How To Get Rid Of Neck Fat Once And For All, In 8 Exercises

One of the truths about having a kid — other than the fact that you never have time to exercise — is that you’re always looking down. Looking down to help those little feet navigate the stairs. Looking down to be sure there are no toys about to be squashed as you walk across the living room. Looking down to kiss that small head goodnight. And the trouble with looking down is that every time you do, it’s a reminder of the layers of all the neck fat you’ve accumulated.

Call it a double chin, sagging jowls, moon face, or just basic neck fat — there is nothing appealing about feeling like your head is resting on a bowl of jello. Getting rid of neck fat, though, isn’t easy. “This one of the hardest locations to lose weight,” says Shaun Jenkins, personal trainer and head coach at Tone House in New York City. “But in due time, with rigorous training and prudent eating habits, that fat will disappear.”

As you’ve likely gathered by now, there is no such thing as spot-specific exercises for fat loss. You can’t crunch your way to flat abs on a diet of fries and ice cream, and even the strongest biceps won’t pop if you’re packing an extra 40 pounds. So the first step in losing neck fat is going to be shedding some overall weight.

Still, let’s assume you’ve lost a few extra pounds. The unfortunate truth remains that genetics plays a role in which areas of your body you carry fat in. And for some unlucky dudes, the neck is the spot. In that case, if you’re eating right and still sporting the double chin, the right neck fat exercises could help you tone and add definition to your neck.

Doing these neck fat exercises may be easier than you think. “I would not recommend using any machines for neck exercises,” says Jenkins. He adds that guys might consider working with a pro to strengthen this area, given the delicate nature of this part of the body.

How delicate? Well, your neck is made up for 20 small muscles, according to the Cleveland Clinic. They reach from your jaw down to your shoulder blades and serve the purpose of stabilizing your head while aiding with everything from chewing to nodding. On the front side, the sternocleidomastoid is one of your largest neck muscles, beginning behind your ear and stretching to your collarbone. It helps you extend your neck and control your jaw movements. On the backside, you have five transversospinalis muscles that move your head forward, backward, and tilt. Your longus capitis and longus colli muscles on either side of your neck help you twist your head from side to side.

Strengthening each of these 20 muscles can help you tone the overall area, minimizing the appearance of neck fat (again, assuming you get yourself on a health eating plan and follow an overall exercise routine to help you lose excess weight). And because these muscles tend to be an afterthought in most workout routines, just doing a little bit of exercises to get rid of neck fat can go a long way to conditioning the area.

Start with these moves, which are basic and gentle enough to be performed at the end of every workout. Just make sure your body is warmed up first.

Exercises To Get Rid Of Neck Fat

Look Left, Look Right

How To: Stand in a neutral position, spine straight, head forward. Keeping your shoulders square, twist your head to the right to look over your right shoulder, back to center, then left over your left shoulder, then back to center. Do 20 reps x 2 sets.

Look Up, Look Down

How To: Stand in a neutral position, spine straight, head forward. Pressing your shoulders down, raise your chin up toward the ceiling as high as you can, then back to center. Lower your chin as close to your chest as possible, then back to center. Repeat up-and-down movement for 20 reps x 2 sets.

Out-and-Back

How To: Stand in a neutral position, spine straight, head forward. Without moving your upper body, jut your neck and jaw out in front of you as far as it will go. Hold for two counts, then relax and return to start. Do this 10 times. Then, pull your neck and chin in and back as far as you can (as if someone is threatening you and your head is recoiling). Hold two counts and relax back to start. Repeat 10 times. Do two complete sets.

Head Rolls

How To: Starting in a neutral position, lower your chin to the floor, then turn it to one side, followed by raising it to the ceiling, then over to the other side and back to the floor. “You can perform these counterclockwise, then clockwise,” says Jenkins. Do 20 full circles to one side, then 20 to the other.

Pressure Tilts

How To: Stand in a neutral position, spine straight, head forward. Tilt your head to the right side of your body, keeping your face forward. Take your right arm, reach up over your head, and place your right palm flat against your left cheek. Apply pressure/resistance with your right hand as you engage your neck muscles to return your head to an upright (neutral) position. Do 10 tilts to the right, then switch sides and do 10 to the left (reaching your left arm up and over and applying pressure with your left palm to your right cheek). Do 2 sets.

Push and Pull

How To: Using a resistance band, tie ends together, then hook to a wall at head height. Face away from the wall. Keeping tension, place band around your forehead. Without tilting or straining your neck, take baby steps away from the wall, pressing your forehead into the band to keep moving forward. Stop when the tension is too much to maintain your form, and hold for 10 counts. Return to start. Do 3 sets.

Keeping the band around your head, turn so that you face the wall. Without straining, begin to take small steps backward, using your neck muscles to press the back of your head into the band. Stop when you can no longer maintain good form. Hold 10 counts. Return to start. Do 3 sets.

Weighted Shoulder Shrugs

How To: Stand in a neutral position, spine straight, head forward. Holding a medium-weight dumbbell in each hand, arms by your sides, hike your shoulders toward your ears. Relax back to start. Do 10 reps x 2 sets.

Wide-Grip Pull Ups

How To: Stand facing a pull-up bar. Grab the bar with an overhand grip, hands wider than shoulder-width apart. “This will help strengthen surrounding muscles for the appearance of a wider neck,” says Jenkins. Do 8-10 pull ups x 3 sets. (Use the assisted pull-up machine if you need it.)

Other Options to Get Rid of Neck Fat

If you’re seriously bothered by your neck fat and want to make more than just lifestyle changes to get rid of it, there are several options available.

Some of these options are surgical. One you’ve probably heard of is liposuction, which physically removes fat in the area. However, it doesn’t get rid of any excess skin you may have. It can usually be done with just a local anesthetic and costs around $2,500 to $4,000. A similar option uses laser therapy to melt the neck fat, sculpting the area.

One non-surgical option for getting rid of neck fat is mesotherapy, in which injections of deoxycholic acid dissolves the neck fat. This option is much less invasive than surgery, but it may take several injections before you achieve the results you want. You can receive up to six rounds of treatment, each at least a month apart and costing between about $250 and $600 each. One of the major risks of this method of getting rid of neck fat is nerve damage if the drug is injected improperly.

CoolSculpting is the least invasive of these neck fat removal options, and it carries the least health risk. In this process, fat cells are frozen. Because fat cells are more susceptible to freezing temperatures than other cells in the body, they break down without damage being caused to cells in, for example, the skin. It can take up to six months to see results. CoolSculpting may work best in those who are already a healthy weight but have stubborn neck fat. Cost may range from $700 to $900.

There is no medically necessary reason to get rid of neck fat — it’s all aesthetic. So embrace the double chin if you want, try neck fat exercises, or consider some of the medical treatment options. We won’t judge.