How to Build a Strong Neck | Dr. Andrew Huberman | The Tim Ferriss Show

Brought to you by Athletic Greens’s AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement athleticgreens.com/tim, Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating eightsleep.com/Tim, and Protekt’s REST sleep supplement protekt.com/tim
Resources from this episode: tim.blog/2023/03/08/dr-andrew...
cc: @hubermanlab
Andrew Huberman, PhD (@hubermanlab), is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. He has made numerous important contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function, and neural plasticity. Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford Medicine has been consistently published in top journals including Nature, Science, and Cell.
Andrew is the host of the podcast Huberman Lab, which is often ranked as one of the top five podcasts in the world by both Apple and Spotify. The show aims to help viewers and listeners improve their health with science and science-based tools. New episodes air every Monday on KZbin and all podcast platforms.
Please enjoy!
Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 900 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running.
Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's free weekly email newsletter): go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/
Follow the Tim Ferriss Podcast: tim.blog/podcast/
Visit the Tim Ferriss Blog: tim.blog/
Follow Tim Ferriss on Twitter: / tferriss
Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: / timferriss
Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: / timferriss

[@timferriss]

Brought to you by Athletic Greens’s AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement athleticgreens.com/tim, Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating eightsleep.com/Tim, and Protekt’s REST sleep supplement protekt.com/tim

[@justblaze8632]

Full video?

[@waterfuntimes]

Yeah, well... just make sure not to lose your neck curvature in the process! I'm guessing Andrew is not a chiropractor.

[@dusandragovic09srb]

Pendulum, side movement like Mike Tyson and Peekaboo power punches work the neck :O I actually felt it cracking when I was trying the technique on the bag, IT'S A MUST! AS MUCH MUSCLE AS POSSIBLE! ;)

[@NTUser1]

I've wrestled like my whole life and I can't tell you how many injuries I've prevented by having a strong neck. Its crucial

[@landenx]

Same bro

[@Hapotecario]

​@@landenxI'm starting wrestling at 39 and this is why I looked for this video. I am having some minor neck injuries.

[@cischsr2794]

​@@redkirigiri4112the chance are he's probably doing the wrestler's bridge considering he's a wrestler

[@cags113]

that you, Kurt Angle?

[@38.pranaykumar99]

@@Hapotecario you are starting wrestling at 39 man you are a G

[@potapotapotapotapotapota]

training neck, upper back and hip muscles really helped my posture

[@bine35]

check out upper/lower cross syndrome and pandiculation process that's whats rly helping mine

[@potapotapotapotapotapota]

@@bine35 yeah that is pretty much what I have, I get it from sitting too much and with a slouch at that. These syndromes are quite realistic and common because the musculo-skeletal system is a tensegrity structure (as I learnt from Thomas Myers). If one part of the body is injured or weak then the whole body is impaired. I've done a lot of research on this and yeah I'm also aware of pandiculation but don't know what you mean by the pandiculation process.

[@proverbalizer]

Pullups are good. I especially notice improvement after a period of doing too many pushups and neglecting pullups

[@drexlwashingtonian2978]

How often trainneck?

[@potapotapotapotapotapota]

@@drexlwashingtonian2978 as often as every other muscle, I treat all muscles in my body equally

[@andymcgunagle]

Pro tip: Swap the plate for a soft medicine ball when doing neck curls. You’ll get more from less weight because you won’t be afraid to let the ball settle into your forehead. Start light and slowly work towards achieving a full range of motion with a deep stretch. Gradually work towards 3-5 sets of 10-30 reps.

[@nieczerwony]

I am doing it with resistance band.

[@NameIsMaxim]

I do neck curls with the resistance of my own hand

[@BigG627]

very true, Im always scared to let it fully settle.

[@MattGarcyaDC]

Yeah weights ain’t really needed just high reps

[@Gangst3ri]

f*ck me! I've done neck work for years and now you tell me? Thank you sir!

[@TribeOfCooks]

Andrew and Tim talking about that mind body connection (neck)

[@BeowolfNindoJournal]

For boxing, Muay Thai, I use a microfibre towell a0nd tie it to kettle bell, not too heavy though. I then bite on the other end and do head rasies. Works the neck and jaw muscles so it's much harder to knocked out if you get hit in the jaw, and also your neck's able to absorb more impact.

