Say Goodbye to Double Chin: 4 Seated Exercises to Transform Your Neck After 55

Combat that pesky “turkey neck” with these straightforward seated exercises.

As we age, our bodies naturally undergo several changes that are not always well-received. There’s a decline in muscle mass, a reduction in collagen and elastin, and an undeniable tug from gravity. The consequence? The emergence of a double chin and that dreaded saggy “turkey neck.” While it’s impossible to completely halt these changes, incorporating certain exercises into your routine can help manage them. Start by integrating these four seated exercises into your regimen to help firm up your neck and chin area after hitting 55.

“After the age of 55, neck sagging and double chins often develop due to a mix of rapid collagen reduction, skin laxity influenced by gravity, and weakening muscles,” explains Eric North, known as The Happiness Warrior. As a wellness speaker, coach, and advocate, he is redefining aging with a focus on purpose, strength, and emotional vitality. “The delicate skin of the neck loses its elasticity, which allows fat to build up and the platysma muscle to become lax, creating vertical bands or what we call ‘turkey neck.’ These changes are also characterized by differences in fat distribution and muscle looseness.”

Exercises performed while seated specifically target muscles such as the masseter (jaw muscle), platysma (muscle that tightens the neck skin), digastric (muscle beneath the chin), and deep neck flexors.

Seated neck and jawline workouts mainly activate the masseter (jaw muscle), platysma (neck skin-tightening muscle), digastric (under-chin muscle), and deep neck flexors.

“Strengthening these muscles creates a firmer foundation, reducing the appearance of sagging skin, defining the jawline, and minimizing a double chin,” North tells us. Below, he outlines the four best seated exercises to focus on.

Seated Chin Tucks

1. Begin sitting tall with your gaze forward.
2. Place two fingers on your chin.
3. Then, move your chin and head straight back, away from your fingers, forming a “double chin.”
4. Complete 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, holding for 3 to 5 seconds each.

Jaw Juts (Head Tilt)

1. Begin sitting tall.
2. Tilt your head back to look at the ceiling.
3. Press your lower jaw forward to feel a solid stretch under your chin.
4. Hold this position for 10 seconds.
5. Release.
6. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.

Tongue Stretch

1. Begin sitting tall.
2. Stick your tongue out as far as you’re able to.
3. Then, lift your tongue up and toward your nose.
4. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds.
5. Release.
6. Perform 2 sets of 10 reps.

Kiss The Ceiling (Platysma Exercise)

1. Begin sitting tall.
2. Tilt your head back to look at the sky.
3. Tightly pucker your lips, as if kissing the sky, in order to stretch the area under your chin.
4. Hold for 10 seconds.
5. Release.
6. Perform 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps.