- Assume a prone (face down) position on an exercise bench or sturdy table. Your shoulders should be on the far edge of the bench or table so that your head can hang down freely. For bodybuilders and athletes with no neck problems, weights should be added to the head to provide more resistance. Most convenient is a head strap from which you can hang weights.
- Assume the initial position with the head hanging down.
- Inhale and hold your breath as you slowly raise the head up and back, concentrating on extending and arching the cervical spine.
- Raise the head and neck upward until you can look directly forward with the neck in a hyperextended spinal position.
- After reaching the uppermost position, exhale and return to the initial position under control.
- Pause momentarily and then repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
- Be sure to execute the movement through a full range of motion and to maintain the trunk in a stable position.
MAJOR MUSCLES INVOLVED
There are many relatively short and thin muscles involved in neck (cervical) extension. To produce movement it usually takes a combination of muscles on both sides of the spine working together. The muscles involved in extension-hyperextension of the cervical spine are as follows:
The erector spinae This muscle group in the cervical spine includes the spinalis cervicis, longissimus cervicis, longissimus capitis and the iliocostalis cervicis. When these relatively small muscles, located on both sides of the spine, work together, they are prime movers for extension and hyperextension of the spine. The longissimus cervicis, longisssimus capitis and iliocostalis cervicis all originate on the thoracic vertebrae and insert on the cervical vertebrae The seminspinalis cervicis, however, originates and inserts on the cervical vertebrae. Most of these muscles are also prime movers for lateral flexion of the head when only side contracts.
The deep posterior spinal muscles This muscle group consists of the intertransversarii, interspinalis, rotatores and multifidus. These muscles consist of small pairs of muscles on each side of the spine. The intertransversarii run from the atlas bone to the first thoracic vertebrae while the interspinalis runs from the axis to the second thoracic vertebrae. The rotatores and multifidus muscles run from one or more of the cervical vertebrae to span two or three intervertebral spaces. These are deep muscles that play a major role in not only holding the vertebrae together, but also in movements. When both sides contract together, these muscles are involved in extension-hyperextension. Some of these muscles are also prime movers for lateral flexion and/or rotation to the opposite side.
The splenius cervicis and splenius capitis These muscles are broad sheets of muscle fibers that run from the thoracic vertebrae to the upper cervical vertebrae. Both of these muscles, when both sides act together are prime movers for extension-hyperextension of the cervical spine. These muscles are also prime movers for lateral flexion and rotation to the same side.
The semispinalis cervicis and semispinalis capitis These muscles originate on the upper thoracic vertebrae and insert high on the cervical vertebrae and occipital bone. When both sides act together, they are prime movers for extension-hyperextension of the head and cervical spine. They are also prime movers for lateral flexion of the head.
The trapezius Only the very upper portion of the trapezius is involved in neck extension. The trapezius originates on the base of the skull, ligament of the neck and the row of spinous processes of the vertebrae extending from the seventh cervical to the twelfth thoracic. Its insertion is along a curved line following the outer third of the posterior border of the clavicle, the top of the acromion and the upper border of the spine of the scapula. Its action is to tilt the head backward and to elevate the chin—usually against resistance.
MUSCLE ACTION
In cervical spine (neck) extension you raise the head from a forward, head down position back to the normal (anatomical) position in which the head is aligned vertically with the spine. In cervical spine hyperextension you increase the cervical curvature by continuing cervical extension. This involves greater rotation of the cervical spine and head backward (as in looking upward) from the normal anatomical position. The amount of cervical spine hyperextension is not great.
SPORTS USES
Neck extension-hyperextension is very important in most sports as it is needed for effective spine positioning and for proper balance. When you extend the cervical spine, righting reflexes are activated and the lumbar erector spinae muscles automatically undergo contraction. In contact sports such as football and rugby, the strength of the neck muscles can sometimes determine the difference between life and death. When the muscles involved are strong, your head can be held in place, which decreases the chances of injury. Your neck extensor muscles are most important in holding your head in the erect position, which allows for easier head movements. These muscles keep your head from dropping forward and, as a result, keep your body in the upright position. Although the neck extension exercise is not used to a great extent by bodybuilders for muscle mass development, it is important to prevent neck injuries when doing exercises such as the behind-the-head press and the squat. In many cases, strong posterior neck muscles make execution of many exercises easier, safer and more effective.
