How To Strengthen Your Neck With Calisthenics?
So you think you can lift weights to strengthen your neck muscles? Let’s see how your neck muscles could be strengthened with calisthenics instead.
One of the first things I learned when I started practicing calisthenics was how my body responds to different types of exercises.
I started practicing in the winter. The air was cold, and my fingers weren’t yet used to the feel of my hands. For the first few months, I exercised mostly with free weights. My muscles felt weak, and I started having strange pain around my neck.
Then I started looking for a solution to what might cause this pain. A study from Harvard Medical School states that: Neck pain may result from the overuse of muscles in the neck and shoulder (many shoulder muscles also attach to the neck), the strain on the joints in the neck, or a pinched nerve in the neck or shoulder area and one of the biggest contributors to neck pain is poor posture during an activity.
Over the next few months, I started training my neck with calisthenics. It was hard to tell how my body would respond to a new type of workout, since the last time I did it I didn’t have any prior experience with it. But the results were shocking, I ended up with so much power in my neck that I was able to finish my workouts even using weights.
You may not always want to do exactly what I did, but you should get an idea of what to expect when you start training your neck with calisthenics.
There are many great calisthenics exercises to help stretch, contact, and improve the muscles around the neck to make it stronger even while doing boxing or other fighting sports, and in this article, I’m going to share with you some of my favorites.
What Is The Function Of The Neck?
The neck is an essential muscle group in a functional exercise program. However, many people don’t know what the neck is. The primary function of the neck is to hold up the head.
It is also involved in the movement of the head and the rest of the body. When the neck is strong, the rest of the body moves smoothly, and there are fewer injuries and soreness. And although neck strength isn’t the primary reason people want to be exercising, a strong neck will make you feel better.
Because of this, many people find it difficult to perform calisthenics and develop a strong neck.
Let’s take a look at what are the main muscles trained in the neck with calisthenics and how you can improve your neck strength and posture.
Main Muscles Trained in the Neck with Calisthenics
The main muscles trained in your neck while doing calisthenics are the scalenes, the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), the suboccipital, and the cervical extensors.
The neck is an incredibly important muscle group that has many important functions and it is primarily connected to the back. It serves as a stabilizer to keep the head steady when in a fixed position and is an extremely important part of speech production, movement, and posture. When training the neck, you want to work the muscles that help control the head position while you are standing up, sitting down, and lying down.
While calisthenics, as defined in this article, are an excellent way to work the neck and calm neck pain, they can also be done in a variety of other ways.
How To Ease Neck Pain with Calisthenics?
Most people including me have felt pain in their neck after some type of calisthenics activity. You’ve probably sat through multiple hours of exercises, only to find yourself with a stiff neck. This is caused by an overstretching of the ligaments, muscles, and joints that help stabilize the cervical spine.
These muscles include the trapezius, pectoralis major, and latissimus dorsi. Overstretching the muscles causes inflammation, which in turn creates pain in the neck.
With the following neck calisthenics workout, you will be able to build your muscles and calm your neck pain.
Calisthenics Neck Workout
Neck Front Bridge (On knees)
Or also called wrestler bridges is an initial neck-strengthening process. We will only need to put a training mat on the floor.
We are starting with our hands extended and on our knees kept together. So we can take off as much pressure as needed and we are slowly introducing that load. Then, we put our forehead on the mat and start performing side-to-side clockwise and anti-clockwise movements.
Start with 3 sets of 10 reps and progress once you feel your neck stronger.
Front Neck Plank
Here we will be working on improving the strength of the front of our neck.
So to start with what we need to do is stand in front of a wall or something stable. Then place your forehead against the wall and lean your body. From a side view, you need to have a straight line from your head to your feet.
Hold this position for as long as you can, starting from at least a minute.
Side Neck Plank
The side neck plank is performed the same way as the front one, the only difference is that we are working on the side muscles of our neck.
Start with standing in front of a wall or a stable object. Then place your head on the side against the wall and lean your body. From a side view, you need to have a straight line from your head to your feet.
Hold this position for as long as you can, starting from at least a minute.
Back Neck Plank
Similar to the side and the front neck planks, the only difference is that the back plank is focused on strengthening the muscles of our back neck.
Start by placing the back of your head against a wall or something stable and lean your body. From a side view, you need to have a straight line from your head to your feet as you are lying on a bed.
Hold this position for as long as you can, starting from at least a minute.
Front Neck Hang (On a Bar)
Neck hang exercises build the muscles on the sides of the neck, including the pectoralis major (upper chest) and the deltoideus. This exercise helps prevent injury to the neck by reducing the risk of hyperextension (when the head goes beyond the natural curvature of the spine) and hyperflexion (when the neck bends back excessively).
Neck hangs are a simple calisthenics move that you can add to your skill set it might seem intimidating at first, but if you know how to execute it properly it is completely safe.
Start with grabbing the bar with both hands using a super native grip and place the bar on your collarbone, then press with your neck to get a feel for it, loosening your grip as you get stronger. And, once you feel strong enough let go of your hands and hold only with your collarbone.
Back Neck Hang (On a Bar)
This is the back neck hang.
Stand up tall with your feet flat on the floor. Then, place your hands on the bar behind your head. Keeping your back straight, slowly raise your head until you feel a good stretch in your neck. Your hands should stay on the bar the whole time.
Without changing the position of your hands, lower your head slowly until your arms are straight. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly raise your head back to the starting position. Repeat.
To increase the intensity of this exercise, do two sets of 12 repetitions.
Final Thoughts
I highly recommend looking into other methods of training your neck, including those mentioned above. However, I also strongly recommend starting with calisthenics. Calisthenics is incredibly effective at exercises for the neck, and they’re fun, which makes them a wonderful choice for beginners!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do you train your neck with calisthenics?
This is a good question because neck training is so important in strength and flexibility. One of the best exercises for the neck is chin-ups. This is one of the most important calisthenics in general and especially for women.
Does calisthenics strengthen neck muscles?
Calisthenics strengthens neck muscles, especially if you perform them every day. You’ll find that when you are walking around doing calisthenics your neck is much more relaxed.
Is it OK to train your neck?
Yes! The muscles on the sides of your neck are called the upper trapezius muscles. They help to support your head when you are lying down, sitting up, or sleeping. If these muscles become tight and stiff it can cause headaches, dizziness, poor concentration, neck pain, or discomfort in the shoulders and arms.
Do push-ups train the neck?
No, they don’t. It is a great workout for your arms and your chest, but they don’t train your neck muscles.
Does training the neck improve the jawline?
If you want a strong jaw, training your neck may not help you. Neck training helps the muscles in your neck and shoulders that support your head.
