HOW TO MAKE YOUR NECK LONGER – GET A LONGER NECK
Two of the major neck structures that can easily be targeted by the neck lengthening exercises include the cervical spine and the superficial neck muscles .
The cervical spine
This consists of seven vertebrae (bones of the neck) and the spinal discs which lie between adjacent vertebrae, act as shock absorbers and together with the neck muscles, they allow the neck to rotate.
The way the vertebrae are aligned determines the shape of your neck.
When research was conducted on rabbits to examine the effects of disc distraction, it was established that spinal disc distraction ( a stretching technique used to increase the space between intervertebral discs) leads to hydration of spinal discs. [1]
Disc hydration contributes to disc thickness or height which in one way or the other may contribute to your neck length. [2]
Stretching the superficial neck muscles.
The superficial neck muscles include;
A. The platysma ( the muscle that stretches from the collar bone across the front of the neck, to the jaw).
B. The sternocleidomastoid ( muscles that extend from your collar bone, across the side of your neck to just behind the ears)
C. The trapezius (the muscle that extends from the shoulders to the back of the head and covers the back of your neck)
Scientific research among humans demonstrates that passive stretching does increase muscle length.
Passive stretching is when a stretch position is held in a relaxed manner[3].
Hence, targeting the exterior muscles of the neck with stretches can significantly contribute to neck length as the head is fully extended in different directions.
How I lengthened my hitherto short neck with longer neck exercises.
To have a longer neck, all it takes is one or two minutes of flexing your neck around any where, any time of the day so don’t be lazy and stretch your way to a longer neck.
Step One
Start by Standing freely with legs and hands slightly apart and the chest slightly out.
Neck extension.
To target or lengthen the platysma muscle, gently extend your neck upwards until you feel the platysma neck muscle fully stretched and the head can’t move any further.
At this point you may be able to look at the room ceiling if you are inside or the sky if you are outside.
Hold the position for 10 seconds or simply count one to ten slowly since you may not be in position to look at the clock ticking.
Halt the stretch position the moment you start feeling dizzy even if it’s less than 10 seconds then proceed to the next stretch.
Neck flexion
After stretching the platysma muscle , proceed to stretch or lengthen the trapezius muscle.
Because this is quite a huge muscle, you may not effectively stretch it by simply flexing your neck while standing so the sitting neck flexion exercise will be more effective as discussed later but you will need a seat to execute it.
If you have no where to sit, then the neck flexion will do in the mean time.
Gently lower your head towards your chest until the trapezius muscle at the back of your neck is fully stretched.
You may gently push the head towards your chest from the back with your fingers to ensure that the muscle is fully stretched.
Hold position for 10 seconds before proceeding to the next neck lengthening stretch.
The sitting Neck Flexion Stretch
You will need a chair or somewhere to sit to effectively execute this exercise.
Begin by sitting in an upright position with your hands rested on your knee joints.
Lower your head gently until you feel that the trapezius muscle is stretched right from the back of your shoulder to the back of the neck.
Hold position for at least 10 seconds but you can hold on for as long as you wish to stretch your trapezius muscle even further.
You may get up, relax a bit before repeating the stretch.
Left and right side neck bending
To lengthen the sternocleidomastoid muscles on the left and right hand sides of your neck, stand or sit in an erect position, then gently tilt the head towards the left hand shoulder.
Tilt the head as close to the shoulder as possible to ensure that the muscles on the right hand side of your neck are fully stretched.
Hold position for 5 to 10 seconds before proceeding to the next stretch.
Follow the same procedure to lengthen the muscles on the left hand side of your neck.
Neck Strengthening Exercises
After lengthening your neck, you may realize that it will become loose and slimmer. That is, the muscles will become longer but weak.
Most females prefer slimmer necks so, If you want a slimmer neck, then you don’t need the neck strengthening exercises but most males prefer stronger or thicker necks.
Muscle length gains are greatest immediately after stretching and decline within 15 minutes that is why you may need to make them stronger and build them up immediately after the stretches .
why you should strengthen your neck muscles.
Weak neck, and upper back muscles may lead to increased pressure on the pine in the neck and shoulder regions thus resulting into neck pain.
Strengthening the neck muscles not only improves posture, it also helps to keep the head perfectly erect.
This is what you need to do;
Exercise One
Join your fingers and place them at the back of your head tightly with head facing down.
push your head up while applying resistance with your hands.
