Dumbbell Neck Exercises

The neck is often one of the most overlooked body parts for strength training. This is unfortunate, since a strong neck connecting your head to your shoulders and upper back is critical in many sports. Contact and collision sports athletes such as boxers, wrestlers, and football players need a strong neck to reduce the trauma of impact injuries that can lead to traumatic brain injuries. With just a dumbbell, you can perform several exercises that will strengthen this important body part successfully.

Neck Raises

Lie on your back and hold a dumbbell in a position on your forehead. Raise your head as far off the floor as possible, against the resistance of the dumbbell's weight. This is a splendid exercise for strengthening the muscles of the neck that help withstand frontal impact to the head. Perform two or three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions two or three times per week for the best results with this exercise.

Reverse Neck Raises

This exercise is the opposite of the neck curl. It strengthens the opposing muscles of those strengthened by the neck curl. This leads to balance, which can help reduce the incidence of neck injury and strain. Lie on your belly on the floor, and hold a dumbbell behind your head, so the back of your head and neck support the weight. Raise your head as high as possible, trying to reach the back of your head to your heels. Perform two to three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions of this exercise as well, no more than two or three times per week.

Dumbbell Power Cleans

While specifically labeled an upper back and shoulder exercise by many bodybuilders and weightlifters, the power clean also provides an ancillary benefit of drastically strengthening the neck. Large numbers of weight lifters over the years have noticed this benefit. The neck helps support the dynamic movement chain that powers the weight up to the shoulders from the floor. Because of the amount of weight involved, this can actually lead to greater strength gains than the previous two exercises combined. Place a heavy dumbbell on the floor at your feet. Squat down and grasp the dumbbell with one hand. Explode upwards, pulling the weight up to chest height. Instantly duck down, and catch the dumbbell by rolling your hand under it, and letting the weight settle on the front of your shoulders. Perform three to five sets of 5 to 10 repetitions of this exercise, one or two times per week in addition to normal upper back and shoulder strengthening exercises.