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TrainersEye · Neck & Upper Back Health
Neck & Upper Back J
Trainer's Eye
Phase 2 · Deep neck flexors · Session J

Turn under load.
Hold the line.
Nothing juts.

Rotation with the chin tucked and the first resisted turning — where the deep and surface muscles must share.

  • Jsession
  • P2Deep flexors
  • 12:00on the clock
  • — donecompleted

The upper neck rotates most

About half of all neck rotation happens at the top two vertebrae. That is why the upper neck drives both rotation and headache.

The five Ds

Dizziness, double vision, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing and drop attacks with neck movement are urgent. Stop and get seen the same day.

Isometrics settle it

Sustained holds under moderate load can reduce pain for a period afterwards. Useful before a long screen session.

Three couplets · two rounds · twelve minutes · a neck that carries the day

A

Rotate tucked

Supine rotation with tuck + resisted rotation
A1

Supine rotation with chin tuck

60 s · slow reps

Lying down; nod, then roll the head slowly side to side keeping the tuck.

Easier smaller range  ·  Harder slower

R1R2—
A2

Resisted rotation reps

12/side · ×2

Hand on the side of the forehead; turn against light resistance and return slowly.

Easier less resistance  ·  Harder more resistance

R1R2
B

Plank

Bear plank + scapular dips
B1

Bear plank hold

60 s · seconds held

Knees an inch off the floor, back flat, neck in line; count the seconds held.

Easier knees down  ·  Harder shoulder taps

R1R2—
B2

Scapular dips

15 reps · ×2

Hands on a chair beside the hips; press down to lift the body without bending the elbows.

Easier feet take more weight  ·  Harder feet further out

R1R2
C

Ribs

Quadruped rotation + prone swimmers
C1

Quadruped thoracic rotation

60 s · slow reps

On all fours, hand behind the head; rotate the elbow to the ceiling and back down.

Easier smaller range  ·  Harder reach further

R1R2—
C2

Prone swimmers

12 reps · ×2

Face down; sweep the arms from overhead to the hips just off the floor, and back.

Easier smaller sweep  ·  Harder slower

R1R2

The clock

Round 1settle in — 70%, perfect tracking
0:00A1 → A2
2:00B1 → B2
4:00C1 → C2
Round 2own it — beat Round 1 by quality
6:00A1 → A2
8:00B1 → B2
10:00C1 → C2

Each couplet: 60 s scored → the loading set → 10 s to move on. Done at 12:00.

How to run it

  1. A gentle nod, not a lift: the chin tucks toward the throat and the big surface muscles stay quiet.
  2. If the front of the neck bulges or shakes, the deep muscles have stopped working — rest and restart.
  3. Seconds before reps. Build the hold time first, then the number of holds.
  4. The shoulder blade is trained in the same session: the neck cannot be strong on an unstable base.

Tick it off

MovementRound 1Round 2Best
A1Supine rotation with chin tuckslow reps in 60 s —
A2Resisted rotation reps12/side
B1Bear plank holdseconds held —
B2Scapular dips15 reps
C1Quadruped thoracic rotationslow reps in 60 s —
C2Prone swimmers12 reps
Session time
StreakDay —
Client / Patient
Coach / Clinician signature
Date
TE-12-NECK-J