Build Muscle – Get Strong

Many people believe that training the neck muscles is nothing more than wanting to enhance appearance but the truth is, the neck is a huge asset in many kinds of contact sports. Generally, it seems that this important training is over looked because people either do not know about it or they do not have the proper equipment to carry out the exercises. With some weight plates, a bench, surgical tubing and a towel, you will be able to cover all of the exercises you need to build your neck muscles.

Rotators: You might already know that the 4-way neck machine will not work on the rotators so you will want to go for the manual resistance for this group of muscles. The rotators are not able to be worked with weights but there can be some resistance added. You will do this by applying your hand to your neck while you slowly turn it either to the left or the right.

It is important to make sure that you are easing into this and that you are not using an overload of resistance. Once you have reached your limit of range of motion, you will want to try to slowly increase the resistance and then hold it there for 5-10 seconds.

Repeat the process, turning your head in the other direction, again holding the contraction when you can no longer turn the head further. Three to five sets of this should be more than sufficient to give ample work for this often overlooked muscle group.

Many people find that this exercise is best done while seated. This way your upper back muscles are completely relaxed. You only want to work on the extensor group so make sure that you are relaxing during the whole exercise.

The Flexors. If you have a neck machine available, you can go ahead and use it for the flexors. For those that do not have this machine available, there are some simple things that you can do instead. You want to keep in mind that the purpose of this group is to tilt the chin towards the chest.

First, lie on a flat bench, facing up and with your head over the end of the bench. You will want to place a folded towel on your forehead and then gently place a weight plate on the towel. Keep the weight plate in place with your hands and then allow your head to relax and drop downward.

You will then need to proceed slowly and raise your head up so that you are able to tuck your chin into your chest. Remember to keep your hands on the weight so that the muscles truly get a workout.

It is important to always start slow with the motions when you are doing neck work. Avoid using extremely heavy weights for the low repetitions because the neck is so incredibly fragile and especially if you are not used to training the neck muscles. Completing several sets of 10 – 15 reps is surely enough to get this group of muscles growing.

There is of course another option for you. You would want to take a piece of surgical tubing, which can be purchase at any medical supply company, and have the loose ends tied into a knot. You now have a loop of tubing.

For working the extensors, you will want to sit up on a bench or a chair and place the tubing on your forehead. You will take the other end up the loop and place it over a doorknob. Allow the head to slowly tilt back and then forward again, as you feel the resistance. When you have finally reached your range of motion limit, you will want to tilt back again and keep going until you have gone through a few sets of ten to fifteen reps.

When you’re ready to increase the resistance, you can move farther from the anchor point, add another loop of tubing, or purchase a heavier gauge of tubing. You may want to wrap a towel or washcloth around the portion of tubing that will be resting on your forehead. This will make the exercise more comfortable and also help to keep it from slipping as you go through the motion.

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