The Neck Helmet - Carl Giles

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The Forearm of Clevio Massimo

Sig Klein "curling" the awkward Cyr dumbbell with two hands
before pushing it overhead

The Neck Helmet
by Carl H. Giles

One doesn’t have to see but a few inches below the ears to tell if a man is muscular. The average man’s neck strength is proportionately less than his overall power, and is neglected by the average bodybuilder also. 

The wrestler’s bridge was once one of the basic exercises; unfortunately, one rarely sees this movement done in most gyms, likely owing to lack of both knowledge of the exercise itself. 

One of the most unusual yet effective devices devised for building neck strength is a football helmet with a dumbbell bar attached to the top. One may load the bar to whatever capacity he needs, and the leverage movements are instrumental in building neck size and strength. 

The exerciser is made by drilling a hole the size of the bar in the top of the helmet. The inside collar goes on top, while the outside collar is in the top inside of the helmet. It is locked to the helmet as securely as any weight can be.

There are many fine exercises that can be employed to develop a rugged, strong neck, but one of the best is using this helmet for various leverage movements commonly performed with a neck strap. With this type of apparatus it doesn’t take a lot of weight to make effective gains, owing to the long dumbbell lever arm.