[@izyreal]

I used a 'Neck Harness' with resistance bands instead of weights. I got hit in the head with a trencher at work and I had a hard hat. I believe training my neck helped prevent a more serious injury to my brain because the medical staff in the ER were surprised I wasn't knocked unconscious.

[@derrickpigatt5195]

Nice

[@hartake6667]

Thank God. The muscle probably helped with reducing whiplash to the brain

[@nikitaw1982]

Hurt ur neck totally fkd. Seems first thing would want strong, mobile flexible.

[@wartem]

Unbelievably informative material. Thanks

[@BowlerTheHatGuy]

Huberman is a great example for that. He has a neck like a football Player.

[@LifewithRickToledo]

Huber is the man

[@jdiaz4877]

Very insightful my posture is lacking a bit I'll give this a try!

[@rahulisgreat4911]

Thank you so much

[@benchurchill9735]

That's a great suggestion for neck exercises. Daniel Ricciardo suggested much the same thing for people who want to start training their neck and we know how important a strong neck is to race drivers.

[@drexlwashingtonian2978]

How many days a week?

[@benchurchill9735]

@@drexlwashingtonian2978 you could probably do it every other day. I started doing it every Mon/Wed/Fri with weekends off. I have a healthy neck, but if you have a neck injury or issues, check with a professional 👍

[@kubanaid5960]

What is better ? Buy some neck training apparatus or do exercises with your hand.

[@benchurchill9735]

@@kubanaid5960 Here's what Daniel Ricciardo suggested for beginners: Daniel Ricciardo: “When you’re training for racing, you’ve got to hit the main muscle groups, and one of the most important is your neck. Lie on your back, lift your head and turn it slowly from left to right. Try and aim for 75 repetitions, then repeat on the front. That builds up good endurance and it’s obviously pretty safe in terms of injuries because you’re not using any weight apart from your head. Your neck’s fragile, so you don’t want to start by putting 10-kilo plates on the side of your head - that takes time.” It's probably the best place to start, before machines or adding weight.

[@zaldare]

Been training my neck every time I go to the gym these last couple of weeks every since I got an inflammation in my back which really was a kick in the nuts for me and made me realize that I wasn't taking care of my body when working from home or just lifestyle wise. It's quite an easy exercise to do aswell so you can do it in the meantime that your training your stomach. My favorite one is laying on my back, slightly lift your head up a couple of centimeters so the back of your barely touches the floor/mat and lift your head till your chin hits the top of your chest and go back down again without hitting the floor. Like a push up for your neck. :) Do that a couple of times then rest. Lift your head up slightly again and start rotating your head by looking all the way left and then to the right. The burn you feel at the start of it is crazy.

[@zKaizen8]

Why did you have inflmmation in your back mate?

[@kw12784]

@@zKaizen8 because he got kicked in the nuts, duh🙄😝

[@zKaizen8]

can you mention what exactly exercises you're doing?

[@aherrns1894]

​@@zKaizen8slunds like wrestling bridge.

[@RichardHumulock]

haha did these in boxing and they were called yesses and nos

[@mvikred]

One should really try out the OS resets to also build up neck mobility first before strengthening it.

[@vidform]

Good video. What are your thoughts on the Iron Neck device? Or do you prefer the 4-way machine over the Iron Neck?

[@2hurt2healmedia]

i felt a surge of blood flow and better mental concentration . neck training is great

[@lonniebyard4627]

The Iron Neck is a great device, the cost is high, but well worth the money.

[@mikehunt4797]

Doing a lot of farmers walks with good posture has helped my overall posture very quickly.

[@PipeScholar]

I started experimenting with this and I've been having similar results

[@mikehunt4797]

@@PipeScholar Right on! I do them every 2 or 3 days and i just use a 40lb dumbell in each hand and do 10 sets that last about 90-120 seconds a set. When i started 5 sets was hard lol.

[@ddaavvee68]

big fan of weighted carries! dead hangs too!

