Your neck is the bridge between your spine and your brain - it’s safe to say that you need to look after it! Neck health isn’t always at the top of our lists, but luckily, there are a few steps we can take to protect our neck from pain, stiffness, and injury.
One of the most effective exercises for neck health is the neck circles exercise. By learning how to do neck circles, strengthen your neck muscles, improve your neck flexibility, and leave neck stiffness behind.
Today, we’ll show you how to do neck circles safely and effectively, and introduce you to the secret weapon of neck training - the Iron Neck! Read on to learn how to add the neck circles stretch to your routine, and why the Iron Neck is the best device out there for neck health.
Overview of the Neck Circles Stretch
The neck circles stretch is a fundamental exercise designed to improve the flexibility, strength, and range of motion in the neck. This exercise involves gently rotating the head in a circular motion, which helps to loosen tight muscles, reduce stiffness, and increase blood flow to the area.
Neck circles are particularly beneficial for anyone who experiences neck pain due to prolonged sitting or stress. And, if you’re wondering how to fix neck posture and alleviate the discomfort that comes with poor posture, the neck circles exercise is a great place to start!
This stretch engages the muscles around the neck in a controlled manner. The circular motion targets various muscle groups, including the sternocleidomastoid, trapezius, and scalene muscles. If you do the neck circles exercise regularly, these muscles become stronger and less prone to injury.
How to Do Neck Circles: Step-by-Step Guide
Wondering how to do neck circles safely? It’s a pretty simple exercise, but the key is to start with small neck circles and increase the size of your circles as your neck muscles warm up and become accustomed to the movement.
Stand or sit up straight with your arms relaxed by your sides. Keep your spine neutral and your shoulders relaxed. Slowly rotate your head in a small circular motion. Tilt your head to the right, then gently drop your chin towards your chest, move to the left, and finally tilt your head back to the starting position.
Continue the circular motion, focusing on making the movement smooth and controlled. Aim for 5-10 circles in one direction. Then, you can gradually increase the size of the circles. Just make sure you keep the movement smooth and controlled, avoiding any jerky motions.
After completing the desired number of circles in one direction, pause briefly, then begin rotating your head in the opposite direction. Keep the movement controlled and even, focusing on maintaining proper form and not going too quickly. Stop if you feel any pain or discomfort.
Neck Circles Benefits
Learning how to do neck circles is straightforward, and doesn’t take a lot of time out of your day, but what are the actual neck circles benefits? Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why you shouldn’t skip your neck circles exercise.
Enhanced Range of Motion and Flexibility
One of the main benefits of the neck circles exercise is the improvement in the range of motion and flexibility of the neck muscles. This exercise targets various muscle groups around the neck, gently stretching and loosening them.
As a result, your neck becomes more flexible and capable of moving through a wider range of motions without discomfort. This increased flexibility can be particularly beneficial if you spend long hours in static positions, such as sitting at a desk, which often leads to stiffness and poor mobility.
Recovery From Injury
The neck circles exercise can also help speed up your recovery from neck injuries. By gradually and gently mobilizing your neck muscles, this exercise helps to restore movement and function to your neck, slowly but surely assisting you as you get back to your best.
The increased blood flow to your neck promotes healing and reduces inflammation. Also, the controlled motion can help prevent scar tissue formation, which often limits mobility. Just make sure you’re working with your doctor or physical therapist to do your movements safely.
Strength and Stability
Regularly performing the neck circles exercise can contribute to greater strength and stability in the neck muscles. The exercise engages and strengthens the muscles that support the neck, leading to improved overall stability.
A strong neck is less susceptible to injuries and can better support the head's weight, reducing the risk of strain and discomfort. This is especially important for athletes and anyone involved in activities that place significant demands on their neck muscles.
Managing Stress
The gentle, rhythmic motion of neck circles can also be an effective way to manage stress. Tension often accumulates in the neck and shoulder area, leading to discomfort and stiffness. The neck circles exercise helps to release this tension by promoting relaxation and reducing muscle tightness.
Learning how to do neck circles can also have a calming effect, helping to alleviate stress. Incorporating neck circles into your daily routine can serve as a quick and easy method to unwind and relieve the physical manifestations of stress.
Are Neck Circles Safe?
We’ve explained how to do neck circles, and discussed the neck circles benefits, but are neck circles safe for everyone to do? Yes - neck circles are safe, but there are a few things you should keep in mind before you start adding neck circles to your routine.
