Some muscle groups are undeservedly ignored by athletes in training, because the training time is limited, and therefore I want to pay more attention to large anatomical groups. The lagging parts of the body most often include the neck and trapezoid, because not everyone considers it necessary to spend valuable minutes of training on such a small muscle. This is a very big misconception, neck muscles need regular strengthening and pumping, otherwise you risk creating an imbalance in the development of muscles. If there is no desire to do this in the gym, then you can pump up your neck at home. The set of exercises is very small, and the technique is quite simple.
Why shake your neck at all?
Why develop these muscles at all? After all, even with hard pumping, they will not greatly increase in volume. The fact is that neck training has far from aesthetic goals. This part of the body performs vital functions in our body, namely:
- carries out the movement of the head;
- helps to keep the head upright;
- It is a transit segment for the passage of blood between the heart and the brain;
- protects the spine, the main artery of the body and pharynx from external damage;
- has many conductive nerve endings from the brain to the spine;
- provides free movement of blood and lymph between the body and the brain.
In order for all these functions to work flawlessly, it is important to strengthen the neck muscles with special strength exercises. But do not count on instant results, since it will be very difficult to quickly pump up your neck at home. But nothing is impossible, perseverance and determination always lead to the desired results.
The main thing is not to harm: contraindications to exercises
Any strength training can be dangerous, especially if the spine is involved in the exercise. This is a rather strong, but at the same time very fragile part of our skeleton, and therefore it is worth doing all the exercises with extreme caution. If you want to pump up your neck, but have some health problems, it is better to postpone classes until full recovery. It is also worth abandoning the load on these muscles in the following cases:
- With various manifestations of osteochondrosis. Any power load can significantly aggravate your already poor condition.
- With hypertension and tachycardia. Any malfunctions in the cardiovascular system are a weighty contraindication for training.
- Exacerbation of chronic diseases and viral diseases. When your body is weakened, do not overwork it with unnecessary loads. It is better to postpone classes until the normalization of your health.
Training Preparation: Warm Up and Stretch
Before you begin the main training, be sure to do a good workout. Warming up and stretching the muscles, as well as developing joints, will help you pump your neck easier and faster. Photos of athletes with powerful trapezes and a neck are always admired, so if you strive for really impressive results, be sure to follow all training recommendations. Take at least 10 minutes to warm up, because not only effectiveness, but also the safety of your training depends on muscle training.
Exercises:
- Pulling the chin to the chest. This will allow you to stretch the back muscles of the neck.
- Tilting the head back. This exercise is aimed at stretching the front and side muscles.
- Tilts from side to side, while trying to reach the ear to the shoulder.
- Head turns. It is important that the shoulder girdle remains stationary.
- Shoulder lifts. This exercise kneads trapezoid well.
Isometric Training: Overcoming Resistance
Isometric training is the application of effort with your own muscles to overcome resistance. This type of load will help prepare the muscles for more difficult training, especially if you want to build a neck and are going to use exercises with extra weight.
Equipment:
- You can train both standing and in a sitting position. The starting position does not affect the effectiveness of the lesson.
- Put both hands on your forehead and begin to push, while the muscles of the neck should resist and remain motionless.
- Repeat the exercise, but place your hands on the back of the head.
- It is also necessary to do an exercise for the lateral muscles. To do this, tilt your head and press on it with your hand in the temple area.
- Try to withstand resistance for more than a minute, do 10-15 approaches for each muscle group.
We train the back muscles of the neck at home: rolls on the back
In general, how much can you pump up your neck? This muscle is quite small and very reluctant to get involved. But with an integrated approach, you can achieve good results in 2-3 months.
Rolling on the back is a great option for pumping the neck at home, because you do not need any special equipment or a simulator. You can do with a small pillow or towel; you will put it under your head so as not to injure your skin.
Equipment:
- Lie on your back and put something soft under your head.
- Put your feet on the floor and lift the body, while the weight of the body should be evenly distributed between the feet and the head. The shoulders should also be off the floor.
- Perform reciprocating movements of the body, as if rolling on the top of the head back and forth. In this case, in no case do not weaken the tension in the muscles of the neck, otherwise you risk injuring yourself.
- Perform 25-30 rolls and pause, in total 5 approaches can be made and boldly move on to the next exercise.
Bleeding the front and side muscles of the neck: tummy tucks
This exercise will also help you build neck muscles at home. In fact, it is similar to the previous one, but includes slightly different muscles in the work.
Equipment:
- Take the emphasis lying, as with push-ups. Place a stiff pillow or towel under your forehead and rest your head on the floor.
- Hands should be removed behind or on the stomach, and the legs hold the body on toes.
- Start moving the body weight back and forth, while you should roll your head along the pillow: from the tip of the nose to the top of the head.
- If it is difficult for you to maintain balance in this position, then you can put your hands out, as with push-ups, this will create additional support. The effectiveness of the exercise will decrease slightly, but over time you will learn the correct technique.
- Try to do everything slowly and smoothly, it is better to do without sudden movements. Remember that any neck exercises are quite dangerous.
Joint development and strengthening: wrestling training method
The best experts in pumping the neck are wrestlers. These guys know their job well, because this part of the body often participates in various techniques and throws. In order to make her strong and strong, they perform special exercises. It’s quite difficult to pump up the neck like wrestlers, because their training methods will not work for an ordinary person. It is necessary to have a good physical shape in order to master their ways of pumping and strengthening muscles. The most popular exercises are forward and reverse wrestling bridges.
- Straight bridge. It is necessary to rest your head on the floor and concentrate the weight of the whole body on the neck, while you need to perform various rolling and tilting the head to develop muscles as much as possible.
- Back bridge. This exercise completely repeats the usual gymnastic bridge, only instead of hands you need to use your head as a support. As in the first exercise, you need to develop joints well and concentrate the load on the target muscles.
Work on muscle mass: exercises with equipment
To pump up your neck with the next exercise, you will need special equipment - a headband or helmet with straps for working with weights. Just choose the right weight for you and secure it well on your ammunition. You can perform exercises both standing and sitting. There are two options for pumping the neck:
- Bending the head. To do this, weights are hung behind your back, and your task is to tilt your head forward and pull your chin to your chest.
- Extension of the neck. The weight is hung in front, the head should be slightly tilted forward. It is necessary to raise the head to its normal position, while maximizing the involvement of the neck muscles.
Strength training on the bench: flexion and extension with weight
Do you want to practice without equipment, but don’t know how? Pumping up the neck at home with dumbbells or with any other weights is also easy. To do this, you will need a bench or several stools. As in the previous version, there are two ways to load the target muscles:
- Bending with weights. Lie on a bench with your back and place the projectile on your forehead. To avoid bruising and skin injuries, just use a towel or a small pad. The head, neck and shoulder girdle should be outside the bench. Perform flexion of the muscles, while maximizing your head back, and then pull it to the chin.
- Extension with weight. Exercise is completely similar to the first, only you need to perform it while lying on your stomach, and hold the projectile with your hands on the back of your head.
Now you know how to pump up a man’s neck even at home. Most exercises do not require special equipment and are quite simple to perform. Never forget safety precautions and always start your workout with a charge. Remember that only persistent and regular training will lead you to the desired result.