Iron Neck Review
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Your neck muscles need the same amount of training and love that you are giving to the rest of your body.
This is why today I’m going to be looking at the Iron Neck.
This thing is designed to help strengthen your neck muscles and help with rehab/recovery for neck/upper back pain and injuries, plus much more.
One of the biggest reasons people don't train their neck or avoid it is that it is hard to do. Some lifts can target those muscles, but the Iron Neck specifically targets these areas.
To expand on that, how many times have you seen someone at the gym training their neck?
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you can probably count it on one hand, if you’ve even ever seen it to begin with.
It's become such a popular fitness and recovery tool that even Joe Rogan has talked about it on his podcast.
That being said, no longer will you need to sit back and have a weak neck.
With the Iron Neck you are going to be able to strengthen your muscles and make your body that much better. With plenty of neck strengthening exercises, you’ll be an expert in no time.
I’m going to talk about some of the benefits using the Iron Neck brings you as well so you can understand there is more to training your neck than simply getting some gains in there.
Iron Neck
The Iron Neck is the next progression in neck, spine, and upper back training that is much smaller and more effective than previous neck trainers.
Pros
Cons
Brief Look at the Iron Neck
Neck trainers aren't a new type of fitness and recovery equipment, but the Iron Neck feels like the natural progression we've been waiting for.
No longer do you need to hang weights from your head, which is uncomfortable, and can be dangerous. You also don't need a lat pulldown machine to achieve the same results either.
The Iron Neck is small, portable, cheap, safe, and effective for helping train the muscles of the neck, upper back, and spine.
A simple door anchor and resistance band is all that's needed to strap the Iron Neck on and being helping recover or strengthen your neck.
What I Liked
- Athletes and lifters that need deep-tissue massage and recovery.
- No or little budget worries.
- People that want fitness recovery on the go.
What i Didn't Like
- People on a budget.
- Athletes and lifters looking for a gentler massage gun.
Is the Iron Neck Worth It?
The big question on everyone’s mind is simply, why? To answer that question, let's take a look at how you train the rest of your body.
Generally in a workout, you are doing many different compound movements to promote as much training as possible.
When you squat for example, you are working on more than just your glues.
Even with these compound movements, you are going to find that the neck is not getting the workout that it needs.
This is why we have to turn towards accessories such as the Iron Neck to get the training that we are looking for. The previous solution to training your neck was sticking a harness around your head and attaching a plate to it.
This not only can take a long time to set up, but it can be extremely awkward moving back and forth with a plate dangling in there.
In terms of neck strengthening exercises, these aren’t the most optimal things. Not only that, but if you do these neck exercises incorrectly, you can severely injure the muscles in that area.
The Iron Neck pro hopes to innovate the market and make training the neck not only easy, but make it something that you are going to do with the rest of your workout.
Now that I’ve focused on the why, let’s talk about some of the extra benefits that you can get by using the Iron Neck and training.
Good For
- Athletes and lifters that need rehab for neck/upper back injuries or soreness
- Less budget worries
- People that want to isometrically target their neck muscles
Not Good For
- People on a budget
- Lifters and athletes looking for a more passive recovery tool
Benefits of the Iron Neck
As mentioned above, the big reason why I am starting to train my neck is because I want to get stronger. I strive to be as healthy as I possibly can be, why would I neglect muscle groups if that is the case?
This isn’t just about strength though, doing neck strengthening exercises with the Iron Neck can yield many incredible results.
Improved Posture
Let’s talk about the foundation of your body and your posture. Tech neck is a real thing and it’s caused by leaning into electronics such as your computer.
You might notice a slight arch at the top of your spine as a result of this.
In its earliest stages, tech neck is not a big deal. Sure you might be leaning forwards a little, but that’s about it.
It can be easily fixed at this stage if you put the effort in. If you continue to let your tech neck develop however, you are looking at major spinal issues, posture issues, and back pain. How can you fix all of this?
The Iron Neck is designed specifically to counteract the effects of tech neck and improve your posture and your foundation. This is not a magic solution to the health issue however.
You still will have to ensure you have proper posture when sitting if you want to improve. That being said, I noticed my posture improving when I was using the Iron Neck because it was helping to keep everything up there stabilized and strong.
Pain Relief
Tech neck doesn’t just create problems with your spine and your foundation, it also provides a lot of stiffness which will later turn to pain if it is not dealt with.
With good neck strengthening exercises, you can work to eliminate all of this pain and get yourself back on track.
Personally speaking, I hate waking up in the morning with a stiff neck. If the Iron Neck can help resolve that, you bet I’m interested in trying it out for myself.
Injury Prevention
Studies have shown that for every extra pound of muscle strength increase in your neck, your chances of getting a concussion were lowered by 5%.
This makes the Iron Neck a solid choice for athletes, especially in contact sports such as football where concussions are rampant.
You don’t have to be an athlete to take advantage of the injury prevention either.
There are plenty of circumstances such as car accidents where you can get extreme whiplash and concussions.
Having that extra bit of neck strength might not stop the injury altogether from happening, but it will lessen the severity of it.
