- December 20, 2018
- Workouts in the gym
- Timoshenko Mikhail
Athletes who are involved in fitness and bodybuilding often forget that the muscles in the upper spine need the same quality work as the torso muscles. As a result, the massive chest, back and upper limbs look unnatural against the background of a thin and underdeveloped neck. It is important to devote a lot of time to training the muscles in the presented zone.
A pumped-up bull neck in men creates a truly menacing look. Strengthening the local muscles protects the vertebrae from displacement and makes it possible to avoid the development of pain when sitting for a long time. How to pump up your neck? We will consider exercises that have proven highly effective in our publication.
Tilts
How to pump up a man's neck? You should start training with a good muscle warm-up. First of all, tilt your head in the frontal direction. Take a vertical stance, keeping your back straight and your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your head, trying to touch your chin to your chest. Then return back to the starting position. Perform about ten such repetitions. The solution will allow you to thoroughly stretch the back muscles of the neck.
After the above exercise, move on to tilting your head back. Move your neck carefully, without jerking or unnecessary swaying. Otherwise, there is a risk of displacement of the upper vertebrae.
Sit on a chair and straighten your back. Slowly tilt your head to the left and then to the right. Try to reach your ear to your shoulder. Hold at the end point for a few seconds. Again, avoid sudden movements. Focus on high-quality, gentle stretching of the neck muscles. Do close 5-6 reps on each side.
Why does widow's hump appear?
There may be several global reasons:
1. Cervical osteochondrosis, which is accompanied by salt deposits, and with them, fat deposits in the neck area.
2. Sedentary lifestyle, incorrect posture. Often, a hump appears in those who work at a computer or mostly sitting: teachers, programmers, accountants.
3. Excessive physical activity. Due to intense training, the neck muscles tend to thicken, the neck becomes shorter, and a fatty pad appears at the withers. This is observed among professional athletes.
4. Osteoporosis is a lack of calcium in the bones. Calcium deficiency leads to deformation of bone tissue, which, in turn, can “result” in the appearance of a characteristic widow’s hump.
5. Itsenko-Cushing's disease, excess adrenal hormones. In people suffering from this disease, their physique changes in a characteristic way: the upper half of the body becomes overweight, and the legs, on the contrary, lose weight.
6. Genetic predisposition. Sometimes withers arise not because of diseases, but because of body features. This can be traced through the female line in the family: if older relatives had a hump, the likelihood of its formation will increase in their descendants.
The main reason for the appearance of deposits is a combination of incorrect posture and lack of activity, leading to excess weight and ptosis of internal organs. This causes global tension in the fascial system of the occipital bone suspended from the pharyngeal tubercle, which in turn causes the head to slide anteriorly and downward along an oblique line with the occiput thrown back, as well as a compensatory displacement of the lower suturing and upper thoracic vertebrae backwards (guillotining). In this case, the pericardial ligaments are often strained, especially the diaphragmatic one, which leads to a displacement of the base of the heart backwards and pressure on the upper thoracic vertebrae. Compensatory adipose tissue begins to grow in this place, and a cervicothoracic hump is formed. At risk are women in menopause, when weight gain occurs naturally, but a hump can appear in very young women, adolescents, and even men, which is often associated with psycho-emotional stress affecting the condition of the ligamentous apparatus of the heart sac in including.
People who have a certain imbalance in their bodies are also at risk: flat feet, stooped posture, pathologies of the chest and throat organs.
Our leading osteopath Malyutin Andrey Gennadievich describes in detail the causes of widow's hump in the following videos:
Static neck tension
The exercise is particularly easy to perform. Clench your palms into fists and place them on your chin. Press your elbows tightly against your body. Hold the position securely. Apply pressure with your head on your fists, tensing your neck muscles. Stay in a static position for 5-10 seconds. Then relax for a moment and repeat the exercise.
Isometric neck flexion
Sit on a chair, keeping your back straight and looking ahead. Place your open palm on your forehead. Press your head onto your hand, trying to overcome the resistance. Perform neck flexion according to the indicated principle for 10 seconds, then relax. Perform 4-5 approaches during one workout. An important condition during the exercise is that the head does not oscillate to the sides. Otherwise, there is a risk of injury to the upper vertebrae.
Exercise “Wrestling bridge”
In order to complicate the training to pump up the neck muscles, perform the following exercise. Place a gymnastics mat, soft blanket or mat on the floor. Place your feet, palms and forehead wide apart on the surface. Then remove your hands and clasp the back of your thighs. As a result, a stand should be formed that resembles a pyramid. Support your body weight by supporting your forehead and toes.
