Single Shoulder Shrugs Neck Exercises
Are you feeling tight in your neck and shoulders? Do you feel neck tension on the sides of your neck? When you are carrying, lifting or holding things, do you feel your shoulders are rising up? The other day, I noticed when I was carrying my 20 plus pounds son around; my right shoulder would rise up. Afterwards, my neck and shoulders would tense up and that made it hard for my muscles to relax. I started to do single shoulder shrugs as part of my neck exercises routine.
These single shoulder shrugs neck exercises are a combination of side bend neck stretch exercises with the shrug. The main muscles I’m targeting are the trapezius, levator scapulae, sternocleidomastoid (SCM). The upper trapezius and levator scapulae muscles help to elevate the shoulder. The levator scapulae and SCM help to side bend the neck. The lower trapezius muscle depresses the shoulder blade down.
The motion of the shoulder shrug and depression will help relieve neck tension. Bringing your head to the side will help stretch your neck out. These neck exercises will help to relieve the pressure on your neck and your shoulders. You can do these neck exercises sitting or standing. I’ll describe them in sitting.
Sitting Position:
- Feet flat on the floor
- Rest your hands on your lap or by your side
- Relax your shoulders
- Bring your chin back towards your shoulders like a chin tuck
- Eyes looking straight ahead
- Single Shoulder Shrug Neck Exercises: (will focus on the right side)
- Take a breath in
Bring your left ear towards your left shoulder
- Raise your right shoulder up to your right ear
- Breathe out
- Lower your right shoulder
- Have your right hand reach toward the floor
- Repeat 10 times
- Bring your head back to the starting position
- Reverse directions to focus on the left side
- Repeat 3 sets
The motions should be smooth, slow and controlled. When doing these neck exercises, there should be no pain or neck discomfort at all. If you start to feel dizzy, don’t tilt your head as much. If you continue to feel light headed, discontinue the neck exercise.
Be sure that when raising your shoulder up towards your ear that it is in line with the side of your body and not in front. You want to avoid rounding the shoulders forward with this neck exercise. After these neck exercises, you should feel looser and less tense in the shoulders and neck area. Other relieving neck exercises will be described at a later time.
