The neck sling is a piece of exercise equipment used for strengthening your neck muscles through flexion and extension. Strong neck muscles help to keep your neck in place for correct posture and to support your head through dynamic activities such as sports. A neck sling allows an exercise plate to hang from a chain that attaches to head band which goes around your forehead. Use a lightweight plate if you are a beginner so you do not strain your neck.
Seated Neck Extension
Neck extension is the act of bending your neck backwards. Neck extension works the splenius muscles in the back of your neck. To do the seated neck extension exercise, sit up straight on a bench with your feet flat on the floor at about shoulder-width apart. Put on the neck sling with the harness on your head and the plate attached the chain in front of your chest. Then, lean forward slightly and place your hands on your knees without rounding your back. Look forward so your chin is parallel to the floor. Next, tilt your chin down until your neck is parallel to the floor. This lowers the plate between your legs. Raise your neck back to the starting position to complete one seated neck extension with a neck sling.
Standing Neck Extenion
Neck extension with a neck sling may also be done standing up. More core work is necessary to do the exercise this way because your waist muscles must support your lower back and stabilize your torso to keep the plate on the end of the neck sling from pulling you forward. To perform the standing neck extension, stand up tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and wearing the neck sling with the plate in front of you. Bend forward from the waist with your knees slightly bent. Keep your back flat and squeeze your abs. Look forward and then bend your neck toward your chest. Raise your head back up to complete one rep.
Lying Neck Extension
Yet another neck sling exercise you can do to strengthen the muscles on the front of your neck is the lying neck extension exercise. This exercise uses an exercise bench so there is room for the plate and chain to hang from the sling. To perform this exercise, lie face down on the bench with the plate hanging under your face and toward the floor. Lower your chin toward the floor and then simply extend your neck backward and toward the ceiling.
Lying Neck Flexion
Neck flexion is the act of bending your neck forward. Neck flexion works a large neck muscle called your sternocleidomastoid, or SCM. The SCM has two portions on each side of the neck, both of which run up the sides of the front of the neck and attach to the back of the jaw. Both sides of the SCM work together to perform neck flexion. To do this exercise, lie face up on an exercise bench with the chain and plate hanging toward the floor and below the back of your head. Tilt your chin up to point toward the ceiling to extend your neck back. Then, tilt your chin toward your chest to flex your neck and raise the plate.
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