The Best Neck Exercises for Your Pain and Posture Problems
Our necks have a vital mission, move and protect the head. The extension of your core bridges body and brain.
A seated, inactive lifestyle renders this pillar useless over time. Its muscles become weak and stiff. Your head loses its altar.
One of my biggest remorse is to have ignored this pillar in my early weightlifting days. You feel a fast improvement in all aspects ranging from physique development to exercise performance and posture alignment when you give your neck muscles more attention.
Train your neck as much as your abdominals and you’ll be more stable than ever.
I noticed the effects right away. You realize how much your neck muscles work to support your head in movements like Squats and Chin-Ups. The new strength added more stability in an area I never knew affected me so much.
This article presents the best exercises to steady the weight of the world on your shoulders.
How to Train Your Neck
1/ Chin Tucks
You weaken your extensor muscles when you look down at a screen all day. This exercise will balance the front and back of your neck to give you some much needed support.
Do some sets after a long seated day to counter the tension that built up. This simple motion will prevent a lot of issues down the line. I’ve worked with people who are unable to move their heads forward or backward.
It’s like they lost control of the muscles over the years.
2/ Neck Supports
A similar movement as the first except with more resistance. You push your head into the exercise ball, which then tries to shove you right back. You’ll feel power jolt through your upper back muscles after this one.
Neck Supports were the first exercise I ever did thank to the founder of Kilo Strength Society Stephane Cazault.
3/ Isometrics
No equipment necessary for these ones. Push your head against your hand and resist for 10-60 seconds n each side. I learned this one from a boxing coach.
4/ The Snatch
Many people’s necks have lost their shock absorption capacities nowadays. This exercise is excellent to build a strong foundation for your neck. You learn how to create momentum and absorb it over your head. Start with the seated variation.
5/ Neck Harness
An excellent, low-cost tool to load your neck extensors with weight. There’s an episode of The Office where Dwight goes to the gym and uses one of those harnesses. I laughed so hard at the time, yet should’ve followed his example instead of missing out on years of neck gains.
6/ The Iron Neck
The Iron Neck is my favorite tool to train the neck by far,. There’s nothing like this device out there.
This Texas-based company changed the neck training game, and now help professional athletes from all sports ranging from football to hockey, MMA, and racecar driving amongst others.
I still remember the first time I used The Iron Neck. The device helped me feel muscles I had never trained before thanks to the circular design of the helmet. My neck was pumped and quickly grew in density. I still use it to this day, three years later and would recommend this tool to anybody that wants to improve their postures.
One of my clients reported improved mobility and less tension after one session.
Check them out to see what they’re all about and find a trainer who has one if you want to try.
7/ Jaw Exercises and Massages
Your jaw and your neck muscles have a close connection. You wouldn’t get far in life if your head to recoil every time you chew a hard piece of food. A weak/tight jaw will hinder the grounding work of your neck and cause an accumulation of excess tension.
8/ T3 Raises
Many people want to build thick upper traps, yet ignore the lower part of the muscle in their workouts. Avoid. Weak lower traps limit your strength/size potential and put your shoulders and neck joints at risk.
I assess so many people who are unable to lift their arms past their ears during T3-Raises. They fail to use the lower trapezius and compensate with their neck muscles instead.
This tension mismatch happens whenever they try to steady their shoulder blades and move their arms.
Neck training fundamentals
The best times to exercise your neck are at the start of your workout or at the end of your work day. The exercises presented in this article are excellent to awaken the muscles that bridge your head and your body. You will feel more stability in all your movements afterwards and improve your ability to engage the muscles below.
You can also do them after your long seated hours at the end of the day to invigorate the area. This habit will save you from more serious problems down the line when it will be much harder and expensive to resolve them.
I can’t tell you the amount of people who have consulted me for pain and posture issues that have weak necks. Many tried stretches unsuccessfully, yet never even considered to strengthen their muscles.
The purpose of this article was the bring your attention to an often ignored pillar so crucial to move and stand firmly. These exercises will serve you for the rest of your life. You will stand well-grounded, your head held high, unfazed by the passage of time.
Take care of your altar.
Do you have pain and posture problems related to your neck? Book an online assessment to find the source of your issue.