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Neck Extension with Head Harness For Building a Neck of Steel |
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Written by Stephen E. Alway, PhD, FACSM
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Tuesday, 24 April 2007 |
No one intentionally plans on being injured, yet neck injuries do happen. For an athlete to maintain an injury-free neck, his neck musculature must be capable of absorbing shearing forces and thereby prevent his head from snapping forward (anteriorly) or backward (posteriorly). An anterior injury might occur during a collision with a 300-pound lineman or while sliding backward into the boards of an ice rink at 30 miles an hour, but it doesn't have to be a sport-related injury; being rear-ended in an automobile on a rain-slicked highway can accomplish the same painful injury. Clearly, a forceful snap of the head forward is not good for anyone, and the pain can quickly curtail your bodybuilding goals. However, with a strong neck, the potential for lasting and permanent injury is minimized.
No matter how you cut it, it's hard to justify neglecting your neck. It's also hard to hide the obvious effects when the neck has never been a priority. While a shallow chest or thin legs can be hidden in baggy gym clothes, you have to go to some effort to hide a poor neck. That is, unless you have a closet full of turtleneck sweaters. The sweater idea is not so bad in winter months, but it is a little tough to justify in the spring and summer. The solution, of course, is not so much to cover up a thread-like neck, but to solve the problem.
Is the work really worth it? Sure, we can come up with all kinds of excuses why training the neck muscles is a waste of time. It's easy to convince yourself that it's better to devote your precious training time to your arms or your back. After all, what about the indirect work the neck gets while training other body parts? Serious bodybuilders will tell you there isn't a single competition that decides its winners solely on the athlete's neck thickness. Furthermore, a good chest or biceps peak will beat a great neck any day of the week. Perhaps it's not all that surprising, given that it's pretty hard for most bodybuilders to get excited about a muscle group they can't really pose or that can't show a peak or even get a great pump. In fact, you have to use a mirror to even see your own neck.
As far as other excuses go, sure, the neck gets some indirect work during overhead presses and rows, but is that really enough to develop a championship neck that's capable of warding off injury? The answer is no. To have the best neck, you must train to have the best neck. Resistance training is the best means for improving your neck musculature, and this is the same for every body part. Unfortunately, there is no magic or easy way around the process, so a great neck requires a great deal of effort.
Neck Musculature
Although there's a host of small, delicate muscles that are active to make subtle adjustments in the position of the neck and head, these muscles are not terribly important in providing overall strength and invoking protection against neck injuries. Nor can you induce much mass in these muscles. In contrast, the muscles described below are all important extensors and protectors of the neck and they will all be activated strongly during neck extension. The common functional theme in these muscles is that they all help to extend the cervical (neck) vertebrae, so the head moves posteriorly (backward). Alone, each half of the muscle can flex the head to one side (lateral flexion), but when both halves act together they extend the head and cervical column.
The erector spinae muscle group has several muscle components. In this group, the longissimus muscle is a long muscle that runs from the thoracic vertebrae to the cervical vertebrae and the head. The iliocostalis muscle runs from the superior six ribs and attaches to the posterior part of cervical vertebrae four through six (iliocostalis cervicis). The splenius capitis muscle covers and holds the deeper muscles of the neck in place. It runs superiorly (upward) from the ligamentum nuchae (a central thickened band of ligamentous tissue) and attaches to the mastoid process of the skull, which is a bump on the temporal bone just behind each ear.
The semispinalis cervicis and capitis muscles arise from the sides of the cervical vertebrae and attach on the posterior inferior side of the occipital bone of the skull. It forms the largest part of the posterior aspect of the neck. Developing this broad and thick muscle is critical for the overall success of improving neck mass and strength.
The sternocleidomastoid muscle begins in two areas, the sternum and the clavicle (collarbone). It runs upward and laterally to attach onto the mastoid process of the temporal bone of the skull. When only one of the sternocleidomastoid muscles is active, the head is tilted to the side of the active muscle.
The superior (upper) part of the trapezius muscle assists in extension of the neck and head. The superior fibers of the trapezius arise from the base of the rear part of the skull and the spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae. This region of the trapezius inserts on the lateral third of the clavicle. Its ability to extend the neck and head is improved if the shoulder girdle is stabilized and not allowed to move superiorly (upward), in a shrugging motion.
