Training The Neck Safely While Building Strength

 If there was an area of the body that shows the most neglect, it’s the neck. Unless you’re a football player, wrestler or martial artist, there isn’t a ton of people training their neck. First off, mainly those who do teach it, even with good intentions may not showcase the bigger picture and focus on this or that. The real truth: It can be scary with the way it is shown at times.

Most who attempt to teach people how to train their neck show mainly machines or using some form of weight along with Bridges that don’t have progression systems in place. The Bridges are often the most “Screw this” reaction than to even using weights because you’re having the top of your head on the floor and the only things supporting are the hands and feet. Does that mean Bridges are bad overall? That depends. I’ve done Bridging exercises for many, many years and never had neck issues that were a cause for alarm but it’s because I learned how to properly progress and control in how I perform them. 

This doesn’t mean Bridges or even weights for that matter are for everyone. If you have spinal injuries or have spurs, it isn’t wise or even worth your health doing those things. Now, if you are healthy and need guidance in training the neck using those things, I would highly recommend Advanced Bridging by Logan Christopher where he teaches you even the most basic exercises to train not only your neck but the spinal cord and overall body development. For the weights, I would look into the Neck Flex and learning ideally from Mike Bruce who knows a thing or two about training those muscles efficiently. 

What would be the alternative to these where you can still work your neck without having to do those things. You can do Neck Mobility Drills like I show on Youtube, you can do Self Resistance Exercises working the neck in several directions where you are in complete control of the tension you use, or you can use a resistance band with the Neck Flex.

For the record, I never really used weights to train my neck, the closest thing would be bending steel in a wrestler’s bridge on my head but other than that, I didn’t necessarily need to do weights. So what makes training with a resistance band any different than training with weights? Resistance is resistance right? In a nutshell, weights have the same level of resistance throughout the range of motion but with a Band, the more you stretch it, the more it fights against you instead of staying the same.

From a personal stand point, I believe using a band is a very powerful alternative because you can train in different directions when you hook it up to the D-Rings on the Harness and train safely while also building size and strength. Because of my own training with it, I have maintained a 18 1/2 inch neck and don’t have any problems in those areas or in my spine. I can still do Bridges if I wanted to but in terms of maintaining size, mobility and keeping it strong for things that matter, it truly is the cream of the crop for those attributes. The resistance isn’t stupid heavy and it can be for beginners or seasoned vets in the game.

As we get older, safety becomes more of a priority than ego lifting or doing better than everyone else. We want to build that strength and mobility that keeps us lasting longer and as injury proof as possible. That doesn’t mean you have to be paranoid or overly cautious, it means you learn to be aware of things from a focused perspective. I’ve had enough injuries in my lifetime to understand that it’s not worth your health if you can’t enjoy the greater things in life. Too many people become crippled or worse because they don’t train their bodies in a safe manner to keep things going smoothly as they can. We can’t 100% avoid injuries but we can learn to be aware and do our best to control what can be prevented and be able to have that durability without testing our egos on theories of how far we’re willing to push. It’s one thing to challenge yourself, it’s another to punish yourself in the attempt of being healthier and stronger.

Train your neck wisely and be in control in how you perform movements or even holds for that matter. Having a strong and healthy neck can mean saving your life.

Be amazingly awesome and share your experiences with me on Neck Training or have questions about the Neck Flex by shooting me a comment. Be sure to use my code POWERANDMIGHT when you have an opportunity to order the Neck Flex. They may even be having a sale going on and my code will shave off even more of that. Subscribe to have articles sent to your email and may you continue to kill it in your journey.

A Strong Neck To Keep Head Banging To Bad Ass Rock & Metal

 Every now and then, I think about some of the concerts I've been to in my life. Seen plenty of groups including Black Sabbath, Rob Zombie, Joan Jett and others. One of my favorites to go see was my friends Archer who consisted of three members (Dylan Rose, Tyler Bramlett and Isaiah May) and would play covers of 80's metal bands and their original songs. They did battle of the bands type gigs and played a lot on the main stage and atrium at this place in Santa Cruz called the Catalyst which I think isn't going to be in that area much longer. 

