Seated Chin Tuck / Neck Retraction
A small seated retraction that glides the head straight back over the shoulders to train the deep neck flexors.
How to do it
- Sit tall on a chair with your feet flat, your shoulders relaxed, and your eyes level.
- Look straight ahead and lengthen the back of your neck without lifting your chin.
- Glide your chin straight back over your shoulders, as if your head slid on a horizontal rail.
- Stop at a gentle contraction after a small travel, not at the end of range.
- Hold the retracted position for several seconds while breathing normally.
- Release slowly back to neutral and repeat for the prescribed repetitions.
Key technique cue
Slide the chin straight back, not down — stop at gentle tension.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Tipping the chin down toward the chest instead of gliding the head straight back.
- ✕ Forcing the retraction to the absolute end of range rather than stopping at a gentle contraction.
- ✕ Shrugging the upper trapezius so the deep flexors never take the work.
- ✕ Rushing the repetitions, which turns a held position into a nodding motion.
Benefits
- ✓ Strengthens the deep cervical flexors that hold the head over the shoulders.
- ✓ Lengthens the muscles at the base of the skull without loading the neck.
- ✓ Needs no equipment and no floor space, so it fits a desk break or a warm-up.
About the exercise
The seated chin tuck, also called cervical retraction, is a postural drill rather than a lift. Sitting tall and looking straight ahead, the head glides straight backward over the shoulders as if sliding along a horizontal rail, without the chin tipping up or dropping toward the chest. The travel is small, and the work is done by the deep cervical flexors while the muscles at the base of the skull are lengthened. Because it needs nothing but a chair and takes seconds, it is a standard first entry in desk-posture programs, prescribed as short holds rather than sets taken to fatigue.
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