Want to learn how to build neck muscles at home? You've come to the right place. In this complete guide, you're going to learn exactly how to get started on your path to building a thick, muscular neck you're proud of. But it's not all about looks - strong neck muscles help you avoid injury, pain, and poor posture.
Maybe you're an athlete and want to set yourself up for an injury-free season during your off-season training. Perhaps your goal is to improve your athletic performance - and part of that requires neck strength and mobility. Or, maybe you are sick of that turkey neck and you want to transform the way you look. Whatever the case, putting an emphasis on building up your neck muscles is worth it. A few months down the road, you'll look back and thank yourself for starting when you did.
The best part? You can achieve all of this without ever leaving the house. With just one simple device (or a few pieces of equipment), you can unlock effortless neck training that yields impressive results fast. Sounds too good to be true? It's not. Let's dive right in.
Can You Really Build Neck Muscles At Home?
When you first discover that many people train their neck muscles without a gym membership, your first thought is probably doubt. There's no way you can achieve your strength and fitness goals when you're just scraping by with at-home workouts...is there? We're here to tell you it's true. With the right equipment, attitude, and dedication, you can unlock the thickest, most muscular neck possible at home.
And no, you don't need to buy an expensive home gym - although, that is one of the best investments you can make in your health and wellbeing. With just $200-400, you can get all the neck training equipment you'll need for the rest of your life. Ready to learn how? Let's get started.
How To Build Neck Muscles At Home: Step By Step Guide To Getting Started
Ready to learn how to build neck muscles at home? It's a lot easier than you may assume. Don't let the idea of starting a new fitness journey physche you out from every actually starting. In just five simple steps, you'll be well on your way to achieving the type of neck you're after. First things first - what gear do you need to build neck strength and mobility at home?
Step 1) Get Your Gear
When you first start out training your neck, we encourage you to use nothing but the weight of your head. After all, the human head can weigh as much as 15 pounds - that's plenty to get started mastering the techniques safely!
But, once you've learned the neck exercises and are ready to actually start implementing them, you'll need to load the exercises with weight or resistance. And when it comes to training the neck, most prefer resistance belts. They're safer, more cost-effective, and save space compared to weighted plates, kettlebells, or dumbbells. But you need more than just resistance belts - how are you going to actually train the neck? You have two options - if you're on a tight budget, you can stick with a neck training harness. You've probably seen someone use one of these before and scoffed at how silly it looks. But, the device works. And if you really want to build your neck up at home, you can opt for a more robust device: The Iron Neck.
This is the best neck strengthener in the entire fitness industry. With just this one device, you gain access to 360-degree rotational training - so you can easily target all the various muscles in your neck from home. It's utilized in the leading physical therapy and personal training centers around the world. And once you've gotten the chance to use yours, you'll understand why.
If you have a door in your house, a post in your backyard or garage, or anything you can attach the Iron Neck to, you'll be able to build your neck muscles at home. And by adding some resistance band bars & handles, you'll have an entire home gym that takes up no space!
Step 2) Develop A Neck Training Regimen Based On Your Goals
Now comes the hardest part of building your neck up at home - developing your training regimen. When it comes to training neck, you can accomplish various goals at once:
- Increase Strength
- Build Size
- Improve Mobility
- Reduce Pain
However, to truly get the results you're after, it's best to narrow your training regimen according to your 1 priority. Do you want to increase your neck mobility? You won't need to use as much weight, as you'll focus more on increasing your range of motion. Are you hoping to get rid of the pain and unsightly appearance of forward head posture? You'll want to focus on neck posture exercises. Are you hoping to trim up your neck fat a bit? Dedicate your training to these neck tightening exercises. The point is, you want to ask yourself what your goals are so you can align your training accordingly. Don't waste your time and energy on fruitless efforts - narrow your focus and you'll get better results faster.
If you're here reading this guide, we have a feeling your goal is to increase strength and size primarily. Thus, you'll want to incorporate neck training into your regimen at least 2-3 days a week, and implement progressive overload to slowly but surely build up size and strength.
