Neck strengthening exercises for a tired, stiff neck

The neck holds up the head all day, and screen work asks it to do that with the head drifting forward. The muscles at the back of the neck and across the upper back end up working long hours in one position, while the deep muscles at the front of the neck do very little.

These seven neck exercises are slow and small. They come from yoga and simple bodyweight work, take about eight minutes and need only a chair and a mat. If you want the gentle stretches first, the six-step neck stretch routine with chin tucks is a good warm-up.

When should you not exercise your neck?

Do not do these exercises, and see a doctor, if:

• you have numbness, tingling, pins and needles or weakness in the arms or hands;
• pain spreads from the neck into the shoulder blade, arm or hand;
• you feel dizzy, faint or sick, or your vision changes when you move your head;
• the pain followed a fall, a car accident or any blow to the head or neck;
• you have a severe headache or a fever with a stiff neck (go to the emergency room);
• the pain is getting worse, wakes you at night or has lasted more than a few weeks.

If you have arthritis in the neck, a disc problem or have had neck surgery, ask your doctor or physiotherapist which of these suit you. Nothing here is a treatment for a neck condition.

How gently should you do neck exercises?

Think half speed and half effort. Move slowly, breathe through the nose, and keep the jaw soft. Five to ten reps of each is enough. The feeling should be mild muscle work, never pain, clicking that hurts, or anything sharp or electric.

The routine: seven gentle neck exercises

Start sitting tall on the front edge of a chair, feet flat.

1. Chin tuck, 8 reps. Look straight ahead and slide the chin back, as if making a small double chin, without tipping the head down. Hold for two breaths, then let it go forward a little. Breathe out as you tuck.
2. Chin tuck lying down, 8 reps. Lie on your back with the knees bent and a thin towel under the head. Gently press the back of the head into the towel as you tuck the chin, then soften. This version takes the weight of the head away.
3. Front press, 5 reps. Place a palm on the forehead. Press the head lightly into the hand while the hand presses back, so nothing moves. Hold for about five seconds, breathing, then release.
4. Side press, 5 reps each side. Place the right palm above the right ear and press the head gently into it, keeping the head still and upright. Hold for about five seconds. Switch sides.
5. Shoulder blade squeeze, 10 reps. With the arms by your sides and the elbows bent, breathe out and draw the shoulder blades back and slightly down, as if tucking them into back pockets. Hold for a breath, then release. Keep the chin level.
6. Sphinx with a chin tuck, 5 breaths, 3 times. Lie on your front and come onto the forearms, elbows under the shoulders. Lengthen the back of the neck by tucking the chin a little and looking at the floor just ahead of the hands. Sphinx Pose shows how to set the elbows; lower down if the lower back complains.
7. Cat-Cow with the head following, 6 rounds. On hands and knees, breathe in as the belly lowers and the gaze lifts slightly forward; breathe out as you round the back and let the head hang. Let the neck follow the spine, never leading it. The Cat-Cow steps show the full movement.

Finish in Child’s Pose with the forehead on a cushion for a few breaths, so the neck can rest.

What about turns and side tilts?

To loosen the neck rather than strengthen it, follow these gentle neck stretches. Keep any turns and tilts well inside comfort, and stop if they bring on dizziness, tingling or pain that spreads.

How often should you do neck exercises, and when might you notice a change?

Most days, in short sessions, works better than one long session a week. The full routine once a day plus a few chin tucks during work is plenty. There is no fixed timeline. Many people notice within a couple of weeks of steady practice that the moves feel easier and that they catch a forward head sooner, while strength and endurance build more slowly over the following weeks. If pain is no better after a few weeks, or gets worse, see a doctor or physiotherapist.

A two-minute version for the commute

Long rides on EDSA or a packed MRT carriage leave the head hanging over a phone. If you are a passenger, try this, then put the phone down for a stop or two:

1. Sit back so the backrest touches the shoulder blades.
2. Five chin tucks, breathing out on each.
3. Five shoulder blade squeezes.
4. Raise the phone to eye level instead of dropping the head to it.
5. One slow turn each way, then three easy breaths with the jaw soft.

Never do neck exercises while driving.

Common mistakes

• Nodding instead of tucking. In a chin tuck the head slides back; it does not tip down.
• Pressing hard. The hand presses are light. More effort is not better here.
• Shrugging. Keep the shoulders away from the ears throughout.
• Cranking the head back in Sphinx or Cat-Cow. Keep the back of the neck long and the gaze soft.

Make it easier or harder

Easier: do the lying-down chin tuck only, halve the reps, and skip Sphinx if lying on your front is uncomfortable.

Harder: hold each chin tuck for three breaths, add a Mountain Pose check for stacking the head over the shoulders at the end, or practise the shoulder blade squeeze standing with the back against a wall.

How do neck exercises fit into the day?

Small and often works best. A few chin tucks and shoulder squeezes between meetings fit easily into a work break. The neck and shoulders work as a pair, so the shoulder stretches for laptop days and the upper back stretches for a rounded spine make good companions. For the bigger picture of how you sit and stand, read yoga for bad posture, and for slow, attentive movement that keeps the neck soft, try the somatic exercises lying on the floor.