Script:
In my quest to look like Chad, I have strengthened my jaw with Jawzrsize, worked out my neck with a plastic Amazon Neck Trainer, and done more workout challenges than I can even count. However, it’s not good enough. If I want to look like Chad… I must bring in the chains (put on a neck trainer). That’s right. I’m going to the iron with this boxer style neck trainer and do some neck extensions. Neck extensions every day for 60 days to look like chad… that’s a good video title right there. Did my neck grow from these extensions, and do I feel any stronger?
[Intro]
My experiment was to strengthen the Trapezius muscle by bending over and lifting a dumbbell strapped to this neck harness. Why? Well, to get that tough and attractive neck that women love and swoon over. At least, according to this post from Gympulsive. The article being referenced is titled “Train THIS Muscle If You Want To Look More Masculine (Often Neglected!)”. The article then goes through different neck exercises to get a stronger neck. The two that stood out to me were the neck curls and extensions. I read that, used my previously purchased neck harness, which I got on Amazon for just eighteen bucks, and went on my way to look like Chad. By the way, that neck curl video will come in a future video.
My plan was simple: do neck extensions every day for sixty days. Always take the seventh day off, though, so it was for fifty-two days, but sticking with that title. I will start with five pounds and slowly increase the weight to maximize my strength and growth. My theory is my neck will grow stronger both by being able to do more weight and also by doing more reps, which I will count using a hand counter. That will lead to my neck becoming thicker and looking more manly. As a more qualitative note, I will also record whether or not I feel like my neck is stronger. See the results at the end of my video.
As a note to people watching my videos, I always take very careful risks when doing these kinds of experiments. I highly recommend contacting your doctor before starting any workout regimen, especially one tied to your neck. Improper use can lead to severe injury, and you do not want to risk hurting yourself. This channel is more or less me being a guinea pig for random fitness internet articles and challenges. Just because I am dumb enough to do this stuff doesn’t mean you should and my results are not indicative of your possible results. Gotta say all this so I don’t get sued.
Now, with the disclaimer out of the way and footage of me doing the exercises in the background, I have to ask: is there any scientific evidence that doing neck extensions works and leads to a bigger neck? Well, the thicker neck benefit is still debatable, not a ton of evidence on that. However, there is little doubt that neck extensions are good for you and can prevent fatigue. Especially if you are someone who plays contact sports. A 2015 study from the Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine found that doing neck exercises trend towards positive results. Researchers divided thirty-four male rugby players into two groups, one of which will do three tailored exercises a week for a week neck workout regimen. The other group will do nothing and won’t use a head harness. The study concluded with no significant differences but still positive results. As stated, “Trends identified between the two groups suggest that a tailored neck exercise program increases neck strength, particularly neck extension, and increases resistance to fatigue, as well as influencing right- and left-sided neck muscle balance.” That results is good enough for me to say that doing these, while not life-changing, do have positive results.
With the study out of the way, my feelings toward doing neck extensions are positive. As a quantitative measure, my neck does feel a lot stronger. A case in point is virtual reality. I constantly hear that VR headsets can lead to a sore neck, and I haven’t felt that. I can go for hours using a Meta Quest 3 without any issues or pain, and I think it’s because I was doing seventeen to twenty-pound extensions daily before getting the headset. If you feel pain or are in contact sports, I highly recommend doing these neck extensions after talking to your doctor. I know it’s annoying that I keep repeating this, but… A). I don’t want to get sued, and B). preventing injury is important. Also, while not significant I feel like any neck pain from being on the computer 10+ hours a day is gone. Work as a software developer so I have that whole neck lean posture going on.
I talk about all my positive feelings during my results video! I completely deleted my beginning video, so sorry about that:
[Neck Results]
That’s right, I started at eighteen inches and ended at eighteen inches. I did not grow a single inch at all around my neck. However, that isn’t the full story. The results are in the numbers, and you can see a strong increase. A table of the numbers, the day, date, weight, and reps are on the screen now. This will be shown more on the website, so click the link below to see it better. As you can tell, my weight increased from five pounds to twenty, and the reps increased at each point as I worked. As a visual, here is a graph representing each weight type alongside the reps I completed. As you can see, the general trend is up for each weight, which makes sense as I would get stronger over time doing the exercises.
Overall, I highly enjoyed doing the neck extensions with this device. I don’t know anybody outside of contact sports or bodybuilders who really work out their necks. As the above Gymnasium article states, the neck and lats are often ignored, especially for an irregular gym goer like me. It’s either chest, legs, or cardio for this guy. It’s nice to spotlight a different area together. I will also be glad to do them, especially with some three-hour VR gaming sessions in the future. See you in VRChat, everybody!
So, guys, that is it for today’s video on Neck extensions utilizing the neck harness. Do you have any challenges you want me to do? If so, then please leave a comment below. I will do pretty much any challenge that won’t cause me physical pain. While you are down there, give this video a big thumbs up. Subscribe to my YouTube channel as I post a new video every single week. Visit my website at jack-jenkins.com. Follow me on X and Instagram @truejackjenk. Lastly, have a fantastic day, everyone. All you guys watching are just so incredibly amazing!