Why You Should Train Your Neck (and How to Do It Right)

One of the most commonly forgotten areas on the body to exercise is the neck. The information ahead describes why you should train your neck along with tips and tricks on how to do it right. 

The neck muscles play a very functional role in everyday life. For one, it holds your head upright and two, it helps to accentuate the shoulders and chest. While it is often overlooked, the neck is a crucial area for a total-body ripped physique. 

Let’s take a closer look at some of the muscles of the neck and how working them can benefit your daily life and your physical goals.

Benefits of a Strong Neck 

Developing a strong neck is important for the overall upper body appearance. Functionally, athletes can benefit from having a strong and big neck, while fitness enthusiasts can enjoy the perks of a bigger look. Developing a complete upper body cannot be possible without establishing a strong, thick neck. Let’s dive deeper into some of the most important benefits of a strong neck and why everyone should consider this a regular option in the gym. 

• Shows Off Power Muscles.  Look, all of your hard work in the gym should not go unnoticed. Developing your neck muscles can be a great way to show off all of your hard work especially for the upper body. A thick and strong neck tends to coincide with ripped upper body, so working neck muscles can help to keep all of the upper body proportionate with each other. 
• Vital for Posture.  With all of our knowledge on how important posture can be on energy, spine health, and for balance, adults are still hunched over. While some of this is to be blamed on the usage of devices in front of the body, some of it can be due to the shape of the neck. Developing strong neck muscles can help to bring the head in a more upright position, which may promote cervical spine health. 
• Vital for Injury Prevention.  If you are an athlete, this section especially applies towards you. A strong neck is one of the most important elements in preventing head and neck injuries, which are common in football and hockey. Not to mention, a strong neck may help to prevent overuse strain that may be all-too-common in office settings. 
• Breathing Support. The neck provides an attachment side for the trapezius, scalenes, sternocleidomastoid, and other muscles. A strong neck can allow some of these muscles to support breathing, since they help to raise the diaphragm and lungs during respiration. Especially if you perform longer, cardio-based workouts, the neck muscles can aid in breathing. 
• Improved Performance.  While working the neck can help to develop bigger and stronger muscles, it also plays a functional role. These muscles can help to secondarily assist in various upper body lifts, which can help you to progress in your lifts. 

Neck Muscles and Actions 

The neck consists of a group of smaller sized muscles that all serve similar functions. These muscles assist in flexion and extension of the head and neck, rotation of the cervical spine, and lateral flexion. In addition, the neck has a role in respiration, as some of the smaller muscles allow for the lungs to expand during inspiration, as well as help in posterior or back lifts. 

The following are the primary muscles of the neck:

• Sternocleidomastoid 
• Semispinalis capitis 
• Splenius capitis
• Levator scapulae
• Scalenes

Why You Should Train Your Neck (and How to Do It Right)

Working the neck muscles requires finesse.  While these muscles can hypertrophy and get bigger, typically they aren’t large, which means heavy weight is not overly that important. Let’s take a look at how to work your neck muscles so you can have an overall balanced and ripped look. 

• Neck Raises.  Much like a forward abdominal crunch, a neck raise involves a forward bend. Lie flat on your back in a supine position with your head either flat on the floor or handing off a bench. Gently lift the head upwards using body weight (or add a light weight plate near the head) and gradually lower down slowly. This works the anterior neck muscles, including the sternocleidomastoid. 
• Side Flexions.  Very similar to neck raises, the side flexion can be performed with a resistance band or the weight of the head. To do these, lie on your side, head down on the floor, and lift the head. Alternatively, you can utilize a resistance band while standing or a light weight plate while lying on your side. 
• Neck Extensions.  This exercise is similar to the back extension. Lie flat on your stomach in a prone position, with your hands behind your head, and gently lift the head off the floor. Alternatively you can hang your head from a bench and perform a wider range of motion neck extension. 
• Neck Holds.  Isometric training for the neck is highly effective.  To perform isometric neck holds, simply place a hand on the head, tighten the neck muscles, and push using your hand without allowing your head to move. Isometric holds are important for functional strength, posture, and for developing the smaller neck muscles. 

Circumstances to Consider

While working your neck muscles can bring functional strength, it is important to understand that not all muscles need to be huge. Your neck muscles, while they can get bigger, may not match the size of other muscles in the body and that’s ok. Also, following along in your neck’s natural movement can help to ensure safety with each lift and to avoid any injuries. 

Final Words

Your neck takes up a vital and valuable part of the body. While it covers and protects the cervical spine area, the exercises above state why you should train your neck muscles along with ways to safely train certain parts of this part of your body. 

Consider the information listed above as a guide on building a stronger neck. Athletes can utilize these muscles to help encourage safety of the head and neck while many adults could benefit from ten secondary functions of these muscles on other parts of the body. 

Resources 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6093957

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532881