Neck training.

K

Karky

2
So, i recently started neck training. because i want a ticker neck, and a neck a strong neck.

I looked at what muscles are worked during neck flexion, extention and lateral flexion. i found that flexion and lateral flexion pretty much works the same muscle (Sternocleidomastoid) Is there any point in doing both? should i alternate between them?
I currently do 3x10-12 on all of the movements exept rotation (dunno how to add resistance to that) i just lie on a bench with a weight plate on my head and flex/extend.

And nother question. Any of you able to do neck bridges? Is it something that usually takes a long time to be able to do, or is it something thats within range for a "normal" person?
 
i wrestled for four years in high school and we used to bridge for several minutes at a time. It is a great exercise to build neck stability, but I'm not sure how effective it is for generating mass. I know my neck got thicker over the years and it sort of toned down after I stopped wrestling, but like I said, this was over the course of 4 years.

We used to do a variation of bridges where you flip over while keeping your head on the mat. This has a lot of application to wrestling (getting off your back), and it will make your neck very strong. Let me see if I can describe this:
On a regular bridge, the only parts of your body touching the floor are your head and your two feet. You will have your chest/abs/crotch pointed toward the ceiling and your back/butt in the direction of the floor.
While in this position, twist your torso 180 degrees while spinning on your head so that your butt is now pointed toward the ceiling. YOUR HEAD SHOULD NOT LOSE CONTACT WITH THE FLOOR/MAT. Try one minute one way, then flip and do another minute the other way. This takes a lot of practice, and you should probably wait until you can bridge for at least two full minutes before trying it. You can serious injure yourself!

You can also make bridging a bit more challenging by rotating and moving back and forth on your head. Great for stretching and it can be a challenge if you do it long enough.

Good luck and I hope this advice helps.
 
thanks alot. ill keep doing the basic movements until i get stronger in my neck. but what about doing neck bridges with the head against a wall? to build up for doing regular neck bridges? If i do that, should i then cut some of the weighted movements out?
 
I'm going to start working my neck as well, and I am going to use neck bridges as the bulk of the workout, and weighted exercises as a secondary movement. I say, if you can't neck bridge, the only progression you need is to simply use your hands to support until you're ready for three points of contact (two feet, one head) instead of five (two hands, two feet, one head).
 
LeiYunFat said:
I'm going to start working my neck as well, and I am going to use neck bridges as the bulk of the workout, and weighted exercises as a secondary movement. I say, if you can't neck bridge, the only progression you need is to simply use your hands to support until you're ready for three points of contact (two feet, one head) instead of five (two hands, two feet, one head).
Click to expand...

Have you experienced size gains with neck bridges in the past?
 
i would stick with regular bridges w/ your head and feet on the floor. Try something like five 20 second intervals for each position (ends up being 10 intervals, 5 w/ stomach to ceiling, 5 with back to ceiling). just like everything else, slight weekly progressions are key.

and to the above poster, consistent bridging will eventually lead to size gains (just look at the necks on amateur and collegiate wrestlers), but its more of a stability exercise. However, the strength you build doing this exercise is MUCH more practical than that gained by loading up one of those neck-lever machines.
 
I'm a wrestler, as you know =] During practice, we would do both types of neck bridges (belly up-touch nose to mat, and belly down-roll neck all over place). I would say first stretch your neck out by being on your knees and not really bridging, but putting your head on the ground and rolling it around. I would look into a mat to do them on.

Like triple c said, I wouldnt try to do flips until you can bridge well. Going from stomach facing floor to back facing floor is very easy, but going the other way takes a TON of practice. Also, another great exercise you can do (only when you have a strong neck, don't try it too early) where you have a regular bridge. While keeping your head on the mat, use your legs to walk around your own head, non stop. It's super hard to explain, and super hard to do...but if you have a strong enough neck you can do it-a couple wrestlers on my team are able to do it successfully and easily.
 
aharris84 said:
Have you experienced size gains with neck bridges in the past?
Click to expand...

I believe I have. I say this because...I honestly don't know. I've done neck exercises in the past, in both ways Karky described. The problem was, it was never consistant. I've also seen neck size gains by working my traps, so it can be from that was well.
 
Any boxers should pay attention to this thread, Neck strength is EXTREMELY Important for Boxers as well. It greatly helps when those strong hooks are coming your way.
 
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Karky,

To add resistance to a neck rotation simply do it slowly & with muscular tension (aka dynamic-tension or vibro-power or whatever other name you want to call it by). You can do this with any muscle -- but ease into this type of resistance training as you can easily give yourself a serious cramp if you go hardcore too soon.

If you want a different feel, try using a mouthpiece & attaching weight to it... it's quite interesting (& a bit tough on the lips at times).
 
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well i tried neck bridges. and i could do it, 30 sec on a regular neck bridge. But.. are you suppose to put the head back far and almost try to look at the floor behind you're head?

i guess the question is, like this:
neck3.jpg


or like this:

?

and i read alot about how dangeoraus they are if preformed uncorrectly. any tips on how not to injure myself while using these?
 
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is that due to the head position?

this is just a good example of how smart it is to consult with people you know that knows their **** before doing something you read on the internet :p
 
I train my neck 4 days a week by going to the club and doing double or triple takes. The key is to really whip your head around and yell "dayum" with intensity.
 
[Focus] said:
I train my neck 4 days a week by going to the club and doing double or triple takes. The key is to really whip your head around and yell "dayum" with intensity.
Click to expand...

Without resistance, you're only increasing the endurance in your neck and will see minimal muscle growth. To provide your resistance, refrain from using "dayum" and instead try some rude pick up lines (PM me for examples). This should result in one or more of your subjects smacking you, providing force in the opposite direction of your head turn...
 
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SkianS40 said:
Without resistance, you're only increasing the endurance in your neck and will see minimal muscle growth. To provide your resistance, refrain from using "dayum" and instead try some rude pick up lines (PM me for examples). This should results in one or more of your subjects smacking you, providing force in the opposite direction of your head turn...
Click to expand...

Hahahaha. Thanks, but all the necessary resistance is provided by my head impacting with the person(s) standing near me.
 
Mreik.
If the last one was dangeoraus. what about the version where you start as in the first picture, and roll you're way up to the last picture, then back down again and repeat?
 
Karky,

One can get a fair little neck workout when doing the Upright Twist with a Pole Across the Shoulders (Pole-Twist) ab-exercise by keeping head looking forward at all times as torso twists (instead of the common practice of keeping one's ears continuously in-line with the shoulders). This helps get the side of the neck safely, gently, & yet effectively. :)
 
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