The neck is often a neglected part of the body when exercising. While some full body exercises such as the squat exercise the neck indirectly, there are exercises you can do that will directly target the neck. These neck exercises will keep your neck flexible and strong.

Keep Your Neck Flexible and Strong With These Exercises

Click here for a very effective shoulder rehab exercise / neck exercise that uses strength training.

Neck Exercises to improve neck flexibility:

While it's important to strengthen your neck, it's just as important to keep your neck muscles flexible. Injuries to the neck are fairly common.

We recommend that you stretch every morning. Stretching keeps your overall body flexible, but stretching also helps prevent injuries. You will be amazed how much better you feel physically when you stretch each morning.

The first stretching exercise you should do are neck rolls. They will help keep your neck flexible. You can do neck rolls standing up or sitting down.

1) Roll your neck in a clockwise fashion for a few revolutions (full 360 degrees neck roll). Then, roll your neck in a counter clockwise fashion for a few revolutions.

2) Turn your neck to the side. Then turn your neck to the other side. Then turn your neck downward toward your chest. Then lift your neck so that you are looking up at the ceiling and then as far behind you as you can (in other words, lift your chin as far up as you can so that your face is parallel to the ground).

These neck stretching exercises will only take a minute or two.

Neck Exercises to strengthen your neck muscles:

For this exercise, you want to use an exercise bench (or you can use your bed). The exercise works better if you have a hard surface such as an exercise bench, but it will still work with a bed.

1. Lie down on the exercise bench (or your bed) so that your head (and only your head) is hanging over the edge. Begin by lying face down (your stomach should be touching the bench or the bed). The reason this exercise works better with a harder surface is that it helps you to isolate your neck muscles when doing this neck exercise.

2. With just your head leaning over the edge of the bench, slowly lift your head up as far as you can while keeping your body still. Then let your head fall as far down toward the ground as you can. Repeat this 8 - 10 times - lift the head as high as you can toward the ceiling then lower your head as far as you can to the ground.

Once you have down this 8 - 10 times, reverse the position of your body so that you are now lying on your back with just your head leaning over the edge of the bench (or your bed). Do as you did before - lift your head as high as you can while keeping the rest of your body still. Then drop the head as far down to the ground. Repeat this 8 - 10 times.

Working the sides of the neck - Lie on your stomach again with just your head leaning over the edge of the bench. Now lift your head and look to the right side. Then look to your left side. Repeat this 8 - 10 times (looking to your right side then your left side). Remember, move only your neck - keep the rest of your body still while doing this neck exercise.

Tips to Get Better Results:

You can get better results with this exercise by lifting your neck slowly and by holding your head at the top of the position. For example, lift your head slowly, then hold your head at the top position for 5 seconds or longer. You will start to feel a burn in the targeted area. Never try to jerk your neck.

You can build up to more repetitions if this neck exercise gets too easy for you.

The Full Squat Exercise for the Neck

If you want to bulk up the neck muscles (gain size), the full squat is one of the best exercises you can do. Click here to read more about the full squat exercise.

The full squat indirectly works the neck muscles and the trapezius muscles (along with other upper body muscles). Those athletes who do regular squat exercises with weights usually have very large necks. Think of how large the necks are on NFL players. Those athletes squat heavily. If you have a "pencil neck" and are looking to bulk up your neck, the full squat exercise will do help a great deal. An alternative exercise would be the deadlift, although the squat is the better exercise for bulking up your neck.

Using Equipment for Neck Exercises Ironmind.com sells a unique product called the Headstrap Fit For Hercules™. This product is a headstrap that allows you to attach weights to it when exercising the neck muscles. It is used to help strengthen the neck and to give the neck muslces more size.

Even if you are not interested in bulking up your neck muslces, it is important that you do the neck stetching as often as you can to keep your neck flexible. And the neck exercises mentioned in this fitness article will help keep your neck muscles strong and protect them from injury.

Related Physical Fitness Articles:

Shoulder Rehab Exercises
Try these exercises to improve soreness and injury in your shoulder and neck area. They have been shown to be very effective.

Unique Pushup Workouts
Get strong quick with these unique pushup workouts. The pushup is one of the best chest exercises and tricep exercises.

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