Neck Curl
Lying on your back with your head hanging off the end of a bench, you tuck your chin and curl your head up toward your chest, training the front of your neck.
- Primary muscles
- Neck
- Logged as
- Reps
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Why do it
Neck work is common in combat sports, rugby and football, and some lifters add it simply for a thicker-looking neck. The curl trains the muscles along the front of the neck, so pair it with the face-down extension to cover both sides. Start with bodyweight and slow, smooth reps; this isn't a muscle to test with heavy, jerky sets. Once that's easy, a small plate on a towel across your forehead adds load.
How to do it
Lie on your back on a bench with your head hanging just past the edge and your shoulders supported.
Tuck your chin and curl your head up until your chin nears your chest.
Pause for a second at the top.
Lower slowly until your neck is in a gentle stretch. Rest a small plate on your forehead with a towel under it once bodyweight feels easy, and keep every rep slow.
Common mistakes
Jerking your head up
Fast, swinging reps load the neck abruptly. Curl up and lower down at a slow, even pace, with a pause at the top.
Lifting your shoulders off the bench
If your upper back curls up with your head, your abs join in and the neck does less. Keep your shoulders on the bench and move only your head.
Hanging into a deep stretch
Letting your head drop as far back as it goes puts the neck at the end of its range under load. Lower only to a gentle stretch.
Adding a plate too soon
A plate on your forehead makes this much harder fast. Wait until bodyweight reps feel easy for a few sessions, then start with the smallest plate and a towel.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