Faster Injury Rehab
Finally, the Iron Neck will help to get you back on track sooner if you find yourself with a neck injury.
Doing low weights will help to strengthen those muscles not only get them back to what they once were, but can get them even stronger.
Alright, I feel I’ve talked a lot about what the Iron Neck can do for you, it’s now time to talk about the product itself, from the unboxing, to the shape of it, to how it's used.
Unboxing
When the Iron Neck Pro finally arrived, I couldn’t wait to open it up and take a look at what was inside.
I have to say I was impressed at how well they packed the box, as there was a ton of foam to ensure the Iron Neck Pro was not damaged in any way.
Inside the box was the Iron Neck Pro, a 25lb resistance band, door belt, cinch anchor, door anchor, an exercise poster, and a set of 3 interchangeable front pads.
Using the Iron Neck
I'm much more used to larger, bulkier equipment for fitness gear, which is part of the reason why the Iron Neck gets high grades from me.
Getting quality recovery and strength training in such a relatively small product is hard to come by, and the Iron Neck does it effectively.
I had skepticism about the plastic build and the resistance bands, but they both held up nicely and didn't feel cheap or non-durable at all.
The amount of anchors and clips it came with was also a nice sight as it ensured I was able to use the Iron Neck around the house for many different neck strengthening exercises.
The Iron Neck model in general has not been around for too long, but the Iron Neck pro has taken previous versions and expanded and improved upon it already. What I liked about the Iron Neck is how light and comfortable it was to wear.
Although I’m training my neck, I don’t want to be wearing some heavy thing that is going to be weighing me down for an extended period of time.
Despite the Iron Neck being light, it was surprisingly durable for a plastic object, It’s made out of hard ABS plastic that will be able to match what you throw at it.
There was a time when I accidentally dropped the Iron Neck after a neck strengthening exercise and it was no worse for wear in any way.
To help make the Iron Neck comfortable, they use an antimicrobial foam on the inside that helps to make it comfortable and keep away some of the germs.
Even though it is antimicrobial, I still would recommend having a skull cap or something else underneath if you are going to be using the Iron Neck with other people.
I was sweating quite a bit and I couldn’t imagine someone wanting to put my Iron Neck on after I was done with it.
As for fitting it onto my head, there is a pump that is used to ensure it fits comfortably on every part of your head.
It works extremely well and ensures that things aren’t bobbing around when you are getting your neck training in.
On the Iron Neck Pro, there is also a dial that you can use to adjust the resistance. This can be used to increase the tension and difficulty in your workout.
On some of the lower end models of the Iron Neck, the resistance is fixed and it cannot be adjusted.
When I used the Iron Neck, I didn’t notice much discomfort with it at all and was able to pound through my workouts without issue. At first it felt a little weird wearing something on my head, but that quickly went away after I started working out.
One difficulty I had was getting the top strap adjusted right. You need to make sure the Iron Neck sits on your forehead in the right way.
Now time to talk about all those difficult neck strengthening exercises. If you are going to use this with a cable machine, make sure that the connection is perfectly horizontal. I connected it and started with a few neck strengthening exercises.
The first and easiest one for me was to nod my head back and forth like I was saying no. Go nice and slow with this as moving fast with the neck can cause injuries also.
To give myself a little more work I moved to making figure eights with my head. Pretend your nose is a pencil and draw a sideways eight in the air.
The neck strengthening exercises worked great and while I didn’t feel much tension or strain at the time of the exercises, you bet I felt them the next day.
I love that burning sensation because that tells me I’ve done hard work on a muscle group.
After a few days of recovery, I was ready to head back to the gym and you bet I brought my Iron Neck with me to try it out again.
Final verdict - Iron Neck Review
Iron Neck
This is a durable piece of equipment that is able to be added to anyone's routine, whether it's for strength training or rehabilitation of the neck.
The time to get my neck as strong as the rest of the body is now and you’ll probably catch me heading to use this thing as soon as I’m done talking about it. Stay healthy folks and keep hitting the gym and breaking your goals.
Brand: Iron Neck
Currency: $USD
Price: $224.99 - $449.99
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Iron Neck FAQs
What Muscles Does the Iron Neck Train?
The Iron Neck trains the musculature of your neck isometrically. The muscles it trains include the trapezius, rhomboids, serratus posterior, and many more.
These muscles help strengthen and stabilize the neck, spine, and head.
Is the Iron Neck Safe?
The Iron Neck is safe to use for most adult lifters. Avoid overextension and overtraining and you can benefit from building a stronger and safer neck.
Is the Iron Neck Worth It?
If you want to help support your head, neck, and spine, then the Iron Neck is worth it for isolated muscle training.
It is much cheaper, smaller, and safer than previous equipment used to train the neck.
How Often Should You Use Iron Neck?
Iron Neck recommends using the Iron Neck 2-3 times per week, at 5-10 minute per session, for maximum size and strength gains.
Where Can I Buy the Iron Neck?
You can buy the Iron Neck from their official site.
