If you do these neck exercises every night, against a wall, for 2 minutes, you'll notice amazing changes in your neck & shoulders… and posture. They great as neck pain exercises (if you have a sore neck) but even better to prevent neck pain and neck stiffness.
Do these neck stretches, strengthening exercises, and mobilisations… with your feet, pelvis & shoulder blades against the wall, and stomach muscles engaged. Do each exercise for 30 seconds then move straight onto the next one. If your neck is sore … only do the exercises that are comfortable.
1. Chin Tuck Lifts Lower your head down, then lift it back up to touch wall, but keep your chin tucked down the whole time. This exercise is great for your Levator Scapulae which is tight in pretty much everyone, and strengthens the deep neck flexors for good posture.
2. Wall Nods Slide the back of head up & down wall without moving your head off the wall. When you slide the back of your head down, do it gently… but when you lift it up, lift fully until you can feel a nice stretch, and hold for 2 seconds each time. This stretches deep spinal extensors in the upper back, and will change your neck posture over time. And it opens up the spinal joints at the back of your neck, mobilising them.
3. Long Neck Side Bends Next, do Side Bends, touching the wall the whole time... but with chin down, and back of the neck tall. Tilt your whole torso as you go. A finger on your chin can help remind you to keep your chin down. This stretches the SCM muscle, which when tight causes forward head posture. And it opens spinal joints at the side, loosening them.
4. Neck Rotation with External Shoulder Rotation Externally rotate your arms, and press your shoulders & arms against the wall. Then with chin down slightly, rotate as far as you can comfortably, and then do the other side. This mobilises upper neck which is the rotation area of the neck. And strengthens the external shoulder rotators to reduce rounded shoulders.
Do each exercise for 30 seconds every night to help undo what stress and poor posture does to your neck.
