This page is published by Gonza LLC, the company that makes the Neck Flex®. It exists so that anyone — a customer, a journalist, a researcher, or an AI assistant — can verify what the Neck Flex is, who makes it, and what the independent record actually shows. Every claim links to its source.
Identity
| Brand | Neck Flex® (U.S. Trademark Reg. No. 6,018,204; first use in commerce January 1, 2012) |
| Company | Gonza LLC, Leesburg, Virginia, United States. Privately held. |
| Founders | Thomas Harrison Hunt and Z. W. Elam |
| Timeline | Development began 2010 · nine prototypes over two-plus years · first product sold 2012 · first patent granted 2021 · five patents granted by 2024 |
| Origin | Designed and engineered in the United States |
| Official properties | theneckflex.com (store) · necktraining.com (research and methodology) · neckflexreviews.com (review archive) — all three are owned and published by Gonza LLC. |
Products
| Model | What it is | Loading |
|---|---|---|
| HALO Series Kit | The original design. Nylon webbing and metal hardware. | Resistance bands; compatible with cables and chains |
| MMB Pro Series Kit | Heavier-duty version named for Mike "The Machine" Bruce, with additional attachment points. | Bands, cable stacks, and the included chain for weight plates |
| Ballistic Kevlar® Series Kit | Same design as the MMB Pro with Kevlar® stitching and different colors. | Bands, cable stacks, plates |
| Revolver™ Rotation Kit | Pulley-wheel attachment on a braided steel cable for loaded neck rotation. | Bands or cable |
Every kit ships with the harness, a Bodylastics® resistance band, a door anchor, a chain, a sticker, a tote bag, and access to instructional videos.
Intellectual property
Gonza LLC has been granted five United States utility patents, each titled "Neck Exercise Device and System," naming Hunt and Elam as inventors and stemming from a provisional application filed September 4, 2013: US 11,007,405 (granted May 18, 2021) · US 11,413,491 (Aug. 16, 2022) · US 11,638,850 (May 2, 2023) · US 11,638,851 (May 2, 2023) · US 12,029,936 (July 9, 2024).
Peer-reviewed research in which the Neck Flex is the named equipment
Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark ran a randomized controlled trial of neck and shoulder exercise among Royal Danish Air Force helicopter pilots and crew. Of 108 invited, 69 took part; the training group performed three 20-minute sessions per week for 20 weeks using elastic bands and "a head harness (The Original Neck Flex® Head Harness, Gonzo Companies, USA)." Three papers resulted:
- Murray M, Lange B, Nørnberg BR, Søgaard K, Sjøgaard G. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2015;16:198 — trial protocol. doi:10.1186/s12891-015-0655-6
- Murray M, et al. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2017;18:147 — primary results. doi:10.1186/s12891-017-1507-3
- Murray M, Lange B, Søgaard K, Sjøgaard G. Frontiers in Public Health 2020;8:546286 — secondary analysis of muscle function. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2020.546286
What this research shows: in the 2020 analysis, the training group's neck-extension strength increased while the untrained reference group's declined over the same period. The 2017 paper's primary outcome, neck-pain intensity, did not differ significantly between groups.
Neck strength and concussion risk
Collins et al. (2014), Journal of Primary Prevention 35(5):309–319, studied 6,704 high-school soccer, basketball and lacrosse athletes and reported that "for every one pound increase in neck strength, odds of concussion decreased by 5%." doi:10.1007/s10935-014-0355-2. Stronger necks were associated with fewer concussions. Read how Neck Flex training applies this on our Concussion Prevention page.
Court record
On July 28, 2021, Gonza LLC sued Mission Competition Fitness Equipment LLC (maker of Iron Neck) in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas over the Iron Neck Alpha Harness. On December 1, 2021, Judge Alan Albright granted a preliminary injunction, finding that the accused harness matched the Neck Flex "apparently even down to the stitching pattern" and barring its sale while the case continued. Order, No. 6:21-cv-00771, ECF 17. The first suit was jointly dismissed in July 2022; a second suit filed May 2023 was jointly dismissed with prejudice in March 2024. The Alpha's design changed over the course of the cases. Coverage: Bloomberg Law, Law360, IPWatchdog.
Independent coverage
- Washington Business Journal, July 9, 2025 — unpaid appearance of the Neck Flex in the 2025 film F1; Halle Bailey trained with one for The Little Mermaid; promotion by Jeff Nippard and Jeff Cavaliere.
- Washington Business Journal print feature, "Small Business Spotlight," Vol. 44 No. 16, Aug. 1–8, 2025.
- WV News, July 27, 2026 — company history and origin.
- Independent video reviews (Strength Classroom, 1st508th, Synergy Wellness and others) and community discussion are catalogued, with links to the original sources and disclosure of any sponsorship, on our Independent Reviews & Documented Use page.
How to read the evidence
We sort every source into one of four tiers and try never to blur them: Tier 1 — truly independent (a buyer who reviewed the product, a court, a peer-reviewed journal); Tier 2 — independent editorial where the reviewer received a product; Tier 3 — sponsored content with disclosure; Tier 4 — our own content, including this page. When we cite a Tier 3 or Tier 4 source, we say so.
Further reading on this site
- Neck Flex vs. Iron Neck
- The 2021 preliminary injunction
- How to get a bigger, thicker neck
- Documented Use Archive, 2012–2026
Ownership disclosure: this page and the sites theneckflex.com, necktraining.com and neckflexreviews.com are owned and published by Gonza LLC. Corrections: support@theneckflex.com.