First of all, you need to make sure you’re using the correct technique. Perform neck circles in a controlled, deliberate manner to avoid jerking movements that could strain the neck muscles. Keep your spine neutral, shoulders relaxed, and avoid overarching your neck.
As with any exercise, it’s also important to listen to your body. Neck circles shouldn’t cause any pain - talk to your doctor or physical therapist if you experience pain while you’re doing this movement. Some people feel dizzy after neck circles, so take a break if this happens to you.
Rounding Out Your Training Regimen With Iron Neck
Neck circles are a great addition to your routine, but they’re not the only neck exercise you should be doing. Whether you’re learning how to get a thicker neck or looking for neck spondylitis exercises, a balanced neck routine can help you build strong, healthy neck muscles.
While some isometric neck exercises can be performed using your body weight alone, you can achieve a much more effective, holistic neck workout by investing in neck exercise equipment. The Iron Neck is the #1 neck weight harness for neck training - let us explain why…
How it Works
The Iron Neck is a comfortable, ergonomically designed harness that fits around the top of your head. It’s attached via a tether to an anchor point, and allows you to use resistance to level up your neck workouts and safely strengthen your neck muscles.
You’ll see much better neck training before and after results with the Iron Neck, thanks to the resistance and progressive overload you can add. The Iron Neck is the only device that offers 4-in-1 benefits for recovery, injury prevention, mobility, and posture.
The Iron Neck’s unique design means that it offers 360-degree training. It can increase the blood flow to every muscle in your neck, especially in the hard-to-reach ones that often cause neck pain and mobility issues. It’s just a more efficient way to train your neck!
Neck Circles Variations
It’s a good idea to start with the regular neck circles exercise we discussed earlier, just to become familiar with the movement. Once you have the basics down and you feel comfortable, you can use the Iron Neck to crank up the resistance and really start to train your neck.
Look Left, Look Right
Wondering how to train your neck with the Iron Neck? The first neck circle variation you can do with the Iron Neck is the “Look Left, Look Right” movement. If you want to learn how to build neck muscles at home, start here.
Look straight ahead with your chin parallel to the floor while you rotate at the neck, left and right. Make sure your shoulders are relaxed and steady; this exercise is designed to focus on mobility in the neck specifically. Perform 5x facing forward, then rotate 90 degrees and repeat in all 4 directions.
Figure Eights
Another variation is to do “Figure Eights,” an easy addition to your neck workouts at home with the Iron Neck. Keep your chin and eyes level and parallel to the floor while you rotate at the neck, left and right. Draw a sideways figure eight with your nose.
Try doing this exercise in both directions, first facing toward the anchor point, then away. Perform the exercise 8x facing the anchor point, then 8x facing away from the anchor point.
Locked Neck Body Turns
The idea of “Locked Neck Body Turns” is moving the pivotal joint from the neck to the waist. It’s a total-body stability exercise that helps you develop more control over your body movements. Start by facing the anchor point, in a slight squat with slightly bent knees.
Keep your hands together in a prayer position, and rotate 90-degrees (or as far as you can) by twisting at the hips. Throughout the movement, keep your eyes focused on your hands in front of you. Turn left, then right, and repeat the movement in all four cardinal directions.
Complementary Exercises to Consider
There are many other neck exercises you can do, both with and without the Iron Neck. If you’re looking for some more movements to add to your neck routine, try these:
- neck skin tightening exercises
- turkey neck exercises
- neck curl up
- cervical vertigo exercises
- neck bridges
- neck fat exercises
- chin tucks
- neck extensions
- neck exercise for thyroid
- neck roll exercise
- neck spasm exercises
- tinnitus neck exercises
- neck exercises for mass
- Bruegger's exercise
- neck arthritis exercises
- neck exercises for seniors
- neck crepitus exercises
- bodyweight neck exercises
Remember, it’s also important to take breaks and give your neck time to recover between sessions! Learn more about how often to train neck in our guide to make sure you’re not over-doing it.
Parting Thoughts on Neck Circle Exercise
So, are neck circles safe? Yes! In this guide, we’ve explained how to do neck circles safely, both with and without the Iron Neck. While you don’t need the best neck exercise equipment to do neck circles, the Iron Neck can make your routines a lot more effective.
With the Iron Neck, you can build neck strength faster than ever before, in a completely safe, comfortable way. Thanks to progressive overload and 360-degree training, the Iron Neck revolutionizes the way we approach neck training.
Say goodbye to neck pain and stiffness and start protecting your neck health - get your Iron Neck today!