Workout Routines for the Neck: Train the Flexors and Rotators
Many people believe that training the neck muscles is nothing more than wanting to enhance appearance but the truth is, the neck is a huge asset in many kinds of contact sports. Generally, it seems that this important training is over looked because people either do not know about it or they do not have the proper equipment to carry out the exercises. With some weight plates, a bench, surgical tubing and a towel, you will be able to cover all of the exercises you need to build your neck muscles.
The Rotators. A 4-way neck machine will not work the rotators properly so you are going to want to go back to some simply manual resistance in order to work those muscles. Of course, you will not be working the rotators with weights, but you will be applying resistance to your neck with your hand while you are slowly turning your head to the left or the right.
It is strongly suggested that you begin slowly with this and do not start off with a great deal of resistance. When you come to the limit of your range of motion, you will want to go a head and slowly increase the resistance and hold it for about five to ten seconds.
You will then repeat this process but turn your head in the other direction. Again, make sure that you are going as far as you can and then hold. Complete 3-5 sets in order to make sure that you are really working out this generally overlooked group of muscles.
Many people find that this exercise is best done while seated. This way your upper back muscles are completely relaxed. You only want to work on the extensor group so make sure that you are relaxing during the whole exercise.
The Flexors. If you have a neck machine available, you can go ahead and use it for the flexors. For those that do not have this machine available, there are some simple things that you can do instead. You want to keep in mind that the purpose of this group is to tilt the chin towards the chest.
First, the simplest thing you can do is lie on a flat bench, face up, with your head over the end. Now, simply put a folded towel on your forehead and put a weight plate on the towel, holding it in place with your hands. Now, relax the head and allow it to drop downward.
You will then need to proceed slowly and raise your head up so that you are able to tuck your chin into your chest. Remember to keep your hands on the weight so that the muscles truly get a workout.
Just as with all of the other kinds of neck work, you want to make sure that you are starting light and that you are slowly moving through the motions in order to avoid injury. Do not use too heavy of a weight for all of your low repetitions since the neck is very fragile. Once you are used to this kind of training, you will be able to slowly increase the weights. For this group, you will want about ten to fifteen reps.
Another option is to take a simple piece of surgical tubing that's available at any medical supply house or home improvement store and tie the loose ends into a knot. Now, you simply have a loop or circle of tubing.
To work the extensors, all you need to do is sit on a chair or bench and place the tubing on your forehead. Take the other end of the loop and hook it on a doorknob, power rack or anything similar. Now, you simple let the head tilt back, then forward, where you'll begin to feel the resistance. Once you've reached the limit of your range of motion, tilt again backward and so on. Again, several sets of 10-15 reps will suffice.
Once you find that you are ready to increase the level of resistance, you will want to move further away from the anchor point by adding another loop of the tubing or by adding a heavier gauge of tubing. You can wrap a washcloth or towel around the tubing that will rest against your forehead. This will make it much more comfortable for you and it will also keep it from slipping while you go through the range of motion. - 17269
The Rotators. A 4-way neck machine will not work the rotators properly so you are going to want to go back to some simply manual resistance in order to work those muscles. Of course, you will not be working the rotators with weights, but you will be applying resistance to your neck with your hand while you are slowly turning your head to the left or the right.
It is strongly suggested that you begin slowly with this and do not start off with a great deal of resistance. When you come to the limit of your range of motion, you will want to go a head and slowly increase the resistance and hold it for about five to ten seconds.
You will then repeat this process but turn your head in the other direction. Again, make sure that you are going as far as you can and then hold. Complete 3-5 sets in order to make sure that you are really working out this generally overlooked group of muscles.
Many people find that this exercise is best done while seated. This way your upper back muscles are completely relaxed. You only want to work on the extensor group so make sure that you are relaxing during the whole exercise.
The Flexors. If you have a neck machine available, you can go ahead and use it for the flexors. For those that do not have this machine available, there are some simple things that you can do instead. You want to keep in mind that the purpose of this group is to tilt the chin towards the chest.
First, the simplest thing you can do is lie on a flat bench, face up, with your head over the end. Now, simply put a folded towel on your forehead and put a weight plate on the towel, holding it in place with your hands. Now, relax the head and allow it to drop downward.
You will then need to proceed slowly and raise your head up so that you are able to tuck your chin into your chest. Remember to keep your hands on the weight so that the muscles truly get a workout.
Just as with all of the other kinds of neck work, you want to make sure that you are starting light and that you are slowly moving through the motions in order to avoid injury. Do not use too heavy of a weight for all of your low repetitions since the neck is very fragile. Once you are used to this kind of training, you will be able to slowly increase the weights. For this group, you will want about ten to fifteen reps.
Another option is to take a simple piece of surgical tubing that's available at any medical supply house or home improvement store and tie the loose ends into a knot. Now, you simply have a loop or circle of tubing.
To work the extensors, all you need to do is sit on a chair or bench and place the tubing on your forehead. Take the other end of the loop and hook it on a doorknob, power rack or anything similar. Now, you simple let the head tilt back, then forward, where you'll begin to feel the resistance. Once you've reached the limit of your range of motion, tilt again backward and so on. Again, several sets of 10-15 reps will suffice.
Once you find that you are ready to increase the level of resistance, you will want to move further away from the anchor point by adding another loop of the tubing or by adding a heavier gauge of tubing. You can wrap a washcloth or towel around the tubing that will rest against your forehead. This will make it much more comfortable for you and it will also keep it from slipping while you go through the range of motion. - 17269
About the Author:
Are you sick and tired of being weak and flimsy? Let us take you by the hand with the best muscle building workouts to gain on pound after pound of ripped, firm muscle weight in the shortest period of time possible. Visit us to read more Muscle Building Articles
posted by X - Men at
1:06 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home