Having a strong neck is paramount for such sports as boxing, wrestling, football and mixed martial arts. Even if you do not participate in any of these sports, building a stronger neck can keep your upper spine more stable and reduce your chances of injuries. When it comes to exercises, you have several equipment options to choose from. As the name implies, head harnesses get attached to your head and they work particularly well at targeting certain areas.
Function of Harness
Neck exercises involve two prominent movements: flexion and extension. When you flex a joint, you decrease the angle between two bones. When you extend a joint, you increase the angle. Neck harnesses allow you to do front flexion, lateral flexion and extension of the head. Lateral flexion is a motion where you move your head sideways.
Muscles Worked
The muscles in the neck are considered minor due to their size, but they are still structurally important. Head harnesses allow you to work a number of these muscles, such as the sternocleidomastoid, splenius, levator scapulae and scalenes. The sternocleidomastoid is found on the front of the neck. The levator scapulae and scalenes are on the sides, and the splenius is in the back right above the large trapezius muscle.
Design of the Harness
The head harness is made of durable leather with a padding inside to protect your head. Two pieces of material hang down on the harness with a chain attached to the ends. This allows you to add resistance to your exercises to make them more challenging. The resistance comes from weight plates. These are the same plates used to load barbells with other exercises. They range in weight from 2-1/2 to 45 lbs. and you can put multiple plates on with your exercises.
Form with Exercises
When using the head harness, you need to be very careful with your form. The neck is a fragile area prone to injury if you do not use the proper mechanics. To do an extension exercise for example, attach the harness to your head so it is snug and weave the chain through a weight plate. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or sit on a weight bench and let the weight hang straight down in front of your body. While resting your hands on your thighs, bend your neck forward and move your chin in toward your chest. Steadily lift your head up and look forward. Hold for a second and repeat
A flexion exercise is performed on a weight bench from a face-up position with your head hanging just over the end of the bench. In this case, you need to spin the harness around so the weight is hanging down from the back of your head. Once into this position, move your head up as far as possible and slowly lower it back down. It is a good idea to have a spotter help you get the harness on your head while you are lying down.
A lateral flexion exercise is performed the same way as the regular flexion exercise, except your body is in a side-lying position on the bench and the weight is hanging down from the side of your head.
Cable Machine
Instead of using the harness with weight plates, you also have the option of using a cable machine. Simply hook the chain to the pulley and perform the exercise of your choosing. Cable machines have pin-adjusted weight stacks that range from 10 to more than 100 lbs.
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