Going to those concerts were a lot of fun and got to be in mosh pits, head bang with other friends and even hung around a guy once or twice who was an American Idol contestant back in the day who had the legendary guitar icon Zakk Wylde on stage. Isaiah was the bass player for Archer at the time, one concert, I got too close to the stage and was head banging and all that. All of a sudden, I got hit by the bass like it uppercut me and it was hard enough that it could've knocked me out but with all those bridges I was doing at the time, my chin and my neck was strong enough to withstand the blow and just laughed it off. I told him about it later on at a gathering for a BBQ or something and he apologized to me about it and just shrugged it off, it was my fault and he was doing his thing.

I love rocking out man and having a strong neck that doesn't cause pain later on, even when the adrenaline wears off is a key to keep having fun. Having a neck that can handle more than just rocking out is an aspect of health that is really neglected. It's having that possible whiplash and may even get hurt getting out of bed. Doing bridges are awesome and if you're healthy, practice them using the methods from Logan Christopher's Advanced Bridging Course. 

The next best thing in addition to bridges or even self resistance is using the Neck Flex. Working your neck in various positions using the resistance band that comes with it can develop muscle and even utilize injury prevention as much as possible. Do you need to do a ton of reps? Not really, especially in the beginning where you're learning to control the movements and not flopping that thing around like its a fish out of water. It's about feeling the muscles, controlling the resistance and understanding the mechanics. I worked up to high volume because that works for me and I enjoy training that way. 

If you're going to train with weights, be sure to get going using weight that gives you the opportunity to work the neck with control. In the wise words of Yoda, "Control, control, you must learn control." Now, that doesn't mean your neck is going to grow two inches in less than a couple weeks that some people have claimed while looking like they have a pencil neck that looks exactly the same after using a cheap knock off for 5 minutes. Growth takes time like anything else and it's not always about size either. Shit, I love having a thick and strong neck but in reality, what I love more is the fact that I can turn in all sorts of directions and not feel pain or feel like there are kinks that need work. Each exercise is focused and as precise as I can make it. That's the true way to do it whether it's for high volume or whatever.

Even as a Rock/Metal Artist, having a healthy and strong neck goes a long way to keep rocking out as you perform to the crowd. Neck work is mainly neglected because it's out of fear that if you do things and work the wrong way, it can lead to some kind of disaster. That can be said for practically any exercise but when it comes to the Neck, it can potentially be fatal. It sounds scary, I understand but working those muscles whether you're an athlete, a head banging spectator or whatever can help generate nerve force and strengthen the spinal cord along with the muscles of the neck. 

Having a healthy and strong neck can potentially limit headaches and migraines at an alarming rate. This doesn't mean they cure them and I wouldn't test the theory while having either one but with consistent training, it potentially takes things down a notch and be able to have greater clarity and neurological function. 

Take care of your neck, it's one of the things that keeps you alive LOL. I really hope you enjoyed this post and got a little kick out of it. It's fun playing off the little things in life and giving people an outlook that makes strength training worthwhile for the things that matter to you. Go to https://www.theneckflex.com/ and get your hands on the cream of the crop when it comes to Neck Harnesses. Learn the valuable info of training using the band and chain from The Emperor of Neck Training Mike The Machine Bruce at his Youtube Channel HERE!!! Want to shave off some money on your order? Use my code POWERANDMIGHT and tell them I sent you. They're good guys. Also check out for info from Neck Flex themselves by going HERE to their Youtube Channel. 

I got to tell you man, Mike Bruce's neck is so thick and powerful, if he was at the plate in Oracle Park, he could use his head as the bat and hit one out to McCovey Cove and it be just another walk in the park for him. 

Little Neck-Ism just for kicks since it has been a minute. 

Be amazingly awesome and don't stop having a blast. Rock on everyone. 

Here is a little old school metal to rock out to....One of my personal favorites from Black Label Society

Small Increments Of Muscle Building Using The Neck Flex

 Throughout my journey with the Neck Flex, it has given me a better perspective on training the neck and utilizing not only preventing injuries as much as possible but to increase muscle mass, even in very small increments. For months, I've worked on it consistently just using the band and a little bit of chain Isometrics, doing hundreds of reps multiple times a week. 

