Are you suffering from neck pain, tension headaches, or text neck? You already know that strengthening your neck is the way to go.
The real question is: how do you do it safely and effectively?
Isometric neck exercises are the answer. They target stability, are easy on your spine, and are surprisingly powerful.
In this guide, we dive straight into specific exercises designed to build your neck strength in every key direction: front, back, side-to-side, and rotational strength.
Get ready to transform your neck pain into neck strength!
Table of Contents
Benefits of Neck Exercises
If you spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer or looking down at your phone, you may be experiencing neck pain, headaches, or poor posture. Incorporating neck exercises into your routine can help protect your spine and alleviate these issues.
Here are some benefits of neck exercises:
- Injury prevention: Isometric neck exercises strengthen the muscles in your neck and improve stability of your cervical spine. This reduces the risk of injury in sports and accidents.
- Relieving neck pain: Neck exercises can help relieve tension and pain in your neck muscles. However, if you suffer from neck pain, ask your physician if you are able to safely train your neck given your pre-existing conditions. Be extra cautious if you have spinal injuries.
- Reducing headaches: Tension headaches are often caused by tight neck muscles. This tightness is not caused by “overuse” but by a lack of strength of certain neck muscles. Other muscles have to make up for the lack of strength and fatigue. Regularly exercising your neck can reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches.
- Fixing forward head posture: Forward head posture is a common issue caused by a weak neck and a number of muscular imbalances throughout your body. Neck training addresses an important part of the problem. Learn more about how to fix your posture here.
Why Use Isometrics for Neck Strengthening?
Isometrics are exercises that focus on holding a certain position, rather than moving.
They are simply the safest method to train your neck because they allow you to build strength without creating movement in your cervical spine under load. This protects the discs in your neck.
At the same time, it allows you to train your neck muscles specifically for their most important function: Providing stability. Therefore, isometric neck exercises are low-impact, easy to do, and effective.
How To Strengthen Your Neck: 4 Directions
If you want to prepare your neck for every situation, you need to build its strength in all directions: Towards the front, rear, sides, and rotational.
For all of them — with the exception of the rotational exercise — you can choose between three options. They are all based on the same principle. Keep your head in a neutral position and slightly tuck your chin. Add a directional force that tries pushing your head in one direction. Resist the force with your neck muscles and keep your head in that neutral position.
The first option is using the pressure of your hands to push against your head. This is the simplest method and you can do it anywhere, at any time. However, it is hard to progress over a certain point because you are not able to push very hard. This exercise is a good starting point but eventually, you will have to switch to options two or three.
In the second option, you lie down horizontally and keep your head in the air against the force of gravity, in alignment with the rest of your body. You will be surprised how challenging it is, to just hold your head in place. Once using only your bodyweight stops being challenging, you can start introducing weights. Take a light weight plate and wrap it in a towel. Then place it on your head, so it adds to the pushing force towards the floor.
The last option is using a resistance band. Anchor it to a stable object at around head level and wrap it around your head, as high as possible. The sticky rubber of the band can pull on your hair and be very uncomfortable. Put a towel in between your head and the band to solve that problem. Now, the further you move away from the anchor, the more tension you create in the band. You can also upgrade to thicker resistance bands once you become stronger.
Whatever option you choose, start with a manageable level of resistance that allows you to train safely. You don’t need a ton of force to challenge your neck muscles. The point of isometric neck exercises is to hold your head in a neutral position for time. Time is the first variable to increase, not resistance.
Start by holding the exercise for 15 seconds. Over time, increase the time up to 90 seconds in small increments. Don’t forget breathing normally during the hold, ideally through your nose.
When performing neck exercises, it is important to maintain proper form and alignment. Avoid any sudden or jerky movements and focus on engaging the targeted muscles.
Warm-Up: Chin Tucks
Before starting with the isometric neck exercises, warm up with a slow movement exercise. Chin tucks are a great way to prepare yourself to start your neck strengthening routine.
They activate the muscles in your neck and get your cervical spine moving a bit — without putting a lot of load on it.
Additionally, Chin Tucks prime you for body awareness. Actively focus on the movement and positioning of your back and neck. This will help you be more focused during the workout, making it more effective and safer.
To do a chin tuck, simply pull your head back as far as possible and tuck your chin in towards your chest. Hold this position for two seconds, then release. Do 10 to 15 repetitions before moving on the other exercises.