Proper Exercise Form
The inexpensive head harness provides great versatility. It permits you to change the activation patterns of the neck extensors by small degrees of positional change in the head during the exercise. Furthermore, the neck harness is something you can use at the gym, at home, or on the road when you're not near a gym. The longissimus, splenius capitis and cervics, semispinalis capitis and cervicis, sternocleidomastoid and superior portions of the trapezius muscles will be activated during neck extension with the head harness.
1. Position and tighten the harness on your head so it will not slip. The chain or cable should hang in front of your chest. Attach a weight to the end of the cable. Carefully step up on a bench or a block. Flex your torso to at least 45 degrees (relative to your thighs) and support your upper body by placing your hands on your thighs. Keep your back flat and flex your knees slightly.
2. Slowly flex your neck forward so your chin approaches your chest. You should feel a good stretch across the posterior part of your neck in the forward flexed position.
3. Extend your head and pull the weight upward in a slow and deliberate manner. Look up at the ceiling as you are lifting the weight upward. Hold the top position for a count of two before beginning the descent to the lowest position.
4. Continue into the next repetition by extending the neck, but this time, raise your chin upward in an arc-like motion to the left. At the top, your head will be tilted to the left as you are holding the weight (for a two second count) while looking at the ceiling. Lower your chin back to the starting position.
5. Finally, for the third repetition in the sequence, you will arc your chin to the right as you extend your neck and lift the weight upward. Again, hold the weight for two seconds before slowly lowering it downward.
6. Return your chin to the straight position and repeat the three-position sequence for a total of 12-15 repetitions before completing the set (i.e., a sequence of straight up, up to the left, then up to the right).
7. Put the weight down on the bench or the floor and simply stretch your neck extensors. Do this by slowly flexing (arc) your chin forward and holding your chin as close to your chest as possible. You can help increase the stretch by placing your hands behind your head and gently pulling your head forward. Do not do this vigorously or you could hurt your neck rather than help stretch it. Hold the stretch for at least 10 seconds before resting.
Important Tips
It is important that each repetition be done slowly. Do not begin this exercise with a "jerk," but rather, begin each repetition slowly and under control. Fast movements are more likely to cause degrees of movement between the cervical vertebrae, much of which is not desired. If you make sure you do not shrug your shoulders as part of the movement, then the superior trapezius fibers will be more effective neck extensors.
Is the progress slow? Yes. Will the neck extensions guarantee that you will never have a neck injury? No. However, a strong and thick neck should certainly minimize the chances of obtaining a serious neck injury and recovery will be much more rapid because the extent of damage should be minimized with strong neck muscles. Of course, the final payback is that by training your neck you will have the visual reward of connecting your head to your torso by a powerful pillar extraordinaire. Although you may not be able to see your improved pillar without a mirror, everyone else will see the difference.
References
1. Alricsson M, Harms-Ringdahl K, Larsson B, Linder J and Werner S. Neck muscle strength and endurance in fighter pilots: effects of a supervised training program. Aviat Space Environ Med, 75: 23-28, 2004.
2. Basmajian, J.V. and C.E. Slonecker. Grant's Method of Anatomy. A clinical Problem Solving Approach. 11 th edition. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, 1989, pp.441-542.
3. Clemente, C.D. Anatomy, A Regional Atlas of the Human Body. Second edition, Baltimore, Urban & Schwarzenberg Pub. Co., 1981, pp. 507-530.
4. Cross KM and Serenelli C. Training and equipment to prevent athletic head and neck injuries. Clin Sports Med, 22: 639-667, 2003.
5. Falla D, Jull G, Rainoldi A and Merletti R. Neck flexor muscle fatigue is side specific in patients with unilateral neck pain. Eur J Pain, 8: 71-77, 2004.
6. Moore, K.L., A.M. Agur. Essential Clinical Anatomy, Baltimore, Williams & Williams, 1995, pp. 409-428.
7. Squires B., M.F. Gargan M.F. and G.C. Bannister. Soft-tissue injuries of the cervical spine. 15-year follow-up. Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, 78(6):955-7, 1996.
8. Valkeinen H, Ylinen J, Malkia E, Alen M and Hakkinen K. Maximal force, force/time and activation/coactivation characteristics of the neck muscles in extension and flexion in healthy men and women at different ages. Eur J Appl Physiol, 88: 247-254, 2002.
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