Together, your neck and back muscles function to support your spine while you are sitting or standing upright. Individually, your neck muscles function to move, extend, flex and rotate your head, and your back muscles function to extend your spine, move your arms and scapula bones on either side of your upper back and rotate your torso. All of these functions are important for daily activities and thus you should exercise your neck and back muscles regularly. You can perform numerous exercises to strengthen these muscles.
Isometric Neck Exercises
Dr. Jon Greenfield of the Center for Orthopedic and Sports Excellence recommends you perform isometric exercises to strengthen your neck muscles. These exercises require muscle contractions without any joint movement. For example, to perform isometric extension, place your hands against the back of your head and press into your hands with your head, but resist with your hands so your head does not move. Gradually increase the resistance over five counts for one repetition. You can similarly perform isometric forward flexion with your hands on your forehead, isometric lateral flexion with your hands on either side of your head above your ears and isometric rotation with your hands against your cheek on either side of your face.
Bent-Over Rows
Bent-over rows exercise the muscles on your middle and upper back--the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids and trapezius muscles. To perform the exercise, bend forward and hold a barbell below your chest with your arms fully extended. Then, without moving your upper body, flex your arms to pull the bar to your chest and slowly lower it back down. Repeat for your desired number of repetitions.
Lat Pulldowns
Lat pulldowns are performed on a pulldown machine with an overhead bar attached to an adjustable weight stack with a cable through a pulley. As the name suggests, they emphasize your lats on either side of your spine. To perform lat pulldowns, grip the overhead bar much wider than shoulder-width with your palms facing forward. Then repeatedly pull the bar down to your chest and slowly let it back up.
Superman Exercise
The superman exercise strengthens your lower back muscles that extend along your lower spine. To do the exercise, lie face down with your arms extended in front of your head and repeatedly lift your arms and legs at the same time to squeeze your lower back. You can wear ankle weights and hold hand weights for added resistance if desired.
Upright Rows
Upright rows focus on your upper back muscles, especially your traps. To execute upright rows, stand and hold a barbell in front of your thighs with your arms extended. Then flex your elbows and move them sideways away from your body to lift the bar straight upward. When the bar nearly touches your chin, slowly lower it back to the starting position and repeat for your desired number of repetitions.
References
- Center for Orthopedic and Sports Excellence: Isometric Neck Exercises
- "Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (Second Edition)"; Thomas R. Baechle and Roger W. Earle; 2000
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