Warm-up · Beginner
Chin to Chest Stretch
This gentle stretch lengthens the muscles along the back of your neck and upper shoulders — areas that tend to tighten up from driving, reading, or looking at screens. You simply guide your chin toward your chest and hold. It takes less than a minute and can noticeably reduce neck tension and improve how far you can turn your head.
Category
Warm-up
Difficulty
Beginner
Equipment
Bodyweight
MET
2.3
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
The movement
Form cues
- 01
Sit up tall in a sturdy chair with both feet flat on the floor.
- 02
Relax your shoulders — let them drop away from your ears before you begin.
- 03
Lace your fingers together and rest both hands lightly on the back of your head, near the crown.
- 04
Let the weight of your hands gently guide your chin straight down toward your chest — do not yank or pull hard.
- 05
Stop when you feel a comfortable stretch along the back of your neck; you should not feel pain.
- 06
Keep your back straight and your chest lifted — resist the urge to round forward.
- 07
Breathe slowly and hold the position for 20 to 30 seconds, letting the stretch deepen on each exhale.
- 08
To release, lift your head back to upright slowly — do not snap it up quickly.
Dosage
How long, how many
Sets
3
Reps
1
Rest
30 sec
Watch for
Common mistakes
Pulling too hard with the hands — if your neck feels strained rather than stretched, lighten your grip and let gravity do the work.
Rounding the upper back — if your shoulders are curling forward, sit taller and draw your shoulder blades gently together before you start.
Holding your breath — if you notice you've gone quiet and tense, exhale slowly and let your neck relax a little more.
Releasing too quickly — jerking your head back up can cause dizziness; always return to upright at a slow, controlled pace.
Scale it
Easier and harder variations
Easier
Skip the hands entirely — simply let your chin drop toward your chest under its own weight and hold.
Use this if placing your hands on your head feels awkward or causes shoulder discomfort.
Harder
After holding center for 20 seconds, slowly tilt your chin slightly toward your left collarbone, hold 10 seconds, then repeat toward the right to target each side of the neck.
Use this when the standard stretch feels easy and you want a more thorough release.
Note
If you have cervical spine issues or recent neck injury, perform only a gentle chin tuck — draw your chin straight back as if making a double chin — without adding any downward pressure from your hands.
Use this if your doctor or physical therapist has advised you to avoid neck flexion.
Sources
Form descriptions and cues are sourced from wger (CC-BY-SA 4.0) and the Free Exercise DB (public domain), edited for the 60+ audience. MET value cites Ainsworth BE, et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 43(8):1575-1581.
- free-exercise-db · Unlicense / Public Domain
- claude