We often overlook training this vital area for two main reasons. We either don’t know how to do it, or we don’t have the equipment to do so.

Lateral Flexors. The lateral flexors, which tilt the head left or right, can be worked in the same manner as the flexors. To begin, you will lie on a bench on your side, then rest a towel on the side of your head and hold a weight plate in place with your hand.

Just simply let your head tilt downwards, and then pull it back upwards as if you are trying to touch your ear to the shoulder that is off the bench. Again you must use several sets of 10-15 reps of moderate resistance before you go and switch to your other side to work out the opposite lateral flexor group.

Extensors. The extensors, much like the flexor groups, can be worked with a neck machine or a headstrap. To use the headstrap, the most common method is to take the end of the chain on the strap and hook it to a low-pulley or simply hang plates on the chain. Bend at the waist and place your hands on your quads, just above the knee.

Now of course you will want to focus on tilting you head backwards as though you were looking upwards. You can also lie on a bench with your face down and head hanging over the end. Then place a towel on the back of the area of the head with the weight being placed on it.

While you are holding the weight there, you can let it start dropping slowly, then raise it while you are just bending the neck only. Having moderate resistance for many sets with 10-15 reps will be crucial as the other exercises would be as well.

Traps. Trapezius or Traps muscles are a part in the extensor group, so that means that they will be worked when doing other exercises that have talked about under the heading of The extensor. Moreover, they can be workout with added barbell exercises, as most people will know.

For the most part, people will lump together basic barbell and dumbbell shrugs as the key motions for working out the traps. The dead life with the variations of it will undoubtedly work the traps very hard. Those who have a monstrous traps are the ones with the big pulls.

Even though the dead lift is usually in my routine, there are some lesser-performed lifts that will hammer out those traps hard. One of the most common lifts in this category would be the power clean and to some extent, also the squat clean. Since the arms are kept straight for as long as possible during the pull, the traps, hips and upper back will provide the power that is needed to accelerate the bar before the dipping under it to rack the lift.

The snatch also provides a massive amount of stimulation for the traps, primarily in the same way as the clean variations. The pull will have a hard “shrug” while the bar accelerates, just before dipping under it.

I will usually do the power snatch exercise, which is where you do not go as low on lift completion and the bar is locked overhead while you are in the squatting position. I don’t see the reason to go into the complete exercise which will allow you to use more weight because of the deep bottom position you get while being under the bar. I think that the power snatch and the power clean will cause you to pull a lot harder since there is a lot less time to drop beneath the bar to get it racked.

If you suffer from tightness caused by long hours sitting on your tail at the office, the stretching alone should make your life more comfortable in general. The power you build in your traps will help all of your pulling movements and definitely add a finished look to your body.

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