Frontal Neck Exercises
Option 1: Frontal Neck Isometric Against Hand Pressure
- Setup: Face forward, placing one or two hands on your forehead.
- Execution: Push your hands against your forehead while resisting with your neck, keeping your head stationary. Hold the position.
- Ideal for beginners; easily adjustable pressure.
Option 2: Frontal Neck Isometric Against Gravity
- Setup: Lay down flat on your back.
- Execution: Lift your head off the floor slightly and tuck your chin. Try to keep the space between your head and the floor as small as possible. Hold the position.
- Uses body weight as resistance. You can progress by placing a small weight plate wrapped in a towel on your forehead. Keep the weight in place with your hand.
Option 3: Frontal Neck Isometric Against Resistance Band
- Setup: Anchor a resistance band behind you at around head height and wrap the band around the forehead. Use a towel to protect yourself from skin irritation and hair pulling.
- Execution: Step forward to create tension, staying upright. Resist the band pulling your head backward. Hold the position.
- Scale the resistance by changing the tension in the band.
Rear Neck Exercises
Option 1: Rear Neck Isometric Against Hand Pressure
- Setup: Place one or two hands against the back of your head.
- Execution: Push your head back into your hands without moving it, keeping it neutral.
Option 2: Rear Neck Isometric Against Gravity
- Setup: Lie face down with your head off the edge of a bench.
- Execution: Lift your head to align it with your spine, resisting gravity. Hold the position.
- You can also do this on the edge of your bed. Scalable with a weight plate, wrapped in a towel.
Option 3: Rear Neck Isometric Against Resistance Band
- Setup: Secure a resistance band in front of you and wrap it around the back of your head, using a towel as cushioning.
- Execution: Step back to create tension, staying upright. Resist the band pulling your head out of alignment. Hold the position.
Lateral Neck Exercises
Option 1: Lateral Neck Isometric Against Hand Pressure
- Setup: Place one hand on the side your head. The direction of the force in this exercise is ear to the shoulder.
- Execution: Apply pressure with your hand. Resist with your neck, keeping your head neutral. Hold. Repeat on the other side.
Option 2: Lateral Neck Isometric Against Gravity
- Setup: Lie on your side on a bench, with your head and shoulders over the edge. Place your bottom hand on the floor.
- Execution: Lift your head and keep it aligned with your body. Hold the position. Repeat on the other side.
- You can also do this exercise on your bed. Scalable with weights.
Option 3: Lateral Neck Isometric Against Resistance Band
- Setup: Anchor a resistance to your side and wrap it around your head on the opposite side; at the level of your temple.
- Execution: Step away to create tension, stay upright, and keep your head in alignment. Hold and repeat on the other side.
Rotational Neck Isometric Against Hand Pressure
- Setup: Place one hand on your temple. The direction of the force is as if you were trying to look over your shoulder.
- Execution: Rotate your head against hand pressure without actual movement. Keep your head steady.
Incorporating Neck Exercises into Your Workout Routine
Don’t forget to warm up your neck with a set of 10 to 15 chin tucks before starting with the isometrics.
If you’re new to neck training, start slowly and gradually increase the intensity. In the beginning, you won’t need a lot of resistance to challenge your muscles. Start with 15 second holds. Over time, slowly work your way up to 90 second holds. Then, increase the level of resistance but keep it manageable and safe.
Do 2 to 4 sets per exercise. It is important that you train your neck in all four directions regularly, ideally once a week. You can easily implement them at the end of your workout.
You have the choice to do all of them in one session. That way, you have them all out of the way. However, this will be very fatiguing and your neck will be very sore the next days, especially if you’re new to neck training.
Alternatively, you can spread them out over the week. For example, do the front and lateral exercises on your push day and the rear and rotational exercises on your pull day. That way, you give your neck some time to recover and don’t make one workout a lot longer than the other one. This also allows you to do more sets per exercise.
It’s important to remember that neck exercises should be done in conjunction with other exercises. Your body will be only as strong as your weakest link.
This is also the case with forward head posture. Neglecting other body parts further down leads to instability and misalignment up the chain. To address the issue, you have to work on your neck, but also on other problem areas. Our holistic approach to posture improvement covers all the bases.