Perform slow rolls from the forehead to the back of the head. During movements, try to strain your neck muscles as much as possible. If at first it is difficult to withstand the load, add additional support to your arms.
Pull the weight to the chin
How to pump up a bull's neck? A good solution is to pull the load in the direction of the chin. The training provides high-quality development of the trapezius muscles, due to which you can achieve impressive volume in the target area. Act according to this principle:
- Grab the edge of a heavy weight plate from the barbell with your fingertips.
- Take a vertical stance with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Slowly pull the exercise equipment towards your chin, spreading your elbows wide to the sides.
- Strain your neck as much as possible while moving the load upward.
- Having reached the chin with the disc from the barbell, hold the position for a couple of seconds.
- Smoothly lower the apparatus to the starting position, relaxing your arms and shoulders.
- Repeat the exercise until a slight burning sensation is felt in the neck muscles.
An osteopathic doctor will save you from widow's hump
An osteopath is not a massage therapist: he is a medical specialist with a higher education who approaches the issue of ailments in a comprehensive manner. Everything in the body is interconnected, and the cause of one or another “external” problem may be hidden, for example, in pathologies of internal organs, or in an imbalance of systems.
The effect of an osteopath is non-invasive, painless and relaxing.
How it will help:
- Relieves tension in the pericardial ligaments.
- Relaxes the diaphragm.
- Perform a lift of internal organs.
- Will return the vertebrae to their physiological positional state.
- Restores microcirculation in the affected area.
- Other.
And:
- will restore lightness to the body, balance individual systems of the body with each other.
Shrugs with dumbbells
Let's move on to consider the question of how to pump up your neck with dumbbells. The starting position looks like this. The back is maintained in a straight position, the legs are shoulder-width apart, and the gaze is directed in front of oneself. Grab heavy dumbbells with your hands. Perform a slight bend in your elbows. Slowly pull the shells up, shrugging your shoulders. Hold at the top point, tensing your neck muscles as much as possible. Make a slight circular movement with your shoulders, then relax and lower the dumbbells to the lowest point. Training will allow you to properly load the trapezius muscles. Thanks to regular exercise, you can quickly increase the volume of your neck.
T-bar
How to pump up your neck in the gym? Prepare the barbell by freeing one end of the barbell from the plates. Place several heavy discs on the second end. Lie on a bench in a stomach-down position. Your shoulders should extend slightly beyond the edge of the support. Place the weighted part of the barbell in front of you. Grab the projectile with your arms hanging down. Gently pull the weight towards your chest, straining your shoulders and neck. As you exhale, lower the barbell to the starting position.
Performing the exercise several times a week makes it possible to form a bullish neck in men. The main load here falls on the latissimus dorsi, trapezius, and posterior deltoid muscles. You should train sitting on a wide bench. Otherwise, it will be difficult to maintain balance and maintain a static body position.
Head tilts with additional weight
To create a bull neck in men, it is advisable to perform neck curls under the pressure of a load. Lie on a horizontal bench face up. The head should hang slightly over the edge of the support. Take a moderately heavy barbell plate. Hold the device with your hands on the edges on opposite sides. Place the projectile on the forehead area. It is advisable to first cover your head with a towel. Otherwise, the pressure of the load will cause you to experience some discomfort. At a slow pace, smoothly lower your head down, applying additional load using the disc from the barbell. Having reached the bottom point, return to the starting position.
Resort to separate variations of the exercise, which will allow you to pump up the neck muscles from different sides. Based on the above training principle, place the load on the back of your head, right and left sides of your head. Hold the implement securely with your hands to avoid injury.
Training using a roller machine
Another way to pump up a bullish neck in men? An excellent solution would be to organize training sessions with a roller trainer. Kneel down, keeping your back straight and parallel to the floor. Grasp the fixture holders with your hands. Roll the roller machine across the floor away from you. At the end point, try not to lay your body on the floor. Stay in a static suspended position, maintaining the position by tensing the abdominal muscles and shoulder girdle. Rolling the roller in the opposite direction, move your body to the starting position. It is advisable to do several dozen repetitions in one approach.
Clothes: how to make your neck longer without doing anything to it
You can visually lengthen your neck with the right clothes. To do this, it’s worth remembering one single rule: when deciding what to wear, we say “yes” to vertical lines and “no” to horizontal ones.
How does this manifest itself in practice?
