Many athletes often ignore the pumping of small muscle groups just because they have an unpresentable appearance and are generally lost against the general background. The neck also belongs to such muscles, because it is very rare to meet people who pay due attention to this part of the body. This is a rather big omission, because the neck is involved in a huge number of exercises as a stabilizer and helps protect the upper spine from injuries. Accordingly, the question will pop up: "How to build a neck?". It is quite easy to do this, because the set of exercises is very small, the main thing is to follow the technique and not to forget about safety.
Small, but distant: the structure of the neck muscles
Before moving on to the practical part of the training, you need to familiarize yourself with the anatomy of the muscles. This will help to understand the biomechanics of exercises and will allow you to better include muscles in the work. Despite its modest size, this anatomical group consists of 15 muscle groups. And this is no accident, because the neck performs the most important functions in the body:
- Holds the head upright.
- Helps to carry out all head movements.
- It is responsible for the elasticity of the cervical spine, which means it protects it from injuries.
- Responsible for blood supply and oxygen metabolism of the body and brain;
Traditionally, trapezius muscles are also referred to this anatomical group - this is a transitional section between the neck and the shoulder section of the back. If you want to pump up your neck like a bull, you have to work very well. After all, as you know, the smaller the muscles, the more difficult it is to involve them in the work and make them respond to the training.
Why do my neck muscles shake?
Before you understand the question of how to pump your neck, you need to decide on the purpose of the training. You will be surprised, but this part of the body needs to be trained not only by athletes, bodybuilders and wrestlers. These muscles need to be strengthened by everyone who leads a sedentary lifestyle. And this is almost all types of professions whose work is tied to the office. Regular training of this part of the body will help get rid of various manifestations of osteochondrosis and relieve muscle tension at the end of a hard day. As for bodybuilders and ordinary people who want to bring their body to the ideal, for them pumping the neck is an integral part of any workout, with special emphasis on the trapeze. The better these parts of the body are developed, the more harmonious the overall appearance will look. It is noteworthy that you can pump up your neck at home. After all, most exercises do not require simulators and special equipment.
Classical workout for strengthening and stretching the cervical spine
Before strength training, it is imperative to warm up the working muscles, even if you exercise at home, as pumping up your neck without a warm-up will be quite problematic. The fact is that this muscle group is in constant tension, and therefore it is quite weakly stretched. To increase the amplitude of the exercises, you need to well develop the muscles with conventional charging:
- Tilts the head forward. Try to press your chin to your chest and stretch your back muscles of the neck. Exercise slowly and with pauses.
- Tilting the head back. The main thing here is not to make sudden movements, because the risk of spinal injury or pinched nerve endings is too great.
- Turns from side to side. This exercise must be performed while sitting on a bench, while the back should be raised to fix the lower back and shoulders. This will eliminate the torque in the spine, which together with physical activity can adversely affect the condition of the joints.
- Tilts from side to side. Also performed on the bench. When moving, try to reach your shoulder with your ear and always linger at the lowest point of the amplitude.
- Overcoming resistance. To perform this exercise, put your hands clasped in the lock under the chin and push from below. Head while trying to overcome the resistance. Try to withstand this condition as long as possible. Do 5-6 sets.
Universal training
It's no secret that pumping up the neck, like in the stars of bodybuilding, is possible only with hard physical exercises. At the same time, the presence of standard basic exercises in the training program plays an important role. What is interesting: none of them uses the target muscles directly, but in almost every type of training these muscles act as “assistants” or stabilizers. What exercises should a classic basic training consist of:
- Squats. Everyone knows that when doing a squat, the bar is placed exactly on the trapeze, which means that these muscles are actively involved in the work. If you perform the exercise strictly following the technique, then the head in the squats looks only forward and up, which means that the muscles of the back cervical are in constant static load.
- Deadlift. As you know, this basic exercise involves absolutely all the muscles of our body, even the smallest ones. Since in the exercise you need to constantly control the straightness of the back and keep the shoulder blades as flat as possible, the neck and trapezoid will definitely participate in the training, and bear a good share of the load, especially in the phase of lifting the body.
- Bench press. If you perform the exercise from the "bridge", that is, arching the lower back and transferring the body weight to the shoulder blades and trapezoid, then the neck will be a direct participant in this exercise, since it will hold you back while doing the bench press.
- Pullups If you carry out this type of training with a very wide grip, then perforce the neck muscles will also be connected to the process.
You see, properly pumping up the neck will not be difficult, for this it is not even necessary to include new exercises in the program. But if you want to achieve really good results and significantly increase muscle volume, then you can’t do without targeted isolated training.
