CHIN POKE POSTURE – HOW TO FIX IT

Look at your side profile in the mirror- does your chin seem to poke forwards, maybe even to the point where it sticks out more than your chest does? If so, you may have common muscle tightness in the neck and chest, caused by the “Levator Scapulae” (neck) and “Pectoralis Minor” (chest).

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AM I AT RISK?

Chin-poke posture affects people who are frequently putting their necks in vulnerable positions, such as:
• Desk workers, such as admin staff, students, etc.
• Manual labourers.
• Gym-goers doing upper-body (especially shoulders!) exercises with poor technique, or lower-body exercises with the neck in awkward positions (such as barbell squats).
• Frequent phone users, leading to a condition called “text neck” which leads to chin-poke posture.

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?

(1) Pay attention to your posture – Busy schedules during the day make it all to easy to forget about taking care of yourself. A good habit to get into is teaching yourself the “double-chin” technique (below), a quick and easy way of strengthening the deeper neck muscles and correcting your posture! Picture1

2) Stretching – Completed a task at work? Good job! Now treat yourself by getting up and having a stretch! Stretching the “Levator scapula” and the “Pectoralis minor” will really help you to rid your neck and shoulders of all that desk-work tightness, and you’ll have more energy for your next task!

Levator Scapulae Stretch
Levator Scapulae Stretch
Pectoralis minor stretch
Pectoralis minor stretch

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