Blouses and dresses in which the neckline is directed along vertical lines are suitable. The ideal option is a V-shaped neckline, which visually stretches and lengthens the neck. Her lines are well emphasized by a large turn-down collar and the lapels of an unbuttoned jacket. Feel free to use scarves, scarves, and scarves that fall freely from your shoulders. But boat necklines, bob necklines, and turtlenecks should not be worn. However, for cold days there is also such a simple option: combine a light turtleneck with a high neck with a dark unbuttoned jacket or jacket, the lapels of which will create the necessary verticality.
In addition to clothes, women have invaluable helpers, the importance of which cannot be underestimated: jewelry and hairstyle. The rule is the same: verticals yes, horizontals no. We choose chains and necklaces that fit freely on the chest, put chains and beads under the neck, necklaces and collars. Long earrings elongate the neck - they can be used perfectly. But it’s better to give gypsy hoop earrings to someone.
If we talk about hairstyles, an open neck looks longer, so we say a resounding “yes” to short haircuts, high buns and ponytails. In our case, long flowing hair also looks good (vertical hair works, which helps hide a short neck). But you should not do low ponytails, baskets and classic braids from the base of the neck - they will make the neck look shorter.
Exercises with elastic band
An effective exercise for pumping up a bull's neck in men is training using an elastic band. Place the device behind a strong vertical stand. Tie the ends of such a tourniquet together to form a ring. Place one edge of the tape over your forehead. Take a few steps away from the counter until you reach a noticeable resistance. Perform a series of smooth tilts with your head forward. Then change your body position by turning towards the vertical stance. Fix the edge of the tape at the back of your head. Do a series of head tilts back. Use a similar principle to pump up the muscles in the side of your neck by tilting your head to the right and left.
Muscle atlas
The neck is formed by about two dozen muscles that provide tilting and circular rotation of the head and are responsible for jaw movements. One of the largest muscles here is the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The presented fabrics externally resemble the outlines of the Latin letter “V” on the side of the neck. The processes of these muscles are connected to the occipital and temporal bones. It is these tissues that need intensive pumping to create the impression of a “bull” neck.
Loads should also be placed on the trapezius muscle, which is involved in turning the head. Local tissues are involved in supporting the upper spine and bringing the shoulder blades together. The trapezius muscles are located on the back of the neck. In addition to the noted large muscles, there is also a whole network of small groups of tissues that are difficult to pump.
Training with a special cap
To train your bull's neck, use a cap designed for this purpose. The device looks like several crossed ribbons that are put on the head. At the bottom there are hangers where the load is hooked. Carry out the training in a standing or sitting position, slightly tilting your back forward. Putting the cap on your head, hooking the weight onto the hangers, make a series of neck bends down and up, left and right. Make slow movements without jerking or rocking.
Current models
Today there are quite a lot of trendy jewelry that can be worn around the neck. They fit organically into a variety of compositions.
Chains
This is the most popular accessory, which is made of gold or silver. It is often complemented with various pendants and pendants. Such models perfectly complement any ensembles.
Today you can find many interesting types of chains and weaves on sale. High-quality accessories that have an impeccable design will be a great addition to your individual style.
Designers offer men fairly brutal chains that are quite massive, or classic, neat accessories of standard thickness.
Brutal jewelry
Many representatives of the stronger sex prefer rather brutal jewelry. They allow you to emphasize the masculinity of their owner and harmoniously combine with a variety of accessories.
On sale you can find stylish wooden beads, woven leather items, and massive chains. All these additions look very relevant.
Pendants and pendants
They can be presented in the form of a stylish and laconic decoration. However, most often such accessories depict certain symbols. Many men prefer animals from the horoscope. They also often choose symbols of faith or different nations.
Pendants and pendants are often used as amulets. They can also play the role of amulets. Pendants are often double. In this case, the second part must be given to a loved one.
Attention! If you couldn’t find the best option in the store, you can make a pendant to order. However, in this case the product will cost a little more.
Men's choker
This term refers to a lace of medium thickness that fits quite close to the neck. A characteristic feature of the product is its minimum length. Such jewelry is considered one of the oldest in the world. Men's chokers fit perfectly into various looks.
Rosaries
These accessories resemble beads. Men's jewelry is made from leather, stones, and wood. They can have different sizes. The beads are fastened to each other with thread, fishing line or cord. There are also accessories on a chain.
Such jewelry is often worn with pendants or pendants. They are performed in a dark palette of colors or in a fairly bright range.
It is important to consider that such jewelry must be matched to clothing, shoes and other accessories. It is important that they fit into the male style and composition as a whole. Thanks to this you can look more attractive.