I have written before why I don't use weights for the neck which you can read>>>HERE!!! Not to mention the fact, I wanted to build up my neck a bit more since having a thick neck is more than just for show. It's a sign of strength next to having strong muscles that are shock absorbers and lessen the chances of injuries. Also its fun to be a part of the Neckzilla Family LOL.

Starting out doing a couple hundred total reps hitting areas of the neck from several directions. Worked up to 300, 400 and now at 500 total reps (100 Reverse Neck Curls, 100 Neck Curls, 100 Half Circles W/ Chin Tucked, 50 Ear To Shoulder Each Side, 50 Neck Turns Each Side), it has been a hell of a ride. The tempo sometimes is slow or fast depending on what I want to do. If I did weights, sure my neck would grow slightly bigger and doing far less reps but for me, the other benefits may not be as effective and probably wouldn't feel as good. That's just me, if it helps others using weights or machines with the NF, awesome and wish you the best in that. 

On Saturday while I was visiting someone, I had a friend measure my neck because for one, it's not easy to do it yourself and two, I wanted to know where I was at. Last I checked it was some time before I ever got the NF. It was around 17-18 inches and that was with no apparatus of any kind, just mobility and iso holds mainly. Since I started training with this thing, I had actually increased it to 18 1/2 inches. No weights, mainly just using the band and being consistent 4-5 times a week working on it and put on muscle. I figured it would be roughly the same but even putting on a half inch of muscle without machines or anything remotely heavy at my age is awesome. I don't even have any problems in my neck, no soreness or feeling lightheaded or even have spinal issues. 

Consistency is the real deal guys and it is possible to keep building muscle without having to rely on weights. You can do them if you want and if they work for you and don't give you any fits, do it. It's your journey but if I can pull it off using a freaking band, just imagine the possibilities for you. If I were to have a goal, I wouldn't need to go any further than 19-19 1/2 inches and that's a big if. If it stayed this big for a while longer, I'm happy with it. 

Now, some don't care much for having a thick neck and that's ok, having an aesthetically pleasing neck can work well for you and reap benefits that keep you going. Some others however; think they're an expert when it comes to building neck muscles when not only have they not learned how to use a harness even similar to this longer than a few days but have a pencil neck that a 11 year old BJJ white belt can clamp on easily and choke them out kind of makes you wonder why they even bother with it? It's just sad, it takes far more than a few reps and starting with a few pounds to truly understand how building the neck like this works and be a "expert" on it. Hell, I'm not even a full expert on it and I've had it for months and just told you what results I got from it. Don't be acting like an ass thinking you know more about training the neck than someone like Mike The Machine Bruce. Take one long hard look at him and you'll find even at 53, you wouldn't want to mess with him. 

 Make the training a journey to keep your life going. Not to try to one up someone or think you're better than whoever and do things to prove you're superior. That's just a dumb take and pointless as hell. Someone will always be better out there than you and can destroy whatever you think you're better at. It's not a competition, shit, you don't need to compete with anybody unless you're training for some sport or having a friendly competition among comrades. Do you and make the journey about improving yourself, not trying to upstage somebody else. Why, what's really to gain from that? Nothing, that's what. I'm no better than the next guy, we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. When I trained with Bud Jeffries and Logan Christopher, I never tried to be better than them, they were doing things that I couldn't imagine doing, just having the opportunity to be beside them and learn from them was enough. 

BTW, Happy belated Birthday in Valhalla to Bud. He would've been 53 this year, miss you everyday bro.

Anyway, keep at it and get your hands on arguably the GOAT of all neck harnesses, the Neck Flex by clicking HERE!!! Use my code POWERANDMIGHT to get a kick ass discount on your order. My personal recommendation, the MMB Pro Kit is the cream of the crop of all the kits. Be amazingly awesome and kill it in your journey. Train your damn neck, it could very well save your ass being possibly paralyzed.