[@TVsez]

Use one weight but keep the imaginary line from nose to bellybutton totally straight while walking.. Harder than it sounds

[@colmrooney414]

I just did without weights chintucks/lifts on 2/3 yoga blocks. seems a good idea. theres also some good qi gong routines for neck/shoulders

[@bluesky8872]

I started training neck after a military parachute bad landing, it was an eye-opener in terms of the fact that I was training all my muscles minus my neck.

[@andrewballinger8525]

I agree that when you put your body in a posture you mentally feel it like I can be happy and upright and feel good but when I slouch and frown I feel depressed but I feel it more in my chest then my neck if my chest is up so I’d my confidence

[@drbucker]

Tim, what is the machine you bought on amazon? Can you put a link?

[@micromicro9655]

Huberman is a Giant 💪

[@sampetersson5887]

185cm 78kg. He is not big at all. He is avrege height and pretty light weight for his height

[@funtimes8296]

@@sampetersson5887 Over 6 feet tall is clearly taller than average

[@sampetersson5887]

@@funtimes8296 6feet is below average where i live (netherlands)

[@funtimes8296]

@@sampetersson5887 You must live in the Netherlands then. It's well above average almost everywhere else

[@nikhilmadhu2660]

In India it's more than above avg​@@sampetersson5887

[@johnreimerfamily]

Bands in static positions such as extension WITH eye movement (look up) in the most common positions you are in every day (sitting or standing) not on a bench.

[@Ratatosk80]

An update from someone who just started training their neck. Started 2 weeks ago. Been doing a neck workout every other day. Have a long skinny neck, 40 cm circumference at 82 kg bodyweight. Measured my neck this morning, no pump. Seems like it has grown half a cm or so. The way I have been doing it is working my way up to a 2.5 kg plate. I could go heavier but I want to be careful. The workouts are these: warmup 2 sets of 75 reps turning my head side to side. Then 4 sets of 25-30 curls, 25-30 extensions and around 20 "side raises" ( lying on my side, weight on ear and curling each side). Use my bed instead of a bench. Also I don't rest between each set. I rest for like 1 min after I have completed 1 set of each exercise. Just going for high volume and I don't want the neck training to take up much time since it's just a fun experiment. The structure of the workouts was just something I came up with so I'm not saying it's something anyone should emulate. Guess the goal I have would be to increase my neck to around 42 cm circumference but like I wrote I'm really only doing this as a fun experiment so I'm not expecting much.

[@djskaghead3810]

Is that 4 sets of curls, extentions and side raises? 12 sets total?

[@Ratatosk80]

@@djskaghead3810 16 sets total. 4 sets curls, 4 sets extension, 4 set left side raises, 4 set right side raises. I do one set of each, like I wrote around 25-30 reps, and then rest a bit. Work out the neck like 3-4 times a week. Probably better ways to do it but seems to be working for now. Neck has grown 1 cm. When I wrote my comment it had grown 0.5 cm. I am using 4 kg plate. Was using 2.5 kg when I wrote my other comment.

[@thestrongneck]

check out my product 'the strong neck' it's super simple and makes the manual plate work much more comfortable and convenient!

[@Nik2555]

@@Ratatosk80what’s it grown to now and your strength at it?

[@Ratatosk80]

​@@Nik2555 Hey, I'm now close to 43 cm neck circumference. Starting point was 40 cm so quite a big change. I am now using a bit over 10 kg for 30 reps curls and extensions. And 40 reps each side of lateral neck raises lying on my side. The actual weight is higher than 10 kg though since I am applying pressure with my hands as well. It's to avoid assisting with the arms. If just holding the weights without applying pressure you can end up assisting with the arms. I have cut one workout and now do 2-3 per week, a bit over 30 min each ( I do slow reps). Felt I needed more recovery and they are also very uncomfortable. Get dizzy and nauseous from them.

[@yOOjisinthefrig]

As a firefighter and a martial artist, a strong neck/traps is a must.

[@zKaizen8]

Damn I needed this. Was diagnosed with C5 and C6 mild disc degeneration, 29 yo.

