If you’re like most guys, you’ve probably done specific exercises and workouts in the past just to impress the ladies. These exercises likely include building up a six pack, building massive biceps, etc. However, one of the areas of your body that’s often overlooked is your neck. A thick, long neck exudes masculinity and dominance, and if you’ve ever wondered how to increase neck size, this is the guide for you.
Take a quick look through Google, and you’ll see that there are a plethora of guys wondering how to build neck muscles with dumbbells, what kind of neck workouts in the gym they should do, and more.
It’s quite obvious that guys everywhere want to know what they should do in order to achieve a neck that Batman would be envious of, but it’s also clear that so many men have no clue where to start.
Fear not, we’re here to do something about this.
We’ve looked at medical studies, consulted professional body builders, and have done real-world tests to figure out the most effective way of how to thicken your neck and make it as impressive as humanly possible.
Without any further ado, here’s what we found.
1. The barbell shrug
Exercise is the most effective way to increase your neck size, and the first exercise we’re going to be looking at is called the barbell shrug. This particular exercise focuses specifically on the trapezius and levator scapulae within your body, and they’re two of the most important muscles to work out in order to get that neck of greatness. I recommend that you train using the weightlifting gloves by Fit Active Sports (available on Amazon) to get the tightest grip possible.
In regards to the trapezius, these are the muscles that you’ll find at the very bottom of your neck. These muscles go all the way down to the very top of your back and they then make their way out over your collarbones.
As for the levator scapulae, this section of your body consists of the muscles on the front, lateral side of your neck. These muscles are incredibly thin, and the barbell shrug works out both of these muscles rather effectively.
When you do the barbell shrug, you’ll first want to stand up and put your feet about shoulder-width apart from one another. Once you’ve done this, hold a barbell directly in front of your thighs and then lift up your shoulders as straight as you can into the air. Hold this position for about a second, and then lower the bar down to the ground and repeat the process again.
Doing as many reps of this as you can will help to train those neck muscles quite a bit, and if you don’t have access to a barbell, you can just as effectively use dumbbells for this same exercise. While the movement of your arms will be slightly different with dumbbells as opposed to a barbell, the main thing to keep in mind is to keep your arms as straight as possible throughout the entire workout.
2. Train your splenius with the rear neck bridge
The rear neck bridge is one of the most popular neck exercises around, and this one is done through a face-up position while laying on the floor. The rear neck bridge is a routine that primaryly targets the splenius, but it also provides an ample workout for the trapezius, levator scapulae, and sternocleidomastoid as well.
To get started with the rear neck bridge, place your feet flat on the floor and bend your knees a bit. Make sure your hands are rested somewhere on your stomach, and then lift your hips in a very steady and fluid motion. While lifting your hips in this stage, you’ll also be arching your back and rolling to the very top of your head at the same time.
To finish the rear neck bridge out, lower your body down to the ground and then start the process all over again. The rear neck bridge can sometimes to a bit tricky to fully understand and grasp, but with enough practice and training, you should be able to get it down-pat sooner rather than later.
Plus, to make the exercise as comfortable as possible, it’s a good idea to have a towel or other soft material on the ground for your head to rest so that it doesn’t become painful while working out your muscles.
3. Target four muscles at once thanks to the side neck bridge
The side neck bridge is similar to the rear neck bridge, but it offers a different technique and style to workout very similar muscles. The side neck bridge targets the sternocleidomastoid, levator scapulae, upper trapezius, and splenius all in one single routine. That’s a lot of neck-muscle exercise in one setting, and that’s what makes the side neck bridge one of the most efficient routines on this list.
You’ll need some form of vertical column or outer corner of a wall in order to pull off the side neck bridge, and similar to the rear neck bridge above, you’ll also want to find a towel to make doing this exercise as comfortable as it can be.
Once you’ve got your towel, position it on the column/wall at about shoulder height of your body. Rest your head against the towel, and then place your feet in a lateral stance so that your whole body is at a decently sharp angle.
Next, cross both of your arms behind the lower part of your back and then send your body low to the ground and toward the column/wall by bending your neck. After holding your body in this position for a second or two, reposition your body into the starting stance and then do the whole thing over again.
After you’ve performed this exercise for a few reps on one side, you can turn your body around and do the same thing but with the other side of your neck. This workout is a little less difficult to setup than the rear neck bridge, but your neck muscles will really feel the burn after repeating this a number of times.
Final Thoughts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjiZaCJ6tCA
As you can see, learning how to increase neck size is pretty much all about following the proper exercise routines that have proven to provide real results. The neck requires very specific workouts in order to really move and train the muscles in that part of your body, and while it might take some time to learn how to master these techniques at first, they can easily become part of your everyday workout routine after a bit of patience and practice.
