Stretches

Neck Stretches

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Neck stretches for stiffness from desk work, screens or sleeping in an awkward position. The page has filmed moves for the neck and upper traps, from slow rolls to a banded trap stretch, plus a short sequence and guided routines. Move slowly and stay in a range that feels comfortable.

Neck stretches with video

These are the 4 movements from the MoveWell library for this area. Each page has a demo, numbered steps, the muscles worked and common mistakes.

Neck Rolls demonstrationNeck Rolls3 to 5 slow circles each direction. Shoulder Rolls demonstrationShoulder Rolls10 rolls each direction. Banded Trap Stretch demonstrationBanded Trap Stretch60 to 90 seconds. Neck Stretch demonstrationNeck Stretch20 to 30 seconds per side.

A simple neck sequence

Do these in order: warm-up drills first, then any rolling, then the longer holds. Move slowly and stop if anything is sharp or numb.

#MovementHold or repsSides
1Neck Rolls5 each wayn/a
2Shoulder Rolls10 each wayn/a
3Banded Trap Stretch60 sn/a
4Neck Stretch30 s/sideEach side
JR

Joel is the founder of MoveWell and IMPOSSIBLE. He became the youngest person to run an ultra marathon on every continent, and created MoveWell to make recovery easy with routines he would actually do.

More stretches

Shoulder Rolls demonstrationShoulder StretchesWarm-ups, rolling and stretches for stiff shoulders.8 movements Banded Trap Stretch demonstrationTrapezius StretchesStretches for the upper traps, between the neck and shoulder.4 movements Lat Smash demonstrationUpper Body StretchesOne sequence for the shoulders, chest and upper back.8 movements
View all stretches →