[@dvvidbxssxttx9450]

Your neck work is your net worth 🙏💪

[@derrickpigatt5195]

100 percent agreed

[@smooth_pursuit]

A balanced type of yoga practice will train neck strength as well as mobility, building up to be able to perform all sorts of variations in headstand etc (not to be rushed!) Other postures will keep the chest nice and open so you don’t get that hunched up/ overdeveloped traps look ;)

[@joiningjal2145]

I’ve learned to text horizontally to my eyes. Partly for posture and partly for situational awareness. I always look like I’m taking a picture though.

[@miloslavskiy873]

Show us the exercise, please!❤😊

[@bryansagrerobeachbody5478]

You can check Jeff Nippards videos about neck training tips and routine examples backed up with science. He has paid programs but you could figure it out by yourself with the videos on his channel

[@louieortega3378]

Thank you for sharing. Good looking out.👍

[@stevethea5250]

i hang on my side off the edge of the bed, when im on the phone scrolling or watching something. even static isometric holds you will feel it, and it's a bit of a time-saving hack cos you're already doing something else/on phone i just need stick to hold my phone so that shoulder stop aching

[@kevinroark5815]

I used to do neck bridges until my Chiro said not to do them, so I started using 5-10kg plates

[@endgamefond]

I am afraid of doing neck work coz i am afraid of injury. So i do very small n not improving much. Any video out there that i can use safely??

[@Mr-mopar]

The neck flex works awesome..I kept getting stingers doing extensions with the weight plates..it was pricey but I use it now three times per week with no issues. Neck is thong and I have added two inches in about two years now.

[@IsmailPbx]

What does this mean.

[@miloslavskiy873]

I know it doesn’t seem significant for guys but please tell us everything about face exercise!

[@naturalworkout8016]

This is Sparta!!!!!

[@rowancooper-g3617]

Yeah I got the Iron Neck pro, really good

[@nikitaw1982]

People said it breaks quick. Is your still good? Use it regularly?

[@tzc9309]

Also genuine question about the placebo thing Tim mentioned - when i sort out my upper body posture and stand as correctly as possible, I feel mentally sharper. Will having correct posture benefit the communication of the nervous system, therefore when you have better posture, neck included in this, you will actually have your body/brain communicating better so you will actually be sharper in the things you do. The things i understand from what ive heard it makes sense for how things connect in the spinal column, so wondering if i am right in thinking this would not be just placebo? An answer to this would be greatly appreciated if possible!

[@michaelanthony4750]

Better posture means better blood flow to the brain so yes it could improve thought processes as well

[@PipeScholar]

I've also experienced a similar thing. Interesting question

[@MrCmon113]

@@michaelanthony4750 That's complete bogus. The only real disadvantage of forward head posture is that it looks bad. There's no evidence that it causes pain, neural problems or problems with blood flow.

[@user-op3ph2eo6q]

what do you think about Neck Harness Weight Lifting? thank you

[@mattnormandrums]

If you are a contact or combat athlete, train your neck for strength and mobility. Day to day life is no different. Have a body that is contact and combat worthy.

[@TrentMcNary420]

Tryna scrap er wut

[@Sully_one]

how many times a week should we train neck?

[@mattnormandrums]

@@Sully_one you can train neck everyday eventually. I used neck bridges and manual neck performed with another person holding resistance on your head as you move through different ranges of motion. I would begin working 2 time a week until the soreness isn’t overly noticeable. Move to the 3 after that and so on. Like anything else, as long as you are recovering you can perform the exercises more days each week. Just keep in mind that straining the neck or the muscles around the neck makes it hard to do much else.

[@calebrights8712]

What’s anyone think about the iron neck 3.0 pro? Would you guys use something like this if you have the money and space for it?

[@adamcraig1468]

Isnt it better to neck curls fir text neck. Since you're lengthening the front neck under load wheras text neck involves the muscles at the back having to hold the head in place which is what we do all day

[@StatzGee]

Opposite actually. Neck extensions correct text neck. Just like face pulls and upper-back work correct rounded shoulders

[@cosmicfxx]

Can one actually increase neck width if over 55years?

[@party38]

It would be great if you guys do actual demo

[@drexlwashingtonian2978]

How often?

