Whether you are an athlete or a normal person, training your neck is beneficial for everyone. Not only it makes the neck strong and heavy but also makes you look more masculine. And who doesn’t want to look more masculine and look like a beast?. if you want to build that masculine neck then consider including these neck exercises for mass in your workout routine?
Image credit :Designed by Racool_studio / Freepik
Muscles in the neck?
We are not getting too deep in muscle study, this is a simple rough explanation of neck muscles that further used in neck exercises. Keeping it simple neck contains four muscles rotatory, flexors, extensors, and lateral flexors.
Flexors – flexors are responsible to move your neck down so that you can look below your neck area.
Extensors- extensors are responsible for moving your head up towards the sky so that you can look above your head.
Rotatory- as the name suggests, rotatory in the neck is responsible for side movement, make you look left and right.
Lateral flexors – lateral flexors are responsible for stretching when you stretch your neck down in a way so that ears move down towards shoulders.
How much time does the neck take to grow?
If you don’t know this then you are going to learn something new about your body. In the human body, the neck is the fastest growing muscle when you train it. You will see results after a few weeks of training.
Neck exercises for mass
Before doing any neck exercises, first, make sure to activate the muscles by rotating your head in a circular motion. Or you can do stretching by moving your head down, to sides and up.
Neck bridge
This cool looking exercise gets harder when you do it. Neck bridge curl is the best exercise to train flexor muscle of the neck. Start doing this exercise when you get the right position.
How to perform
● Take a mat and make a triangle with your body and legs.
● Place your legs apart from each other creating triangle.
● Next, bend your upper body down, so that your hips point up and the head sits on the floor parallel to your legs. Your body creates a shape of the triangle from the side.
● Now, you can place your hands on the ground to get support or move upon your hips (do this of you feel comfortable)
● Start pushing your head forward to perform the movement, and do a repetition of 10 reps to target flexor muscle.
Lateral neck bridge
As the name suggests this exercise is useful in targeting the lateral flexors of your neck. Don’t do this if you don’t get the position or balance because it may cause injury.
How to perform
● Move your body weight on one side so that your front body facing the right side and back to the left side.
● Now lift your body up in a way that only your feet and neck touches the ground. Make sure the neck is flexed or placed on a ground in lateral position (left lateral position if your left hand is below, right lateral position if your right hand is below left hand).
● Perform the movement by making your neck straight to the point that you can balance your body and then move back to its initial lateral position, counted as one rep. Do a repetition of 8 reps for this exercise.
● After completing 8 reps do the same for the other positions where your front body now facing the left side.
Reverse neck bridge
This exercise is best to target the extensor muscle of the neck. As the name suggests this exercise is the reverse of neck bridge curl.
How to perform
● Lie on the floor with your feet apart at a neutral distance.
● Lift your body up by bending your knees, so that your hips and upper legs are up along with back, and head and feet are down
● Push your head forward so that it moves your chin up.
● Do this movement for 12 reps.
Neck curls
A simple exercise to do at home or in the gym. This exercise is useful to target flexors of the neck and build a strong neck.
How to perform
● Take a bench and lie on it with your stomach. Make sure your neck area is out of the bench and doesn’t get any support.
● Perform the movement by bringing the neck down close to your chest and then follow up with reverse movement by bringing the neck back up to its initial position.
● Do 28 reps for this exercise as this exercise is the easiest exercise on the list. Also due to light movement, you will start feeling the burn after 14 or 15 reps.
Lateral neck curls
An easy exercise to target lateral flexors of the neck.
How to perform
● Grab a bench and lie on it in the side plank position. Make sure your head and neck are out, with no bench support.
● Perform the movement by bringing your head or ear closer to shoulders, performing lateral flexors movement of the neck.
● Do the same 25 to 28 reps to feel the burn and tension in neck muscles.
● Perform the same movement for the other side.
Posterior neck curls
This exercise is a simple way to involve extensors of the neck. You can do this exercise at home or in the gym after your workout routine.
How to perform
● Lie on a bench with your back in a neutral way where your face is facing towards the ceiling.
● Now, perform the movement by moving or pushing your head backward and chin up.
● Do the same repetition for 28 sets to get the pump in your neck veins.
Diagonal weighted neck curls
This exercise is best to build neck mass or broad neck, involves rotatory, flexor, and lateral flexor movement.
How to perform
● Follow the same Position as posterior neck curls, so that your face facing the ceiling.
● Grasp a 7kg or 10 kg plate, or you can use dumbbell with the sufficient weight. And place it over your head with the support of your hands.
● Move your head diagonally up to one right side, then up to the left side.
● Do the same movement for 15 reps with controlled and slow movement.
Reverse hand resistance neck curls
A great exercise to hold tension on neck muscles. This exercise should be performed in the last.
How to perform
● Lie on a bench on your stomach, so that your face facing the floor.
● Hold your hands on the back of your head.
● Perform the movement by bringing your head down and then up, provide resistance with your hands to make it hard for your neck to come back up to its initial position.
● Do this exercise with a slow and composed movement for 15 reps.
Weighted lateral neck curls
A great exercise to build mass on the sides of the neck, make the neck look more wide and big. This exercise makes lateral flexor work hard.
How to perform
● Lie on a bench in the side plank position with your body weight on one side.
● Take a double or plate anything that suits you better. Now, place it over the side of your forehead.
● Perform the movement by bringing the head down then up back to the initial position.
● Do the same for 12 reps with slow and controlled movement.
Weighted neck curls
The same weighted neck curls involve the flexor movement of your neck.
How to perform
● Lie on a bench with your face facing the floor.
● Take a weighted barbell plate and rest it over your back head (portion of head facing the ceiling). Hold the plate with both hands, provide resistance to the movement, and holds the plate.
● Perform the movement by bringing the face down or chin close to the chest and then move back up to the initial position.
● Do the same movement for 12 controlled reps.
