Taku recently mentioned the importance of neck training. Which makes a lot of sense really, especially for fighters. How do you think this should be done? Any chance it will it be trained well enough just as a side-effect of other exercises?
At my best, I am doing kettlebell and Clubbell work, chinups, some BB deadlifting and Olympic-style lifting. Should I be adding something else that is more specific?
Kingabiu,
Direct neck training is quick and easy to add to a routine. Here are a couple of links to give you some ideas:
NECK 1
NECK 2
TAKU T.N.T.
thank you
good stuff!
Baki
I do neck raises with a harness to the front and back, then lay on a bench and do lateral raises (left side, right side) with a plate on my head.
static holds against a Swiss ball are good, too.
Nothing will give you a stronger neck than bridging. Unfortunatly its a complicated exercise that requires a moderate strength in the neck to begin with
I regularly do bridges
But isometric exercises like holding your hand against your head and pushing in various directions work
For people who dont have neck harnesses, just put a towel or rope through the hole of a weightplate and then use your jaw to hold it
in addition to working your neck, you get a stronger jaw aswell
From all the research ive done it best to only do front and back raises. Never work the sides. One thing it can build a muscle on the side of the neck that at worst would have to be surgically removed and its very serious. I use a harness, but only do front and back raises.
Ry.
Also do high reps and very very strict form.
Ry
Besides above, i also get a thick band, loop it around a pole about chest height & the other goes against my forehead - i then drive against it for time...
I do sets of 30-50 between sets of other exercises. I started with the 25 and added a 5lb plate every 3 weeks. I never really kept track of the reps or volume per say, but if I felt too much of a pump or I felt like I wasn't getting a good range of motion or ANY slip in technique I stopped. I can do 75lbs (3 25# plates) for 30 reps now (front or back). It's really great between sets of other stuff because you maximize your time but you don't burn yourself out in anyway.
bridges, i also loop a hand towel thru the handle of a k-bell and bite it & do reps with it.
^the band for time is great also
I am a big advocate of static/mild dynamic bridges for neck work. As Gokudamus stole my name and Leigh stated above, bridges are for somebody with moderate neck strength and will need a base before attempting. This is why I like the bridges/static holds again a physioball like in Taku's link at the top of the thread (here it is again: http://hybridfitness.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/training-the-neck-with-video/)
You can hit a variety of angles to tax the stabilizing neck muscles in a variety of ways with the physioball. I look at neck training similar to how I look at core training. Your main goal of those muscles are stabilization of the C-Spine (neck) and L-Spine (low back). So IMO, you can do some movement based exercises at those levels, but also static holds will help train the purpose of stability. The C-Spine is going to have more movement than the L-Spine, so it is always a balance, but ultimately with your neck muscles you're looking to gain stability to avoid injury, not see how much weight you can move with your neck. You are looking for an endurance based strength, not so much of a power based strength or hypertrophy.