COMMENTS:
1) Because a full range of motion is important for full development of the muscles, extremely heavy weights should not be used. The heavy weights limit not only how high you can raise the head and hyperextend the neck but they can create excessive compression forces on the cervical vertebrae. In essence, the weight should be commensurate with range of motion.
In addition, when very heavy weights hang down from the head, there is a strong tendency to tilt only the head back without truly hyperextending the cervical spine. Keep in mind that the head can tilt on the atlas (first cervical vertebrae) without extension or hyperextension of the cervical spine occurring. This is why it is important that you concentrate on extending the cervical vertebrae rather than only tilting the head back, which often occurs when using extremely heavy weights.
2) When the neck extension exercise is executed correctly, you will notice that not only do the cervical spine extensor muscles contract, but the erector spinae and the deep posterior muscles of the thoracic and lumbar spine also undergo contraction once the neutral position is passed. The higher the head is raised and the more the cervical spine is hyperextended, the stronger is the contraction of the spinal muscles in the thoracic and lumbar areas.
Thus when you do the exercise lying on the bench, in the up position you should feel the muscles of the upper thoracic and lumbar area under contraction. This helps to improve the strength of the entire erector spinae muscle and to better coordinate the work of all the spinal muscles.
3) During execution the upper back muscles undergo contraction to help stabilize the spine in position so that there are no other movements occurring. Whenever doing spinal movements, it is important to keep in mind that the movement be pure and that you do not add other movements such as rotation or flexion during the extension-hyperextension movement. For example, if the head moves or rotates sideways it means that you are contracting the muscles mainly on one side of the spine. If these movements occur with cervical spine extension-hyperextension, it could cause injury.
4) The cervical spine muscles cover the back and sides of the upper spinal vertebrae very effectively. As a result, they provide good protection to the neck. Because of this, it is important that the neck muscles receive full development and are worked in all of their major actions. Thus, in addition to doing the extension-hyperextention movement as seen in the neck extension, you should also do lateral flexion of the cervical spine (which also greatly works the upper portion of the traps) and head rotation for full development of all the muscles.
5) Note that the muscles of the spine occur in pairs, placed in bilateral symmetry. Thus they should be worked in pairs and not only one side or the other. Lateral stability of the vertical spine is maintained by the intermittent contraction of the muscles on each side of the spine with the muscles of one side counteracting any tendency of the head to fall toward the opposite side. However, to be sure that the head remains level and is not tilted to one side or the other, it is important that you strengthen the muscles in their lateral flexion movement also.
6) Developing the cervical spine extension-hyperextension muscles through the full range of motion is very important in not only holding the head in proper alignment with the trunk, but to activate the spinal extensor muscles throughout the entire spine. Due to the righting reflexes in the head and neck when you bring the head in good alignment or slightly backward, the remaining spinal extensor muscles automatically undergo contraction. If, on the other hand, you turn the head downward, the abdominal muscles contract and the spinal extensor muscles relax.
You can test this on yourself very easily. Assume a relaxed standing position. As you turn your head and eyes downward you should be able to feel or sense the back muscles relax and the abdominals contract with slight tension. When you raise the head up and back somewhat you should feel the erector muscles of the thoracic and lumbar spine contract. In some cases the amount of extension is very slight. The mere bringing of the head back will automatically contract these muscles.
Thus, by strengthening the cervical spine extensor muscles you can not only keep the head in a good erect position, but you maintain contraction of the other spinal extensor muscles to keep you in an effective standing and, in some cases, seated posture. Neck extensions are a very important exercise that belongs in the bodybuilders’ and athletes’ arsenal of exercises.