1. Work Your Neck Muscles Without Even Trying
Muscles in your neck can benefit as a secondary muscle group that acts as a stabilizer for most shoulder workout routines. Using dumbbells as opposed to weight machines increases strength in the muscles targeted in a shoulder workout, as well as the muscles in the upper back and in the neck that act as stabilizers during the exercise. Weight machines tend to do the job of stabilization for you, while using dumbbells forces you to utilize these secondary muscle groups in order to properly execute the move. You can perform the Arnold Press in order to strengthen the shoulders, and, as a secondary group, the trapezius muscle that stretches into the neck to the base of the skull. Start by sitting on a weight bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Hold your hands at shoulder height with your palms facing toward your shoulders. As you press the dumbbells up over your head, rotate your hands until your palms face away from you at full extension. Lower your arms back to the starting position as you rotate your hands back so your palms face toward your shoulders again.
2. A Military Press Is a Beneficial Exercise
A barbell lift called a military press utilizes the muscles of the upper back and into the neck to stabilize the shoulder muscles during the exercise. You can perform a military press with a barbell by first standing with feet shoulder-width apart, holding the barbell at chest level with your palms facing out. Press the bar up over your head until you hold the bar over and just behind your head at nearly full arm extension. Return the barbell to chest level to complete one repetition of the military press.
3. Shoulder Workouts Work the Neck
Perform a behind-the-neck press with a barbell in order to target shoulder muscles and strengthen the trapezius muscles as they stabilize the body during this exercise. You can sit on a weight bench to start this workout and hold the barbell behind your neck against the top of your shoulders just at the base of your neck. Press the bar straight up to fully extend the arms over your head and return to the starting position by slowly lowering the bar behind your head to the base of your neck.
Muscles in your neck can benefit as a secondary muscle group that acts as a stabilizer for most shoulder workout routines. Using dumbbells as opposed to weight machines increases strength in the muscles targeted in a shoulder workout, as well as the muscles in the upper back and in the neck that act as stabilizers during the exercise. Weight machines tend to do the job of stabilization for you, while using dumbbells forces you to utilize these secondary muscle groups in order to properly execute the move. You can perform the Arnold Press in order to strengthen the shoulders, and, as a secondary group, the trapezius muscle that stretches into the neck to the base of the skull. Start by sitting on a weight bench with a dumbbell in each hand. Hold your hands at shoulder height with your palms facing toward your shoulders. As you press the dumbbells up over your head, rotate your hands until your palms face away from you at full extension. Lower your arms back to the starting position as you rotate your hands back so your palms face toward your shoulders again.
2. A Military Press Is a Beneficial Exercise
A barbell lift called a military press utilizes the muscles of the upper back and into the neck to stabilize the shoulder muscles during the exercise. You can perform a military press with a barbell by first standing with feet shoulder-width apart, holding the barbell at chest level with your palms facing out. Press the bar up over your head until you hold the bar over and just behind your head at nearly full arm extension. Return the barbell to chest level to complete one repetition of the military press.
3. Shoulder Workouts Work the Neck
Perform a behind-the-neck press with a barbell in order to target shoulder muscles and strengthen the trapezius muscles as they stabilize the body during this exercise. You can sit on a weight bench to start this workout and hold the barbell behind your neck against the top of your shoulders just at the base of your neck. Press the bar straight up to fully extend the arms over your head and return to the starting position by slowly lowering the bar behind your head to the base of your neck.
