The neck, or cervical spine (if we’re talking about the skeleton only), comprises a complex network of muscles, ligaments, and bones. Here’s how its primary muscles function:
Sternocleidomastoid (SCM): This neck muscle aids in bending your neck to the side, head rotation, and bringing the chin to the chest.
Scalene: These neck muscles on each side of your neck mainly help you breathe.
Levator scapulae: These neck muscles help you lift your shoulder blades and bend your neck to the side.
Trapezius: These neck muscles help you bend your head to the side, look up, and turn your head to look over your shoulder.
Neck Exercises: Benefits
1. They may prevent injuries and concussions.
Neck strengthening exercises arevital for preventing injuries and concussions, especially in sports such as football, rugby, or MMA.
In one study, researchers found that every one-pound increase in neck strength reduces concussion risk by 5%.
2. They may relieve neck pain.
Neck exercises may relieveneck pain resulting from sitting for long periods. They may also mitigate tension-type headaches
3. They may make you more attractive.
A thick neck and shoulders may help you appear more “brawny,” which is a characteristic many women find attractive. There isn’t much data on how this affects women’s attractiveness, though.
The Best 5 Neck Strengthening Exercises for a Wide, Thick Neck
These are the best neck exercises for strengthening your neck and upper back. While performing isolation exercises for your neck, wear a beanie or place a folded towel on your head for added comfort.
1. Deadlift
Position your midfoot under a loaded barbell slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart and point your toes slightly out. Take a deep breath, then move toward the bar by pushing your hips back. Grip the bar just outside your shins and keep your head in a neutral position.
Push through your heels to drive your body upward and slightly back. As the bar rises above your knees, push your hips into the bar. Reverse the movement and return to the starting position.
Perform the deadlift at the beginning of your workouts for 3 sets of 4-to-6 reps, resting 3-to-5 minutes between sets.
2. Neck Flexion
Lie supine on a bench with your head hanging off the end and your feet planted on the floor. Place a weight plate on your forehead and hold it in position with both hands. Tilt your head upwards until your chin meets your chest, then extend your neck backward until you feel a stretch in the front of your neck.
Do 3 sets of 20-to-25 reps, resting 2-to-3 minutes between sets.
3. Neck Extension
Lie prone on a bench with your head hanging off the end and your feet on the floor. Position a weight plate on the back of your head and hold it in position with both hands.
Lift your head as high as you comfortably can, then return to the start. Continue extending until you feel your neck stretching down the back.
4. Neck Side Raise
Lie on a bench so that your right lat is on the pad and your body is perpendicular to the bench. Hug the bench with your right arm and place a weight plate on the left side of your head, holding it in position with your left hand.
Lift your left ear toward your left shoulder (make sure you’re only moving your head toward your shoulder—no neck rotation or chin tucking), then return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times on the left side, before repeating on the right.
Do 3 sets of 10 reps on each side, resting 60-to-90 seconds between sets.
5. Neck Bridge
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your palms on the floor on either side of your head so your fingers point toward your feet. Tilt your head backward until the top of your head is resting on the floor, then press through your feet and hands to lift your body off the floor, forming a bridge. Hold the bridge for a 10-to-60 seconds, then return to the starting position.
If you find getting into the correct position challenging, practice getting in and out of the bridge several times a day until you develop the required strength, flexibility, and coordination.
Once you’re comfortable with the form, do 3 sets of 10-to-60 seconds each, resting 60-to-90 seconds between sets.
Mike Matthews is the founder of Legion as well as the author of several award-winning fitness books, including Bigger Leaner Stronger, Muscle for Life, and The Shredded Chef.
His simple and science-based approach to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy has sold over a million books and helped thousands of people build their best bodies ever, and his work has been featured in many popular outlets including Esquire, Men’s Health, Elle, Women’s Health, Muscle & Strength, and more, as well as on FOX and ABC.
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Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you live in the United States, your order ships free regardless of order size, if you live in the UK or Canada, your order ships free when it’s over $99, and if you live elsewhere, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you live in the UK or Canada, your order ships free when it’s over $99.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you’re outside the USA, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Clinically Effective Ingredients & Doses
Many ingredients in supplements don’t have any scientifically validated benefits, and many ingredients that do are often underdosed to the point of irrelevance.
