How to build up your neck without hurting yourself?

In bodybuilding, the neck is certainly the most neglected part of the body. upper body. But neck muscles are essential in many ways. From an aesthetic point of view, having a bull neck makes you look more imposing. In certain sports, such as rugbyWhether you're involved in sports such as basketball, American soccer or martial arts, strengthening your neck is crucial to avoiding injury. Discover the best exercises for stretch your neck in complete safety.

Neck anatomy

The neck is a part of the body we rarely talk about. We massage it when we're tense, twist it left and right when we feel a little muscle fatigue, and then move on without really paying attention.

Yet the neck plays an important role. It supports the head and is the link between the brain and trunk. It acts as a messenger, alerting us when the body begins to tire.

The neck is made up of vertebraeThe body is made up not only of muscles, nerves and ligaments, but also of organs.

Muscles are divided into two layers: deep muscles and superficial muscles.

Deep muscles

The deep muscles help other parts of the neck to perform functions such as swallowing, turning the head, flexing and rotating the cervical vertebrae. These deep muscles include the angular, hyoid, splenius and scalene muscles.

They also connect the scapula to the ribcage. Contraction of these muscles ensures flexion of the cervical spine.

Superficial muscles

As for the superficial musclesThe trapezius muscles are used to lift the shoulders backwards. This is the role of the trapezius muscles.

They act as connectors between the shoulder and the skull, and also allow the head to be turned by flexing forward.

On the back of the neck, there are several cervical vertebrae.

Why do you need to build up your neck muscles?

The neck is a particularly important part of the body fragile.

Muscling your neck allows you to :

• Limit the risk of injuries in certain sports;
• Improve your physical appearance.

To reduce the risk of injury

It is important to strengthen the neck to limit contractures and tension. In fact, stiff neck muscle fibers can lead to lower back pain and upper back.

In certain sports such as rugby, American soccer, boxing, wrestling or MMA (mixed martial arts), having a muscular neck is a guarantee of safety. It helps avoid serious injuries and potential after-effects, particularly to the spine and cervical spine.

Mike Tyson's neck is usually the benchmark. The latter performed daily strength exercises to build muscle and better resist the blows received.

To improve your looks

Muscling the neck also greatly improves the aesthetics of the bust.

However, this is a weak point for a large number of bodybuilders. It's not uncommon to see athletes with well-developed shoulders, pecs, arms and back, but a thin neck. This spoils the harmony of their physical appearance and makes the whole look disproportionate.

On the other hand, a wide neck often makes for a much more harmonious silhouette.

Muscles to target to strengthen your neck

Muscling the neck involves working different parts of the body.

In fact, the neck alone is made up of a dozen muscles that are called upon when you need to turn or tilt your head. They fall into three categories:

• Flexor muscles ;
• Extensor muscles ;
• Rotator muscles.

But other muscles are also involved.

This is the case of trapezoids which are inserted at the top of the neck and run down to the middle of the back.

In addition, you can work on deltoids which form a bundle behind the shoulders.

Let's take a look at how to strengthen the neck with a few specially adapted movements.

The best exercises for strengthening neck muscles

As with other muscle groups, you need to choose the right exercises to build neck muscle. This can be done by sports hall or at home. Make sure you do it gradually to avoid hurting yourself.

Building neck muscles doesn't always require complex exercises. Sometimes, basic movements are just what you need.

Elongated neck flexion

Let's start with an excellent exercise for building neck muscles without equipment the neck curl. All you need is a weight bench or even a sofa to perform it.

Lie on your back with your head hanging in the air. Then raise your head until it rests on your chest, and perform around 15 repetitions.

Once you have acquired the right gestures, correct the series by holding a cast-iron disc light on the forehead. Even with such a load, the movement must remain precise and slow.

There's also a device for strengthening the neck. This takes the form of a harness which is placed on the head and to which a weight disc is attached.

Neck extensions

This exercise is practically the opposite of the extended neck flexion.

So get back on the bench and lie on your stomach this time. The aim is to move your head towards the floor to strengthen your neck, while keeping your back straight to avoid injury.

Here again, you can make the exercise more difficult by adding a weight to the back of the neck. Movements should be long and precise. Avoid sudden movements wherever possible.

The neck bridge

This movement isometric is similar to sheathing work. Its aim is to strengthen the deep neck muscles.

The aim is to form a bridge by resting the back of your head on a bench or swiss ball, with your feet flat on the floor. Hold the position for several seconds.

You can also do this exercise with your head directly on the floor, as Mike Tyson used to do. But if you're just starting to train your neck, it's best to opt for the version with a fitness ball.

The deadlift

Let's move on to exercises that do not directly target the muscle fibres neck.

The deadlift targets the trapezius muscles in particular. To perform it, you'll need a barbell.

From the starting position, spread your legs slightly apart and bend them. Raise your chest, then gradually lift the bar until it's halfway up your thighs. Keep your body straight throughout the exercise. Lower the bar gently, then start again.

For this exercise, the weights to be lifted will depend on the individual. Nevertheless beginners should start with light weights and increase the load as the workout progresses.

Like all bodybuilding exercises, the deadlift must be carried out with perfect craftsmanship.

The shrug in front of the bar

While this exercise is often used to develop the trapezius muscles, it can also be used to strengthen the neck.

To do this, stand with your legs slightly apart so that they are parallel to your shoulders. Keep your head upright throughout the exercise.

The shrug In front of the bar, hold the bar loaded in front of your thighs with your arms straight. Then raise your shoulders and contract your trapezius muscles to lift the bar, without having to bend your elbows.

Don't hesitate to do long series, as the risk of wrong movements is rather limited.

The kirk shrug

This shrug variant takes its name from Kirk Karwoski, a famous American powerlifter.

The exercise is quite similar to the classic shrugs, as it involves holding a heavy barbell and then raising it up to your navel. Hold it up for a few seconds, then lower it slowly.

Once again, don't hesitate to do long sets to optimize results.

The Farmer's Walk

Despite its rather unusual name, this exercise is ideal for developing neck muscles.

The Farmer's Walkor farmer walk, involves moving around carrying heavy objects in each hand. These may bedumbbellsa trap bar or sandbags. Once loaded, take a short walk.

Weightlifting movements

We don't always think about it, but the majority of weightlifting movements also help build neck muscles.

These include the shoulder press, snatch, muscle snatch, clean deadlift, high pull and many others.

Start with basic exercises. In most cases, dumbbells and kettlebells will be indispensable.

How can I relieve neck pain?

As we have seen, the neck is a veritable crossroads, linking the nervous systemIt also affects the digestive system, muscles and skeleton. As a result, neck pain can have a variety of origins.

If you experience neck painHowever, they can also be caused by stretched ligaments, osteoarthritis, muscle contractures or inflamed tendons.

On the other hand, if you suffer from acute neck pain, it could be torticollis, osteoarthritis or whiplash. The most common symptoms are a stiff neck, headache, migraine or pain in the back of the neck. Eye strain or tingling in the hands or arms are symptoms of cervicalgia.

There's nothing better than neck-strengthening exercises to protect against ailments such as cervical osteoarthritis.

If this is the case, you can always perform simple movements that will help to relax your neck :

• Stretch the neck muscles by passing your hands behind the nape of your neck, then pull on each side to relax them.
• Proceed to manual massage is also an excellent alternative for relieving neck pain. The gestures are fairly simple, involving a gentle massage behind the ears before continuing slowly towards the base of the head.

Conclusion

Now you know how to strengthen your neck. Whatever your goal, strengthening this part of the body won't take much time or effort. Neck exercises can be carried out at home, and take just ten minutes or so, at two or three sessions a week.

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