Neck Flex harness posts 1,461-pound lab test result at NC State

Gonza LLC says independent testing at North Carolina State University measured a 1,461-pound break strength for its Neck Flex harness and support hardware, and the company is now rating two harness lines at 300 pounds working weight. The published results matter because they give the neck-training category a lab-backed load rating where most competitors rely on product claims alone.

Why it matters: - Gonza LLC says the NC State test gives the Neck Flex category its first published laboratory load rating. - The result matters for contact-sport athletes and strength trainees who use neck harnesses under moving loads, not just static hanging weight. - The company says the measured strength supports a 300-pound working-weight rating while leaving a wide safety margin. - The full report, including replicate tests and failure photos, is published at the full report.

What happened: - Gonza LLC published independent tensile testing from the Physical Testing Laboratory at North Carolina State University's Wilson College of Textiles. - The lab issued its final report on October 2, 2026. - Gonza LLC says its MMB Pro Series and Ballistic Kevlar® Series harnesses now carry a 300-pound working-weight rating. - The company says the rated harnesses can be lifted, swung, jerked, dropped and twisted in training.

The details: - In 16 pulls on an MTS Criterion Model 43 tensile machine, the harness fabric held between 1,156 and 1,227 pounds of force. - The padded seam assemblies held between 1,179 and 1,461 pounds of force. - The welded steel D-rings opened at between 819 and 937 pounds of force. - The lowest value recorded on either harness was 749 pounds of force. - The company says that is roughly equal to 16 Olympic 45-pound plates hanging from a single ring. - Testing used a modified ASTM D5035 strip method with a 10 kN load cell. - Lab technicians cut three specimens from each of three locations on each harness: the plain fabric, the padded seam assembly and the D-ring loading point. - The company says every seam test tore at the seam line while the stitching held. - The company says every D-ring load test opened the welded steel ring while the webbing and stitching stayed intact. - On the second D-ring pull of the MMB Pro, the lab's hardened steel hook fixture fractured before the harness failed. - Gonza LLC says the weakest ring held 749 pounds, so the two-ring loading system carries about 1,500 pounds before the steel bends. - The company says the 300-pound working-weight rating follows a five-to-one design factor used in rigging for lifting slings. - The company says the MMB Pro naming references strongman Mike "The Machine" Bruce and his world-record seated neck lift.

Between the lines: - The company is trying to separate itself from a category that often relies on marketing claims instead of published test data. - Gonza LLC says published capacity claims from other brands range from 300 to 530 pounds, but those claims are not paired with public test data. - The company says its lab result is about three times higher than the top of those claims. - Gonza LLC also points to a longer credibility trail, including a 20-week randomized controlled trial by the Royal Danish Air Force and five U.S. patents. - In 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas granted Gonza LLC a preliminary injunction against the maker of the Iron Neck Alpha harness and said the product copied Neck Flex design features and used inferior materials. - The company says athletes including UFC champion Jon Jones and boxing champion Anthony Joshua have trained with Neck Flex, and reports have linked the product to Apple's 2025 film F1 and to fitness educators Jeff Nippard and Jeff Cavaliere. - This is still a company announcement built around a single lab report, so the key question for buyers is whether other brands will publish comparable testing.

What's next: - The MMB Pro Series and Ballistic Kevlar® Series are now available direct from Gonza LLC. - The company says it will continue using the 300-pound working-weight rating for both kits. - Gonza LLC says it wants customers and competitors to ask for published proof of safety under heavy load.

The bottom line: - Gonza LLC is using an independent university test to turn a long-running product claim into a measurable safety rating, and that could raise the bar for the entire neck-training category.