Why would one bother to train the neck? Aside from just enhancing the appearance, a strong neck is a huge asset in many contact sports. We often overlook training this vital area for two main reasons. We either don’t know how to do it, or we don’t have the equipment to do so. With a little improvisation, we can perform some exercises to cover all the bases without using anything other than some plates, a towel, a bench, and surgical tubing.

Rotators: You might already know that the 4-way neck machine will not work on the rotators so you will want to go for the manual resistance for this group of muscles. The rotators are not able to be worked with weights but there can be some resistance added. You will do this by applying your hand to your neck while you slowly turn it either to the left or the right.

It is important to make sure that you are easing into this and that you are not using an overload of resistance. Once you have reached your limit of range of motion, you will want to try to slowly increase the resistance and then hold it there for 5-10 seconds.

Repeat the process, turning your head in the other direction, again holding the contraction when you can no longer turn the head further. Three to five sets of this should be more than sufficient to give ample work for this often overlooked muscle group.

It’s also a good idea to do this exercise while seated, so your back/upper back muscles are relaxed. We want only to work the extensor group, so try to relax while performing this 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.

You might want to simply lie on your back on a nice and flat bench, facing up, with your hand hanging over the end of the bench. Place the folded towel on your forehead and place a weight plate on the towel while you hold it in place with your hands. At this point, you will want to relax your head and allow it to drop down.

Proceed to slowly raise the head up as though you’re trying to tuck the chin into the chest. Be sure to use the hands only to hold the weight in place and not to help the next muscles perform the movement.

It is important to always start slow with the motions when you are doing neck work. Avoid using extremely heavy weights for the low repetitions because the neck is so incredibly fragile and especially if you are not used to training the neck muscles. Completing several sets of 10 – 15 reps is surely enough to get this group of muscles growing.

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.

For working the extensors, you will want to sit up on a bench or a chair and place the tubing on your forehead. You will take the other end up the loop and place it over a doorknob. Allow the head to slowly tilt back and then forward again, as you feel the resistance. When you have finally reached your range of motion limit, you will want to tilt back again and keep going until you have gone through a few sets of ten to fifteen reps.

When you’re ready to increase the resistance, you can move farther from the anchor point, add another loop of tubing, or purchase a heavier gauge of tubing. You may want to wrap a towel or washcloth around the portion of tubing that will be resting on your forehead. This will make the exercise more comfortable and also help to keep it from slipping as you go through the motion.

Get the best selling natural bodybuilding program, the Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail Method and achieve the best results in some weeks. Visit us to read more Muscle Building Articles

categories: muscle gain,muscle building,work out,gym routines,weight training,fitness,health,bodybuilding,exercise,sports,men’s issues,women’s issues,self improvement,weight loss