in any way resemble an arch in the back of
your neck, but all this work you can be assured will be of decided
benefit to you. And, whether or not you attain the desired arch, you
can be assured of benefits that will be worth all your efforts. When you
make these movements properly, there is no necessity for trying to
bring the chest out or the shoulders far back. The simple movements of
the neck alone as described, if properly performed, will fulfill
all requirements. For these movements tend mechanically to raise and
arch the chest and to throw the shoulders far backward. Remember also
the necessity, when taking these movements, of keeping the abdominal
region expanded as fully as possible. Do not draw in the waist line.
The importance of this admonition cannot be too strongly emphasized. If
you maintain a full abdomen, thyroid-stimulating movements seem to tone
up, increase in size, and strengthen all the vital organs lying in the
gastric region.

In further proof of the value of the exercises described in this work as
a means of building unusual vital vigor, note the remarkable stamina
and virility of men possessing an unusual development of the neck. Where
the neck is broad and well filled out at the back, you can depend
absolutely upon the possession of great vital vigor. It is quite plain,
therefore, that by merely adopting some method of developing this part
of the spine you will have accomplished a great deal towards obtaining a
high degree of vital stamina. Some of the strongest men in the world
can be found among professional wrestlers. Many of those following this
profession retain their athletic ability a great many years beyond the
athletic life of men in other branches of sport. In fact, champion
wrestlers sometimes retain their championship honors for a score of
years beyond the age at which champion boxers and runners retire. It is
a well known fact that wrestling requires extraordinary strength of the
upper spine. Some of the most strenuous wrestling holds use the muscles
of the upper back and neck in a very vigorous and violent manner.
Consequently wrestlers are noted for what are often termed bull necks,
thus plainly indicating the exceptional degree of vital vigor which they
possess.

Accordingly it is well to remember in connection with these exercises
that many movements which assist in the development of the neck
muscles also serve to stimulate the act