The 6 Best Chin Tuck Exercises

A Chin Tuck is a movement of the neck which involves retraction of the chin.

Benefits of Chin Tucks

• Addresses Forward Head Posture
• Strengthens the Deep Neck Flexors and Lower Cervical Extensors
• Helps reduce neck pain and stiffness

This blog post offers 6 different variations of the chin tuck exercise.

3 Important Things To Address Before Starting The Chin Tuck Exercises

1. Deep Neck Flexors

Before starting the chin tuck exercise, I’ll need to quickly talk about the Deep Neck Flexors.

The Deep Neck Flexors are a group of muscles involved with maintaining the ideal position of your head and neck.

(It includes the following muscles: Longus Colli and Longus Capitis)

Learning how to activate the Deep Neck Flexors whilst performing the chin tuck exercises mentioned on this blog post will make them even more effective.

How Do You Activate The Deep Neck Flexors?

It is vital to know how to activate the Deep Neck Flexors muscles properly.

(NOTE: It is important that you completely understand what you should be feeling as you perform this activation exercise.)

a) Deep Neck Flexor Activation (Chin Nod)

Instructions:

• Lie down on your back.
• Place a pillow underneath your head if it is more comfortable.
• Flatten your tongue to the roof of your mouth.
• Relax your breathing.
• Keep your neck completely relaxed.
• Nod your chin towards your chest.
• Aim to feel a gentle muscular contraction in the back of your throat.
• There should also be a lengthening sensation at the back of your neck.

Note: There should be no activation of the superficial neck flexors (Sternocleidomastoid and Anterior Scalenes) as you perform this exercise.

You can activate the Deep Neck Flexors along side the following Chin Tuck Exercises by gently nodding the chin downwards.

If you would like to see my complete guide on how to strengthen the Deep Neck Flexors, check out this post:

See Post: Deep Neck Flexor Exercises

2. Stretch The Sternocleidomastoid and Sub-Occipital Muscles

If the Sternocleidomastoid and/or Sub-Occipital muscles are tight, this may reduce the amount of movement in neck required for the suggested chin tuck exercises.

Here are some stretches to address this issue!

a) Sternocleidomastoid

Instructions:

(The following instructions are described to stretch the right side of the neck.)

• Sit in front of a table.
• Keep your chin in and down throughout this stretch.
• Place your left fist on the left side of your chin.
• Place your left elbow onto the table in front of you.
• Rest the weight of your head onto your fist.
• Tilt your head to the left.
• Apply further pressure to the chin to increase the stretch.
• Aim to feel a firm stretch in the right side of the neck.
• Hold for 30 seconds.
• Perform on the other side.

If you would like to see different ways to stretch the Sternocleidomastoid, check out this post:

See Post: Sternocleidomastoid Stretches

b) Sub Occipital Muscles

Instructions:

• Look slightly downwards.
• Keep you chin slightly tucked in throughout this stretch.
• Place your hands at the back of your head.
• Whilst maintaining your chin in a tucked position, slowly pull your head downwards.
• Aim to feel a stretch at the base of the skull.
• Hold for 30 seconds.

3. Tongue Position

As you perform the chin tuck exercises, aim to gently flatten your tongue to the roof of your mouth. (Also referred to as “Mewing”.)

This can help encourage recruitment of the deep muscles in the neck.

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Chin Tuck Exercises

1. Sitting Upright
2. Over Pressure
3. Lying Down (Supine)
4. 4 Point Kneel
5. Prone
6. Chin Tuck Against Resistance

KEY POINTS:

– Keep your superficial neck muscles (namely the Sternocleidomastoid and Upper Trapezius) completely relaxed as you perform the chin tuck.

– Aim to feel a subtle contraction in the muscles at the back of your throat as you perform the chin tuck movement.

– Do not move into any pain. If you are experiencing a pinching sensation at the back of your neck as you perform a chin tuck, try fixating your gaze slightly lower than the horizontal.

– Caution: DO NOT retract your chin too far as this may interfere with blood vessels in the neck. Be gentle!

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1. Sitting Upright

Instructions:

• Sit up right.
• Slightly nod your chin downwards.
• Keep the back of your neck as elongated as possible through the exercise.
• Gently slide your chin backwards.
• Avoid over tensing your superficial neck muscles.
• Aim for a gentle contraction at the back of your throat.
• Hold for 5 seconds.
• Repeat 20 times.

2. Chin Tuck With Overpressure

Instructions:

• Sit up right.
• Slightly nod your chin downwards.
• Keep the back of your neck as elongated as possible through the exercise.
• Place your spacing between your thumb and pointer finger onto the area above your upper lip and nose.
• Apply a pressure to this area as you glide your chin backwards.
• Avoid over tensing your superficial neck muscles.
• Aim for a gentle contraction at the back of your throat.
• Hold for 5 seconds.
• Repeat 20 times.

3. Lying Down

Instructions:

• Lie down on the floor.
• Keep your knees bent and feet on the floor.
• If required – Place a small pillow underneath your head to support the weight of the head.
• Tuck your chin in.
• Hold for 5 seconds.
• Repeat 20 times.

4. 4 Point Kneel

Instructions:

• Assume the 4 point kneel position.
• Look at the floor space between your hands.
• Tilt your shoulders backwards.
• Keep your shoulders completely relaxed.
• Retract your chin gently.
• Nod your chin towards the upper chest.
• Activate your Deep Neck Flexors.
• Hold this position for 5 seconds.
• Repeat 10 times.

Progression: Loop the middle of a resistance band around the back of your head and hold the ends with your hands on the floor.

5. Prone Head Lift

Instructions:

• Lie down on your stomach.
• Gently tuck your chin in.
• Nod your chin towards the upper chest region.
• (Since you are moving your head against gravity, there is a greater challenge on your muscles.)
• Aim to hold for 5 seconds.
• Repeat 10 times.

6. Chin Tuck Against Resistance

Instructions:

• Loop a resistance band around the back of your head.
• Hold onto the ends of the band with your hands in front of your head.
• Use your hands to firmly pull the resistance band forwards.
• Retract your chin against the pull from the resistance bands.
• Nod your chin towards the upper chest.
• Hold for 5 seconds.
• Repeat 10 times.

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Common Questions

a) How often should I perform chin tuck exercise?

As a general rule – aim for 3 times per day as a minimum.

b) Should my chin always be tucked in?

There should be a very subtle amount of chin tuck as part of the ideal posture.

(Keep in mind – good posture does not involve jamming the chin backwards.)

c) Can chin tucks help with posture?

Yes – Chin tuck exercise are usually prescribed when addressing Forward Head Posture, Dowager’s Hump and Text Neck Syndrome.

However, in my opinion, chin tucks are not sufficient in isolation. If you are like most people, you will likely need to address other factors when addressing your posture.

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Conclusion

Chin Tucks are a great exercise to help address posture, reduce neck pain/stiffness and strengthen the neck muscles.

This blog post offers various ways to perform the chin tucks in different positions.

Initially – I would recommended trying all of the chin tuck exercises suggested on this blog post. This is to determine which exercise gives you the best results. From here – you can focus on this single exercise. (You do not need to perform all of the exercises.)

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Disclaimer: The content presented on this blog post is not medical advice and should not be treated as such. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Use of the content provided on this blog post is at your sole risk. Seek guidance from a healthcare professional before attempting any exercise. For more information: Medical Disclaimer.