I see a thick, strong neck as one of the most definitively masculine and athletic features on a man’s body is his neck. A big muscular bull neck just conveys natural power. I remember seeing on some infomercial (blanking out on the guys name–maybe someone can help me) there was one of those guys who was talking about how using his system could make you ripped in like 20 days or so.
I take nothing away from the man–he was shredded, had a v-shape, thick chest, 6-pack abs, big arms…but he had this little pencil thin neck and it just made me laugh. He looked so disproportionate, like he had a whole body implant to install the rest of the muscle.
So I’ve undertaken the task of building mine. Now I know plenty of exercises. However, I’m curious at how responsive it is to being trained. Can you really build a strong neck or is it mostly genertics. Has anyone havd success with building their neck, and if so, what exercises did you use?
Currently I am just using the standard head harness (like a dip belt, but the weight hands from your head). but it seems like that would only affect the extensor muscles like the splenius and levator scapulae muscles.
[quote]DanErickson wrote:
Dumbbell shrugs without tucking your chin into your chest works the sides of the neck very well.[/quote]
Biomechanically this doesn’t make sense. The only muscles involved in such a motion would be the upper fibers of the trapezius and the levator scapulae, which are located primarily on the posterior portion of the neck.
Read Charles Poliquin’s question of strength; I forget which month and year it was but he has a very sweet description of reps/sets and exercises which give greatest response for mass in the neck.
d.
I thin neck bridges are really something one should look into. Neck tripods too.
I remember alot of wrestler’s had really built necks when I was on the team…I never saw any of them do anything but bridges and tripods.
I’m not talking idle tripods either, you are supposed to hold it and then bend your neck and bring one shoulder, right or left down, then repeat to the other side and bring it back up.
Do it on something soft at first, I just tried to do it on my floor and it makes your cranium feel like its going to callpse on a hardwood floor.
[quote]Scrotus wrote:
having a smaller head can make your neck look bigger. Have you tried reducing cranial girth?[/quote]
Where would my brains fit?
[quote]Northaway wrote:
Read Charles Poliquin’s question of strength; I forget which month and year it was but he has a very sweet description of reps/sets and exercises which give greatest response for mass in the neck.
d.[/quote]
I searched them all, and he never went into great detail with the neck. A couple he briefly mentions, but mainly he just says that you can benefit from it and that the Atlas machine is the best.
I believe that most find that the neck muscles respond well to direct training in both size and strength gains; I myself had success years ago with the kind of harness you mention for extension and using a plate for flexion à la exrx.net/WeightExercises/Sternocleidomastoid/WtNeckFlx.html
just training the neck a couple of times a week for only two to three sets in higher rep ranges (+ 15) as a matter of caution – and the same approach is working well again now that I have resumed training. Be patient, good luck.
[quote]Fiction wrote:
DanErickson wrote:
Dumbbell shrugs without tucking your chin into your chest works the sides of the neck very well.
Biomechanically this doesn’t make sense. The only muscles involved in such a motion would be the upper fibers of the trapezius and the levator scapulae, which are located primarily on the posterior portion of the neck.[/quote]
I don`t care about your big words and sciences. If I do shrugs while looking straight ahead instead of tucking my chin into my chest it is my neck that has DOMS not my traps.
So I personally called Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler and told them I had a good friend that weighs 155 and wants a bigger neck so the ladies forget that he has noodle arms and chicken legs. They both said do some heavy ass deadlifts and eat more. A lot more. Stop worrying about your sweet six pack and gain some muscle. And then the ladies will tell you that you have an awesome neck. Because let’s face it, Chicks dig sweet necks.
your body is going to grow as a whole. The muscles your talking about are the sternoclidomastoid (excuse my spelling) they are going to be very hard to target directly. Just do shrugs, deadlifts, rows, and olympic lifts and they will grow.
Football players have big necks, because they are big guys.
[quote]dankid wrote:
your body is going to grow as a whole. The muscles your talking about are the sternoclidomastoid (excuse my spelling) they are going to be very hard to target directly. Just do shrugs, deadlifts, rows, and olympic lifts and they will grow.
Football players have big necks, because they are big guys.[/quote]