[@RichRich1955]

Personally, my neck has had its share of pain from bike crashes until I strengthened it. Most people's necks are worthless and weak only mildly supporting their head and highly vulnerable to injury

[@egoinjury]

When I backpacked (for a bit over. a year) I got a massive neck and traps, just from carrying it every day

[@theodoreresultan3312]

I would avoid the iplate mprint by using theraband they come in different resistances.

[@noksuan59]

so which one do you want a strong neck or a flexible neck

[@johnshallman508]

hate to be a product _hore but.... the iron neck is the best I have ever used. Certainly can supplement it with extensions and iso's etc. but well worth it.

[@SycAamore]

Can neck training make your voice deeper? I read somewhere that it can help with that by relaxing the neck muscles and opening your throat.

[@aviccilostboy1755]

this plate method must be geared toward peanut heads, ive got a huge head at 24inches i can probly get a good workout just using the weight of my head

[@RichRich1955]

Instead of using a weight as he does , only pushing with your arms while laying horizontal works fine. Even pushing when not laying down is ok.

[@MrCmon113]

Why would you do that? It's pretty much impossible to track or to apply consistent resistance. Do you do biceps curls by pushing with the other arm?

[@Bharatyadav11]

Do sheersana. Headstand. It will improve your neck muscles considerably in the visual sense within a month. Do three to five minutes of headstand, empty stomach, preferably in the morning.

[@WilliamsWrestlin]

Yesss. I do head stands every day. Very therapist

[@lavatr8322]

bro i can't do the headstand, how do i even start

[@Bharatyadav11]

@@lavatr8322 hi, start trying near a wall. so that wall supports your legs when they are up. put your head down on some sort of mat or blanket and kick your legs up towards the wall, your back of your neck should be facing the wall.

[@MrCmon113]

A headstand compresses your spine and might not even challenge your neck musculature at all. Would you train your legs by just standing with a heavy weight on your shoulders?

[@Bharatyadav11]

@@MrCmon113 interesting, what are your thoughts on training neck?

[@healthyfitathleticaestheti2739]

For women do heavy neck work and isometric neck work to build density and strength without size/bulk.

[@trooper326]

My voice has also gotten a little deeper and louder since I started training my neck. A nice little bonus.

[@alexkerr80]

Love all the talk about posture whilst they are sitting down...

[@juanlopezexposito]

He got an opinion on everything

[@bebops777]

Sending this to my girl (if i had one).

[@jedmcdonald4695]

Strengthening my neck was the only thing that made my neck better after my car accident. I guess it’s not that strong still though because it hurts like hell after I change my oil.

[@newonthewatcher2023]

There's two things imperative to healing an injured muscle but to training your body in general, strength training and stretching these muscles. Stretching will help restore the proper range of motion your muscles will have likely lost due to injury. It's this failure in the process of achieving this range of motion that causes pain, so make sure you stretch any injured muscle as much as you comfortably can, striving to achieve a full range of motion comfortably through time. Strength training is imperative still in this process though too, as it's what tears the muscles and allows them to "reset," and be stretched out, this is healing.

[@rickmaldoo4205]

This is necks on my agenda will begin process this or necks weak depending how eye feel

[@devantestyle5469]

Check out strong neck by Ben Patrick

[@jewmoneyatgmail]

Ben only endorses that product. It was invented by Casey Simmons

[@devantestyle5469]

@@jewmoneyatgmail thanks for the head up didn’t realize it was create by someone else’s cause he has one as well on the ATG equipment page.

[@scipioafricanus1346]

Best excercise for neck... Step 1.Blast Slayers Reign in Blood full album at maximum volume!! ..Step 2.Bang your head like there is no tommorow!!

[@IchBinSylvester]

😂😂😂

[@xxagonzxx]

5:02 Traps bad or good? I'm so confused by his wording here.

[@Ajay-pz9ms]

Here is an idea: when you look in the mirror, put your hands on your forehead and do some neck work. You can get all angles and full range of motion. It isn't 'the best' or 'the only' neck work out but it's an easy start.

[@clamum9648]

I gotta work my fricking neck so bad. I'm a skinny (gained 35 lbs after starting lifting but still thin) and have a little pencil neck and I look like a fricking freak imo. I hate it so much. Although I probably need to fix my calorie intake first cause I struggle with that overall; hard to gain muscle without the calories.