Make up to ten repetitions.
This exercise can be performed any where at any time.
Alternatively;
Exercise Two
Roll up a towel and place it at the back of your neck with the head facing down.
As you gently pull the towel around the neck, slowly raise your head as far as you can then resume from the starting position.
Do up to 10 repetitions.
How to relax your neck and shoulders after the stretches
Shoulder shrugs
Conclude your set of neck exercises by relaxing the neck and shoulder muscles with shoulder shrugs immediately after the stretches for optimal results.
Shoulder shrugs will help you to get rid of all the tension in neck and shoulder regions leaving your neck perfectly erect.
Start by looking straight forward, then gently raise both shoulders as shown in picture.
Hold for 1 to 2 seconds, then return to starting position.
Do 10 repetitions rapidly to relax your muscles around the neck and shoulder.
Recommendations
- It is very easy to forget to stretch your neck everyday so either make it part of your grow taller exercise routine or stretch the neck any time you remember to since it can be done any where any time.
2. Whenever you stretch the neck, make sure you stretch the chest as well.
Your entire cervical spine will appear much longer and tension will be relieved from both the chest and neck.
3. Your neck, can feel tense and tight when you are stressed .
This symptom can surface and dissipate sporadically, occur frequently, or persist.
Anxiety, fear or nervousness may contribute or lead to neck tension though the neck may also become tense without any specific cause.
When you are anxious, a stress response is triggered.
Such a response is meant to deal with danger through either fighting it or fleeing from it.
Such a response may include tightening of muscles to defend the body from danger.
The stress response includes making the muscles rigid in order to defend the body from any danger.
Muscle constriction in response to stress can affect any muscles including those in the neck.
A number of nervous and anxious folks suffer from neck stiffness as a result of the stress they encounter.
Calming yourself down will bring an end to the stress response and its changes.
So make sure you relax your neck muscles with stretches or shoulder shrugs whenever you feel nervous or stressed.
4. As you go about your daily activities, the spine discs get compressed due to gravity and poor posture among other factors including the cervical discs.
With every move you make, the water within the discs is squeezed out.
So, keep your body hydrated at all times.
When you are not properly hydrated your body cannot replenish the cartilage discs between your vertebrae with water which leaves them compressed.
Taking beverages like soda is not an effective way of keeping your body hydrated .
You need to make sure that you drink at least 2 – 3.5 liters of water every day.
Dehydration will also affect muscle growth including neck muscle growth.
5. Not getting enough quality sleep each night will affect your muscle growth including neck muscles.
Lack of sleep increases the concentration of cortisol (a stress hormone) in your blood which has a negative impact on growth hormone in the body and glycogen all of which affect muscles.
Hence, sleeping at least 7 – 9 hours every night is critical.
6. Research shows that it takes approximately 14 days of physical inactivity for those who are physically fit to lose a significant amount of their muscle.
Due to inactivity, less protein for muscle building is synthesized thus reducing muscle mass which makes it harder for the muscles to grow or lengthen.
So, keep your body active.
Get out and take a walk, do some running or cycling.
Any physical activity will do.
FAQ
1. If I do the Neck Strengthening exercises will my neck gains become permanent ?
Yes, the height gains in the neck are relatively permanent but even when your neck lengthens, you should continue with the exercises every once in a while.
2. How fast averagely should you see growth in the neck area ?
All factors remaining constant, Within one to two weeks of neck stretches you will notice a slight difference in your neck length.
3. After doing the neck exercises, I’ve noticed that around my upper shoulders and my jaw it’s hurting am I doing something wrong?
Neck stretches don’t cause pain in any way. They relieve it.
4. Does doing this exercises make your neck wider too ?
If you need a wider neck, then put more emphasis on neck strengthening exercises.
5. By how much will my neck lengthen if I do the neck stretching exercises?
The neck will lengthen by approximately 1 – 2 cm but it will conspicuously be longer.
AUTHOR BIO
As a short guy who was psychologically distressed almost everyday due to the challenges he faced in life accountable to his height, Dennis Raney (Bsc.) finally somehow found a way to overcome this adversity by naturally increasing his height with lifestyle and healthy changes.
He has been researching this topic for over a decade and practically applying the knowledge so he decided to share his wealth of information about the topic of increasing height both during and after puberty in the book and on this blog.
Feel free to connect with him for a conversation:
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