Build up your neck's strength and flexibility. Learn exercises and stretches for your workout routine in this fitness video.
Keep head straight forward
Hold hand against head & push them together
Try it lying down
Tom Clifford has a degree in physical education, fitness and health from Eastern Michigan University, where he ran track and cross-country. Tom has worked as a personal trainer for two years. He also has a separate business where he coaches runners and triathletes for upcoming events. He currently works at Gold's Gym in Wilmington, North Carolina.
TOM CLIFFORD: Now I'm going to demonstrate to you how to do a neck resistance exercise. There's no movement involved in the neck resistance exercise. Your head is going to stay straight forward. You're going to put your right hand on the right side of your neck--of your head. Hold your hand against your head and push with your neck to the right. You're also going to be pushing inwards with your hand and that's putting resistance on your neck muscles and all around your head. So I'm pushing--you can't see any movement right now but I'm actually pushing my head this way and I'm pushing my hand in at the same time. You're also going to do with the opposite side, put your left hand on your head, push out this way with your head and inward with your hand at the same time, okay? There's going to be a little shaking involved of your head, that's good. That means there's muscles working in your neck and you're resisting against your hand, okay? You can also do this exercise lying down, if it's more comfortable for you to lie down on the bench and do the same thing, pressing your hand against your neck with your opposite hand. So again, right hand if you're pushing your head to the right, left hand if you're pushing your head to the left. Some things to remember when you're doing this exercise is not to push too hard, start with a light resistance on--with your hand and pushing against with your head. You want to start light and slowly increase the resistance both ways. You can easily pull a muscle if--in this exercise if you push too hard with your head or push too hard with your hand. So stay light at first, hold, start with a shorter hold, maybe 10 seconds on each side and as you get stronger and stronger, you can increase the amount of time that you're resisting against your hand and your head. That's how you do neck resistance exercises.
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