Step 3) Stay Consistent In Your Training
Once you've built your training regimen with the right neck exercises (more on that later - we'll give you some of our favorites) comes the fun part: actually training. Be sure to take frequent progress photos. This will help you stay motivated and keep you on track, which is important because you won't see drastic results overnight. While many ask how long it takes to get a bigger neck, focus less on the results - and more on enjoying the process and putting the work in. If you can do that, the results will come much easier.
Now in saying that, with consistency, the right neck exercises, proper recovery, and a bit of genetic luck, you will be shocked at how quickly you can transform your neck's size and strength. Speaking of recovery, let's quickly touch on why this is so important.
Step 4) Put An Emphasis On Recovery
Many newcomers to neck training ask "how often can I do neck training?". After all, the more frequently you train your neck the faster you'll build up those muscles, right?
Wrong.
Recovery is more important than you may think. There is a point of diminishing returns where you begin to do more harm than good with excessive training frequency. This is true not just of the muscles in your neck - but any muscle group in your body, including the upper chest, back, legs, you name it.
With that said, you need to put an emphasis on recovery. Give your body time to recover with proper food and rest. We encourage you to carefully consider your diet and the foods you put in your body - are they helping you meet your goals? Or, are they holding you back? They say your body is built in the kitchen - not the gym - after all. Along with your diet, ensure you're getting ample rest and sleep. This is where much of the repair processes for your body occurs - so get your 8 hours every night. Give yourself 48 hours between each neck workout. And if you can, work to loosen up your neck through stretches and deep tissue work.
How To Build Neck Muscles At Home: Which Exercises Are Best?
Follow these four steps and you'll be well on your way to building up your neck at home. But we've still got one more important topic to touch on today: which exercises should you follow for your regimen? You're in luck - we're going to share our personal favorites that helped us build a thick, durable neck. Keep reading.
Remember - Your Ideal Neck Exercises Depend On Your Goals!
We said it earlier, and we'll touch on it once more here - not all neck exercises are created equal. You'll want to optimize your training regimen with your unique goals in mind. Yes, this will require a bit more research and consideration on your part - but it will pay off in the long run as you get the best bang for your buck in your workouts. With that said, here are what we deem to be the best neck exercises for mass and strength:
- 360 Spins
- Look Left, Look Right
- Protraction & Retraction
- Locked Neck Body Turns
- Diagonals
- Figure Eights
These are the six foundational Iron Neck movements - and you'll hit on all the major neck muscles with these movements. You'll build up your cervical, lateral, and posterior neck muscles, and be well on your way to a thick, strong, and muscular neck with just these movements. But, if you want to progress your training, you can take them a step further.
Continue Adding Stimulus To Achieve Consistent Growth
When you first start out with these movements, you'll want to start as easy as possible - minimal resistance, 2-3 exercises per workout, and just a simple 2-3 sets of 10-20 reps. However, you need to constantly add more stimulus to your workouts to encourage your muscles to grow back bigger and stronger.
This is the basic principle of progressive overload - you progressively make the workouts harder. You can accomplish this by adding extra neck exercises, shortening rest periods, adding sets/reps, and increasing weight. These are the most simple ways to continue growing a thicker neck over time. However, you can also perform variations of these 6 exercises listed above. One way you can do this is by adding a weight plate or kettlebell to the movement. You can check out what this looks like in action in our Iron Neck Kettlebell Workout video.
Parting Thoughts On How To Build Neck Muscles At Home
Now you know how to build neck muscles at home - and there's just one thing left to do. Head over to Iron Neck and grab all your equipment for simple, direct neck training. You'll be well on your way to a thick neck that you're proud of in no time. Whether you're a bodybuilder or athlete, or simply someone who wants to eliminate chronic neck pain - following the step-by-step guide we've created will help you meet your goals.
If you want to learn more about building up a thick neck, explore our blog as we discuss all things neck strengthening, neck pain, and more. Otherwise, get your gear ordered today and build that training regimen - and stick to it!