Exercises For The Neck & Shoulders

Your neck and shoulders make up a small percentage of your overall muscle mass, but their proper functioning is vital for your posture and functional activities of daily living. Range of motion (ROM) exercises should take the joints gently through all functional movement planes. A Danish research group reported in the 2008 "Journal of Applied Physiology" that five specific strength exercises can reduce neck and shoulder discomfort while improving functionality.

Neck Range of Motion

Gently taking your head around in slow semi-circles effectively stretches and improves circulation to your neck muscles. Try three half-circles in one direction and three in the other. In addition, turning your head to look as far over each shoulder as you comfortably can and holding the stretch for 15 seconds can improve rotational ability of your neck. Avoid circling your head completely around which can case discomfort and eventually lead to joint instability.

Shoulder Range of Motion

Rolling the shoulders in large circles helps to lubricate their joints while warming the muscles. Try placing your fingertips on your shoulders and drawing large circles with your elbows, striving to touch them in the front. Open the shoulders even more by reaching both arms out in front with one palm up and the other palm down. Reach the palm-up arm straight overhead and the palm-down arm straight down toward the ground; repeat on the other side.

Shoulder Shrugs

Shrugs strengthen the trapezius muscle, the large triangular muscle joining the neck to the shoulders. Lifting the shoulders toward the ears contracts this muscle. Using dumbbells or a barbell for added resistance while shrugging the shoulders builds trapezius strength.

One-Arm Rows

Rowing exercises target some of the larger muscles of the back in addition to the shoulders. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement. Resist the urge to twist from the waist to swing the weight up. You will achieve better results by slowing down and using muscular strength rather than momentum to lift the weight.

Reverse Flyes

The small muscles at the back of your shoulders, your posterior deltoids, benefit from this exercise. You will receive maximum support doing reverse flyes from a weight bench set at about a 45-degree angle. However, you can simply sit on the edge of a chair, lean forward, pull your stomach muscles in to protect your back, and then perform the exercise.

Upright Rows

This movement pattern looks as though you were pulling your pants up to your armpits. The mental image may be silly, but the exercise effectively works all your shoulder muscles at once. For safety, keep your wrist and elbow level along one plane. Avoid lifting your weights or resistance band higher than shoulder height.

Lateral Raises

Also called shoulder abduction, lateral raises performed with dumbbells or a resistance band primarily target the medial deltoid which the central muscle of the shoulder group. This exercise can be performed with straight arms or, if that bothers your elbows, bent arms.

Caution

Slight soreness in your muscles after exercise is normal, but do not ignore pain in your neck and shoulders, especially if it lasts longer than three days or limits your activities of daily living. Consult your physician before beginning or changing your fitness regimen.