Static Neck Exercises for Improved Strength and Performance
All contact sports require a strong neck. Wrestlers, boxers, football players and even race car drivers know this. Yet in many programs neck training gets neglected.
Here’s a simple exercise to build that much needed neck strength. All you need is a stability ball, stop watch and a wall.
How to perform Stability Ball Iso Neck Holds
- Unlike the picture above, keep your body in perfect alignment. Your ears, shoulders hips knees, and ankles make a straight line.
- Keep your abs and glutes tight.
- Hold each position for set time. Start with 10 seconds and work your way up to 30 seconds.
- Start with one set per side. Work up to 4x30s. per side.
Be sure to perform the exercise on all sides… front supported, back supported, like in the picture above. And both left and right lateral sported on each side.
These are harder than they look. When 30 second iso-holds become easy, move your feet further away from the wall. Be careful as you move out. If you get too steep, the ball slips. If this is the case, move on to a more difficult neck exercise.