[@stephensteele1213]

I tried to work out my neck but I get vertigo. How can I prevent vertigo?

[@dieu-mercilubini9707]

Working on that Vegeta neck !

[@richardzillion4948]

I use bands . This cuts down on injury chances .

[@jacob5488]

whats it called the iron neck?great tool a football player or something made...i want it

[@mohbel4884]

Head stand bros is the way to go, once a week is enough

[@1stuffforfun]

I do bridging with my neck :D we always do that at our bjj classes :D

[@onwardalone1182]

You guys should check out F1 drivers neck training. They are pros at it because of the g-forces these small dudes go through.

[@Kookbandit]

My neck got bigger after doing a 5x5 routine, was it due to deadlifts and squats?

[@dard4642]

Deadlifts, also OHP if you shrug at the top of the press (as you should).

[@mrbigbosskojak]

I think Deadlifts indirectly put a strain on your neck for sure! squats too if you tend to look up.

[@ashleymccracken]

I hypertrophied my left side of my neck into my trap. Apparently from static holding my kids on my left side, but I believe it is also from deadlifting without switching my had grip enough and from pushing a sled at the gym and often leading with my left side (even though I'm right handed). I am now into botox injections to stop my head from pulling to the left now. It's exhausting continually fighting my neck wanting to pull to the left. Has anyone else done this? Were you able to correct it?

[@daayemshehzad]

Just train the right side as well. Balance it out

[@taborgreat]

@@daayemshehzad from now on, always keep your left arm and hand completely relaxed, and squeeze your right hand hard when you grab stuff. 3 years from now and youll be great

[@user-hr6gf4gn4e]

Well Def. stretch your left trap a lot. By pulling your head forward and to the right. Maybe do farmers walks with only a weight in your right hand. Double overhand for deadlifts. Hanging would help stretch out your shoulder girdle too.

[@user-hr6gf4gn4e]

Also "anelgesic " cream is a wonder for me. Made with only a few herbs, these creams help relax your muscles. You could rub some on your left trap and shoulder before a workout and you'll feel it more on your right side. They can't be used every single day though

[@GOATMENTATOR]

Perhaps lucky genetics speaking here but I got a thick, strong neck just from other lifting f.e. deadlifts

[@JPatelLive]

@2:27 Is how Huberman works his neck off! 🍽👔💪

[@braveshine2579]

done.

[@TedNemeth]

Should the neck workout occur once per week? Three times per week? Thanks everyone!

[@JustinKongolo-le2py]

like most muscle groups rule of thumb is ten sets per week

[@ddaavvee68]

start slow…your neck muscles will get very tired at first

[@brap97]

never

[@mediterraneandiet2483]

Do Deadlifts, shoulder shrugs, and Farmers Walks as a simple way to strengthen your neck.

[@MrCmon113]

None of those movements involve your neck at all. Your neck connects your head to your body. To strengthen the neck you need to lift things with your head.

[@mediterraneandiet2483]

@@MrCmon113 🤡

[@classicosdelujo6252]

Adds on the middle of the work out? FY

[@betterdrugsthanyours]

Shout out all the neck bridges and neck planks we did in highschool wrestling

[@josephallen7185]

What about neck bridges? I hear good and bad.

[@simonsilva250]

What about the risk of developing sleep apnea due to increase muscle in the neck?

[@abbasmousa699]

Not if u mew

[@StatzGee]

This might be happening to me right now actually. Headed to doc and orthodontist to see

[@simonsilva250]

@@StatzGee I'd love to train my neck. But if added muscle restricts airflow while sleeping... I don't think it's worth it

[@simonsilva250]

​@@StatzGee any updates?

