head to sky

  2  chin tuck 
Relaxed
Chin to chest Contracted
Stretches the spinalis muscles in the back of the neck
Hold 5 seconds, relax. 10 reps.

  3  45 degree look down 

Stretches the upper traps and deep into the levitator scapulae)
Repeat both sides.

  4  lateral neck stretch for the right/left side 

Stretches the sternocleidomastoid and scalene muscles.

  5  front of the neck stretch 

Relax into this one, let your head fall back and really release the
tension in the front of the neck.

  6  look over shoulder (to the right/left) 

Stretches the upper traps, and deep into the levitator scapulae.
Look over your shoulder as far as possible, and relax the opposing
muscle. Hold for a while and feel your neck relax.