Indirect study of target muscles: exercises with dumbbells for the neck and trapeze
And how to pump your neck with dumbbells? And is it even possible to pump muscles in this way? Directly, of course, it is impossible, but you can perform exercises in which the target muscles will act as an “assistant” and take on most of the load. These exercises include various types of outstretched arms. If we analyze biomechanics of movement in detail, then the picture will be something like this: a strained straight arm involves the entire line of muscles from the trapeziums, and even the lower cervical parts, to the hand itself. This means that the muscles we need will certainly work, especially in the positive phase of the exercise. Therefore, in order to concentrate the load on the desired anatomical site, you can perform the exercise in a shortened amplitude, bypassing the negative phase. Hand Lift Options:
- Dumbbell lifts in front of you. It is performed standing. For maximum load on the lower cervical region, hold the maximum pause at the top point of the amplitude and try to raise your arms as high as possible.
- Breeding dumbbells to the side in a sitting position. Here you also need to catch the peak contraction of the muscles and increase the angle of the arm.
Strength exercise for muscle development: flexion of the neck with weights from the supine position
A typical situation: a person comes to the gym with a specific desire to train his neck, but does not know how to do this. You can pump your neck at home and in the gym with just one, but very effective exercise. Therefore, it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel, but it is better to try what really works and has long been tested in practice. Bending the neck from a prone position is the best type of training on the target muscle. Equipment:
- Pick a suitable bench. It is better that it be quite wide, because it is necessary to fix the shoulders, shoulder blades and lower back well.
- Lie on the shell, the head and neck are outside the back of the bench.
- Choose a suitable weight, it is better to use a pancake from the bar. Put it on your forehead and hold with both hands, while under the weight it is better to put a towel so as not to leave bruises on the face.
- Tilt your head back and start the exercise. To do this, bend your neck and try to pull your chin as close to your chest as possible. Do as many reps as possible and take a short break.
Comprehensive training on the neck and trapezium: extension from the supine position
With the help of this simple exercise, you can pump up the neck muscles at home, even as in the "brother" of the dashing nineties. In fact, this is a slightly altered view of the previous training, but here, in addition to the neck, trapeze is actively involved in the work. The difference between the technique lies in its initial position: it is necessary to lie face down on the bench, while not only the head and neck, but the entire shoulder girdle remains outside the support. The weight is placed on the back of the head and is also held with two hands. Your task is to expand the cervical muscles while trying to tear the upper chest from the bench, this is necessary to engage the trapezius muscles.
Modification of the classic exercise: extension from a sitting or standing position
Pumping up your neck quickly, as a rule, is not difficult, the main thing is to regularly perform appropriate exercises. The extension of the neck from a sitting position is just one of them. For this type of training you will need special equipment - this is a kind of helmet with straps on which you can hang the load. The technique is generally elementary: put on equipment, choose a weight, sit on a bench or stand up, while leaning slightly forward. You can start the exercise, and this is the usual extension of the neck. Nothing complicated, everything is simple and clear. But this is one of the best types of isolated training, since, apart from the target muscles, not even the smallest muscle works.
Trapezius Exercise: Classic Shrugs
We have already figured out how to pump up the neck at home, it is time to dwell on training in the gym. As mentioned earlier, trapeziums also belong to the neck muscles, which means that quite a lot of attention and time should be paid to pumping them. The fact is that this is the laziest muscle of our body, which practically does not participate in everyday life, unless, of course, you are working as a loader. But on any muscle there is a weapon, in this case these are shrags. This is a familiar type of training on a trapeze. You can perform it with dumbbells, with a barbell, as well as in Smith's machine. Just choose what you like best.
We adopt the experience of wrestlers
You can pump up the neck muscles by borrowing from the wrestlers the pumping technique of this muscle. But without proper preparation, you should not get carried away with such types of training, because you can simply injure yourself. To strengthen the target muscles, you can use the exercise "wrestling bridge". The technique is similar to the classic version, but only instead of hands we rely on the head, and then return to the starting position.
Isometric Training: Exercises for the Neck with a Towel
Now you know how to pump your neck at home and in the gym. But always remember that at the end of each lesson you need to carry out a hitch and a stretch. To do this, you can apply the isometric training technique with a towel. Just repeat all the exercises from the warm-up, but at the same time throw a towel on your head and pull your hands in the opposite direction. Your task is to create resistance and try to overcome it. This is a great way to stretch and strengthen your neck muscles. You can regularly perform such a complex at the end of the working day or even at lunchtime. Obviously, it will be more difficult for a man to pump up his neck at home than for a woman. After all, guys need to work with large weights in order to significantly accelerate muscle growth. Girls do not have to aim at work on the muscles, because the big neck will only spoil the female figure.