[@natestotts5388]

@@simonsilva250 Went to Aviara orthodontics center in Los Angeles area. Very forward thinking doctors (following protocols similar to James Nestor's book, Breath). I started snoring on my side, which is a new thing for me (starting in December). We reviewed some 3D scans of my skull, nasal passages, throat, looking at the bone structure and soft tissues, including tongue. The doc I spoke with thinks the issue is from my tongue being in a bad position. I couldn't really get her nailed down on why that would become a problem now (I'm 40, but don't look it b/c I've been lifting and playing sports since I was very young, so body operates like I'm much younger). Apnea happens to people when they get older, but typically because they simply get fatter, which is not the case for me, I'm around 11% bf. Also, my neck is only 15.5 inches, whereas 17 inches is the threshold of risk. She actually thought strengthening would actually bring more tone to the area, which would prevent tissues from being too lax and falling out of place causing interruption in breathing. I did push on her though, because the can didn't see neck muscle tissue, more throat, nasal, dental. So I don't have really any direct answers on if additional neck muscle is the problem. I started using neck flex for extension and flexion last May, doing it once weekly. I don't want to stop b/c the aesthetic results are legit! What I'm doing now - I'm going to completely stop training neck for 3 weeks to let lose a bit of strength and size and see if the snoring decreases.

[@tylergrant4196]

Won't increasing your neck size, inhibit airflow while you sleep, thus leaving you with worse sleep?

[@Chrisz0507]

Definitely possible, but only if you go for that Mike Tyson neck that's wider than your head, casual neck training shouldn't cause sleep apnea

[@cgspartan87]

I would argue the diaphragm and pelvic floor could also be strengthened to improve air flow

[@DontNeedToKnow84]

I used to wrestle and then lifted. The combo led to 21+ inch neck. Had trouble sleeping and snored loudly when I never did before. I stopped doing targeted neck work (rear and forward wrestling bridges and weighted head raises). My neck is now only to my ears instead of exploding halfway to my shoulders. Much more proportionate looking.

[@StatzGee]

Maybe. Depends on your anatomy

[@GOATMENTATOR]

without steroids you can't build a neck so thick that it becomes a problem - evolution sorted that out for us. For people on gear it is a real problem.

[@justinava1675]

People tell me i have good posture but i still have aches and pains. I think its just part of game when you train hard enough

[@CP-qc1uz]

@/O/ or you need more mobility work

[@ethangeis1246]

Should I train the neck in every direction? He just mentioned laying on side and stomach, not laying on your back and pulling your neck in the direction of the ceiling.

[@MrCGangsta]

funny how i did the samer neck training for years

[@travislovelace7619]

Deadlifts and shrugs is all I ever needed for a thick neck

[@user-wj8us7fc3y]

Shrugs don’t direct train the neck.

[@MrCmon113]

Those don't involve your neck whatsoever, lol.

[@ronanartist]

Thanks man. #33GANG

[@nikitaw1982]

Self defence technique is palm to the face. Totally freaks u out. Did a neck routine for a fortnight then got a palm to the face, didn't have the same scared animal affect.

[@ajparr5585]

Have Stuart McGill on as a guest . Phd in spinal biomechanics

[@coolestgyever531]

I used to text like that with the phone in front of my face, but I would get comments from friends and from strangers that it looked like I was taking videos of them, and I didn't want to seem like a creeper. Now I might need to go back to it though, my neck might be more important than my creep factor

[@mahamzahid7846]

does it make your neck thicker? as a woman who likes adventure sports, I want to do this without necessarily having my neck look stocky...

[@Mrissecool]

Yes. But the thing about hypertrophy, especially in women is that it's gonna go at a pace where there's absolutely no possibility that you get 'accidentally jacked'. If you somehow accidentally continue training for a year without noticing your neck growing and find yourself looking like a NFL player, just stop training your neck and it will revert quite quickly.

[@thestrongneck]

It takes A LOT of work to add size.. you can do lighter weight and higher rep to build strength without adding size. Check out the strong neck!

[@littlevoice_11]

He covers this at around 4.55min

[@monkeyhidalgo]

You can try isometrics

[@water8468]

Even female nfl players don't have stocky necks and they actually train your neck. Your fear is illogical.

[@D00Rb3LL]

As a boxer neck work is part of my everyday routine, my boyfriend lives me

[@lavatr8322]

teach me your different exercises

[@nightfighter7452]

I always find my head flopping to one side or the other whenever im sitting at a desk for longer than 10 minutes

[@rdexiz]

should i work everyday