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Fitness

The Top 5 Exercises to Strengthen Your Neck

Balance and locomotion, lower risk of injury, and quality of breathing - possessing a strong neck has an upside for anyone.

Tom Kelso

Written by Tom Kelso Last updated on March 18, 2017

It’s time to revisit the virtues of possessing strong neck musculature. In short, the neck and cervical spine serve as the conduit from the brain to the rest of the body. Not much muscle volume protects that all-important corridor.

It’s time to revisit the virtues of possessing strong neck musculature. In short, the neck and cervical spine serve as the conduit from the brain to the rest of the body. Not much muscle volume protects that all-important corridor.

It is therefore prudent to fortify that area to facilitate better function from the brain to the rest of the central nervous system. You don’t need to be a football player, wrestler, MMA athlete, or soccer player to focus on the neck. Possessing a strong neck has an upside for anyone.

The Advantages of a Stronger Neck

Admit it. You have given zero thought toward strengthening the neck because of these points:

  • It supposedly does not come into play during a CrossFit competition.
  • It is not judged in a bodybuilding competition.
  • There are no markers out there relative to neck strength (i.e., how much can you neck flex?).
  • It’s your neck. How many of you even give one iota of thought to that body part?

If you’ve referenced the previous hyperlinks regarding the virtues of a stronger neck, you now know the neck is often overlooked and disregarded. Here’s an excerpt for those of you who didn’t click through:

  • Nerve impulses running from the brain through the spinal cord can be affected by damaged, weak, or fatigued neck muscles. This can diminish both static and dynamic balance as well as basic locomotive actions. A stronger neck can thus improve balance and locomotion.
  • Regarding head training, having strong jaw muscles can lower the risk of injury. The ability to maximally bite down or clench on a mouthpiece prior to a collision is desired.
  • Similarly, knowing a head or neck impact force is forthcoming can better prepare the athlete for what lies ahead. A study found that when athletes knew it was coming, they were then better able to contract neck and head musculature prior to impact and reduce the severity of concussions.
  • Believe it or not, the strength of the neck can also impact the respiratory system and the quality of breathing. The anterior, medial, and posterior scalene muscles, along with the platysma and sternocleidomastoid muscles, contract and assist in respiration, especially during demanding exercise.

If you finally see the upside of a stronger neck, it’s time to revisit it and look at addressing it.

Neck muscles

Five Short and Simple Neck Strengthening Exercises

Here are five simple and time-efficient neck-strengthening exercises you can add to your existing training program to fortify that cylinder that connects your brain to the rest of the body. If you don’t have access to this equipment (the training equipment, not your brain), a partner can apply manual resistance to the forthcoming movements.

  1. Machine flexion – chin to the chest
  2. Extension – chin away from the chest
  3. Lateral flexion – side to side, ear to the shoulder
  4. Rotation – look to the right and left
  5. Protraction and retraction

4 Way Neck Machine: Neck flexion, extension, and lateral flexion

Exercise band: Neck rotation

Partner drill: Neck protraction and retraction

Summary

Most people neglect neck strength. Possessing a stronger neck has an upside, so pay attention to it. It doesn’t take that much extra time. Add these exercises to your program and reap the benefits of doing so.

Tom Kelso

About Tom Kelso

Tom Kelso is currently an Exercise Physiologist with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. He also trains clients through Pinnacle Personal & Performance Training in Chesterfield, Missouri.

For 23 years he was in the collegiate strength and conditioning profession, serving as the Head Coach for Strength and Conditioning at Saint Louis University (2004-2008), the University of Illinois at Chicago (2001-2004), Southeast Missouri State University (1991-2001), and the University of Florida (1988-1990). He got his start in the strength and conditioning field as an Assistant Strength Coach at Florida in 1984 where he was also a weight training instructor for the Department of Physical Education from 1985 to 1988.

In 2006, Tom was named Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association for his years of service in the field. In 1999, he was named NSCA Ohio Valley Conference Strength and Conditioning Professional of the year. In 2001, he received an honorary certification from the International Association of Resistance Trainers (I.A.R.T.).

Tom possesses C.S.C.S. and S.C.C.C. certifications with the NSCA and CSCCA, respectively. Additionally, he is certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board in basic instructor development and as a specialist instructor by the Missouri Department of Public Safety. In 2012, he became certified by the IBNFC as a Certified Nutrition Coach.

Tom has worked with athletes at the Olympic and professional levels, presented at various clinics/seminars, and worked several athletic-related camps. He is a strong advocate of safe, practical, and time-efficient training and has published a collection of periodical articles, book chapters, complete books, and user-friendly downloads promoting such.

Tom received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Iowa in 1981(It's great to be a Hawkeye!) and a Master's Degree in Physical Education from Western Illinois University in 1984. He was a member of the Track and Field team at Iowa and served as a Graduate Assistant Track & Field Coach while at Western Illinois.

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