That’s why we only use the choice ingredients and precise doses shown to be effective in peer-reviewed scientific studies.
Clinically Effective Doses
You need more than great ingredients to make great products—you also need proper doses. That’s why we use the precise doses of ingredients shown to be effective in peer-reviewed scientific studies.
Natural Ingredients
“Natural” doesn’t always mean “better,” but in many cases, natural ingredients are superior to artificial ones for various reasons, including purity, safety, and efficacy.
That’s why all of our ingredients in all of our products come from plant and animal sources, including sweeteners, colors, and flavors.
Made in USA with Globally Sourced Ingredients
If you want to ensure the supplements you’re swallowing every day are safe and effective, you want products produced in the USA.
That’s why all of our supplements are made in America in NSF-certified and FDA-inspected facilities that operate in accordance with the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations.
Lab Tested
Did you know that supplements can contain dangerously high levels of toxins like lead, arsenic, and cadmium?
That’s why we test every ingredient of every supplement we produce for heavy metals, microbes, allergens, and other contaminants and ensure they meet the strict purity standards set by the FDA.
Naturally Sweetened & Flavored
While artificial sweeteners may not be as dangerous as some people claim, studies suggest that regular consumption of these chemicals may indeed be harmful to our health.
That’s why all of our supplements are naturally sweetened and flavored and contain no artificial food dyes, fillers, or other unnecessary junk.
Science-Backed Ingredients
Many ingredients in supplements don’t have any scientifically validated benefits. That’s why we only use choice ingredients shown to be effective in peer-reviewed scientific studies.
No Chemical Junk
“Natural” doesn’t always mean “better,” but in many cases, natural ingredients are superior to artificial ones for various reasons, including purity, safety, and efficacy.
That’s why all of our ingredients in all of our products come from plant and animal sources, including sweeteners, colors, and flavors.
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In consideration of the services and/or products offered by Legion Athletics, Inc. (“Legion”) including, but not limited to, nutrition plans, exercise routines and coaching, and in addition to the payment of any fee or charge:
I knowingly and voluntarily enter into this waiver and release of liability and hereby waive any and all rights, claims or causes of action of any kind whatsoever arising out of my use of Legion’s services and/or products, and I hereby release and hold harmless Legion and its consultants, officers, contractors, agents, owners and employees from any and all responsibility, liability, cost and expenses, including for injuries, damages or disorders (physical, metabolic, or otherwise), resulting from my use of Legion’s services and/or products.
I understand that fitness activities including, but not limited to, strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular exercise, with or without the use of equipment, are potentially hazardous activities that involve a risk of injury and even death, and I am voluntarily participating in these activities and using equipment and machinery with knowledge of the risks involved. I hereby agree to assume and accept any and all risks of injury or death related to said fitness activities.
I understand Legion’s services and products are not meant to treat or manage any health conditions or circumstances, and I acknowledge that Legion has recommended I obtain a healthcare provider’s approval for my use of Legion’s services and/or products, through regular physical examination(s) and/or consultation. I acknowledge that I have obtained my healthcare provider’s approval or have decided to use Legion’s services and/or products without such approval and hereby assume all responsibility for my use of said services and/or products.
I understand that results from using Legion’s products and/or services are not guaranteed, and I agree to not hold Legion liable for any outcomes or lack thereof.
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Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab by Labdoor™, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.
Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.
This product doesn’t just “contain natural ingredients”—every ingredient is naturally sourced from plants and animals. This product contains no artificial or synthetic sweeteners or flavors of any kind.
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Thanks to their connections, credentials, and academic experience, this team of MDs, PhDs, and other professionals has access to a wealth of research published in the largest and most prestigious journals in the world.
This allows them to not only review individual studies but also analyze the overall weight of the evidence on any and all topics related to diet, exercise, supplementation, and more.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, misleading, out-of-date, or anything less than factual, please let us know in the comments section of the article in question.
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We follow a detailed, rigorous, multi-step process to create content that meets the highest standards of clarity, practicality, and scientific integrity.
First, our research associates provide our editorial team with accurate, up-to-date, proven scientific evidence.
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If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, misleading, out-of-date, or anything less than factual, please let us know in the comments section of the article in question.
