How do you build your neck?

[mugg0808]

Hey guys, just a quick question, I'm trying to build my neck up a bit, its 16" now, my gym doesnt have a neck machine, I started by lying down on a flat bench with my head off the end and using a 45lb plat and flexing my neck to my chest, is there anything else I can do, I work my traps out a lot with shrugs and stuff.

 

[Lee]

my neck grows a bit from shrugs and deads. ive never actually directly worked my neck out.

 

[Svetislav_aka_Waczlaff]

deadlifts
clean high pulls
powershrugs

powercleans
bb-rows

 

[javaguru]

Stick to getting strong on the big compound movements and your neck will grow. Mine is 18.5" and I've never done direct neck work.

 

[fortunatesun]

I'm going to agree with what everyone else has posted that basic lifting using compound movements will build your neck. At the same time, I can understand anyone wanting to do some isolation work as well. When I played club rugby it would have saved me some embarressment and resulting discomfort.
This one- called Standing Isometric Neck Flexion, looks like it would do the job: http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1034530
Just scroll about 2/3 of the way down the page until you find it. Those stretch bands are inexpensive - the minis he's using are less than $10, can be found anywhere selling powerlifting gear, and have hundreads of other uses as well.

 

[Protobuilder]

Stick to getting strong on the big compound movements and your neck will grow. Mine is 18.5" and I've never done direct neck work.

I hear people say that but for the life of me I don't understand how. It'd be awesome if it worked, but my neck hasn't budged. I guess if you added on a lot of bodyweight through heavy training, it'd probably go to your neck some too.

Op -- you can buy a neck harness that you just hang plates from and then you can do 4-way neck work. Also, wrestling style bridges use your neck, but be cautious with them.

 

[javaguru]

When I wrestled we did all kinds of direct neck work, various bridging movements for the most part, but my neck never broke 16.5" until I started lifting weights in college.

 

[Protobuilder]

When I wrestled we did all kinds of direct neck work, various bridging movements for the most part, but my neck never broke 16.5" until I started lifting weights in college.

That's interesting. Here's what I wonder though: maybe when you were wrestling your bodyweight stayed the same, or dropped, but then as you started lifting in college, you started adding bodyweight, some of which went to the neck area?

 

[javaguru]

That's interesting. Here's what I wonder though: maybe when you were wrestling your bodyweight stayed the same, or dropped, but then as you started lifting in college, you started adding bodyweight, some of which went to the neck area?

I high school I was around as a Junior and Senior 190 lbs and 10% BF, I hit an 18" neck around 225 lbs, I have 18.5" now at 235-240 with around 10%-12% bf. So, gaining quality weight is probably more important than direct neck work.