Today's society makes us lead a rather sedentary lifestyle. We spend the day with our heads down looking at our mobile phones, or sitting in front of a computer for hours. Obviously, this is not the natural body posture of the human being, so back and neck injuries are quite common.
Having a strong neck is essential in our day to day, but especially if we are athletes. On many occasions, we do physical contact sports that require correct postural hygiene so as not to hurt ourselves. It may be the case of boxing, muay thai or rugby.
Why is it necessary to train the neck?
I am sure that you have never considered training your neck, at most you will have dedicated a few seconds of your stretch to loosen it. Everyone, both beginners and fitness lovers, forget to train one of the most important parts of our body.
The neck is made up of more than a dozen muscles that are tangled up on top of each other, working together to ensure proper movement of the head. Logically it also provides stability and is involved in shoulder movements and breathing.
Having a strong neck will make us improve our respiratory system and the quality of breathing. They are muscles that contract and settle on breathing, so in intense routines it will benefit you to have this part of the body strengthened. Also, getting strong jaw muscles can reduce the possibility of injury.
And, as you can guess, the neck has a lot to do with the equilibrium. Nerve impulses from the brain that travel through the spinal cord can be affected if we have weak or fatigued muscles. Therefore, it can decrease the static and dynamic balance, in addition to basic locomotor movements (walking, running, jumping).
Exercises to strengthen the neck
Shrug
Your neck has an intimate connection to your trapezius and shoulders. Raise and lower your shoulders as much as you can, trying to reach your ears, but without pushing them forward. Hold up for a few seconds and slowly lower to the maximum. It is not necessary that you carry too much weight, increase progressively so as not to injure yourself or suffer pulls.
head harness
Most of us are used to seeing belts or harnesses designed to increase the load in pull-ups. Curiously, there is also a head harness, designed to strengthen the neck. For this exercise you must sit on the edge of a bench and separate your legs to a width greater than the shoulders. Place a light load on the harness and lean your torso forward slightly, until you are almost parallel to the ground. Your hands should be placed on top of your knees. Slowly lower your neck until your chin touches your chest (inhale) and slowly come up to the starting position (exhale).
resistance band
This exercise is perfect for working on static and cervical stability. You can do this with the help of a partner or by attaching a resistance band to any machine in the gym. Hold the position for about 10-15 seconds.
Isometrics with a partner
Isometric exercises can be done by yourself with the help of your hands, but it will always be more efficient if you do it with a partner who provides pressure. As in the previous case, hold the tension for 10 seconds and rest.