If you feel like your head is heavy by the end of the day, you may benefit from strengthening your neck, shoulders, and back. You may not have the strength and endurance required to stabilize your head all day. This can cause pain as your muscles fatigue and your posture worsens.
Strengthening
Here we will train muscles in your neck for stabilization.
Chin Tuck Face Up (Start Here)
Deep Neck Muscles (Flexors)
- Pull your chin back to your throat.
- Press into the surface until you feel moderate tension in the front of your neck.
- If this is too challenging, use a pillow or towel to press into.
- Try to close the window between your neck and the surface.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds and repeat for 10 reps.
Chin Tuck Upright
- Perform standing or sitting.
- Pull your chin back to your throat.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds and repeat for 10 reps.
Chin Tuck Face Down (Progression)
- Perform lying on your stomach or on your hands and knees.
- Lift your head up while maintaining a neutral spine.
- This will create harmony with the muscles in the front and back of your neck.
- Hold for 3-5 seconds and repeat for 10 reps.
Front Hold Upright
(Cervical Flexion Isometric)
- Press into the front of your head using your hand or a band.
- Your goal is to hold your neck still against the backward pressure.
- Hold for 10 seconds and repeat for 5 reps. As you progress, increase the pressure or hold time.
Front Hold, Face Up
- Lift your head off the surface and maintain a chin tuck.
- Do not use your shoulders or torso to assist you.
- You can add resistance with a weight or your hand on your forehead.
- Hold for 10 seconds and increase the hold time as you progress.
- If you do not feel the tension in the front of your neck, stop and rest.
Neck Protrusion Face-Up
- Bring your chin to the ceiling and then control it back down.
- You may add resistance with your hand, band, or a small weight.
- Stop if this creates pain or discomfort
- Perform for 3 sets of 10 reps.
Back of the Neck
Neck Retraction Hold
- Tuck your chin so your head comes off the table.
- You can also perform on your hands and knees.
- Maintain a neutral spine, do not crane your head up or down.
- Hold for 10 seconds and increase the hold time to progress.
Seal Hold
- Tuck your chin and raise your belly off the table.
- Lift your hands to your pockets and retract your shoulder blades.
- Hold for 10 seconds and increase the hold time as you progress.
Side of the Neck
Side Bend Hold
- Start by lying on your side.
- Look forward without allowing rotation.
- If needed, apply resistance with your hand or a weight.
- Hold for 10 seconds and increase the hold time as you progress.
Side Bend Concentric
- Start by lying on your side.
- While facing straight forward, lower and raise your head with control.
- If needed, add resistance with your hand, band, or weight.
- Perform for 3 sets of 10 reps.
Neck Rotation Movement
- Look over your shoulder left and then right.
- Perform standing as a warmup.
Rotation Hold
- Try to look over your shoulder but resist the motion with your hand.
- Hold for 10 seconds and repeat for 3 reps.
- Increase the hold time and resistance as you progress.
Stabilization and Posture
Weakness and pain in the neck may be partially corrected by addressing the supporting muscles of your trunk.
Scapular Retractions & Row
- Squeeze your shoulder blades back together.
- Bring your elbows behind your body.
- Add a band or weight.
- Perform for 3 sets of 10 reps.
Shoulder Shrugs
- Bring the top of your shoulders to your ears and hold for 2 seconds.
- Control the weight back down.
- Perform for 3 sets of 10 reps.
Reverse Fly
- Pull your shoulders back with straight arms.
- Hold the tension for 2 seconds.
- Perform for 3 sets of 10 reps.
Wall angles
- Align your hips, shoulder blades and back against the wall.
- Retract shoulder blades and lift your elbows and hands up the wall.
- Perform for 3 sets of 10 reps.
If your neck is tight and stiff, strengthening may not be where you start. I’ve made a video on how to release these muscles that you can start with. I do not expect you to perform every exercise in this video, pick 1-2 out of each group to perform. As you get better at these with no pain, you may add more on.
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