Neck injury prevention

[Daley]

I have a recurring problem with injuring my neck while lifting.

I dont typically lift very heavy, but i usually injure it when doing pulldowns or bench presses.

I will be seeing a physical therapist to fiogure out what im doing wrong, But does any one have an exercises that are good for strengthening the neck.

I usually injure the muslces on both sides of my spine on the back of my lower neck / upper back. It feels like the nerve is pinched.

what do you guys reccommed as far as exercises that will help strenghten that area so as to keep from getting reinjured, because I want to start lifting BIG and I cant do it when i injure my neck everytime i get serious about lifting.

thanks

 

[hunto]

First get checked out by doc, to make sure there's no physical injury, or exercise can make it worse, not better.

That said, neck bridges, shrugs, isometric exercises (hold tension with hands for resistance). Post a video of your bench for feedback. Maybe someone here can spot the flaws that are causing you pain.

 

[Ascendant]

If it's on both pulldowns AND bench presses then you've got a recurring upper and middle trap injury.

The first thing to do is let it heal.

Then work on NOT using your upper traps to do pulldowns and benches, and work on strengthening your middle and lower traps.

Problem solved.

 

[krellik]

What are the movements you have to do Ascendant to make sure your middle and lower traps are strong? Facepulls and inverted rows? Is normal barbell rows enough? Or totally different other stuff?

 

[Standard]

Do you bench with your head up? or is it firmly planted on the bench?


With pulldowns how are you doing them? behind the neck?

 

[Daley]

I never do pulldowns behind my neck. Only in front.

as far as bench goes, I keep my head on the bench. Sometimes, i guess, I push the back of my head on the bench to help lift the weight when it gets heavy

 

[BreezerD**]

I push the back of my head on the bench to help lift the weight when it gets heavy

Do you think this would contribute to the issue? Supporting a load on your neck?

 

[Ascendant]

What are the movements you have to do Ascendant to make sure your middle and lower traps are strong? Facepulls and inverted rows? Is normal barbell rows enough? Or totally different other stuff?

Facepulls are good if done correctly, though most people really much them up. To work the middle and lower traps you really have to think of your arms as a straight line and unable to bend.

For the middle traps/rhomboids, you could do a seated cable row with the arms extended and just working on retracting your shoulder blades WITHOUT elevating them. It shouldn't take much initially to get some good work in.

For lower, a great move is to hook yourself in to a lat pull down machine and, again leaving arms fully extended and your chest up with good posture, just work on pulling the shoulders down as far from the ears as possible.

 

[doubleAA**]

Facepulls are good if done correctly, though most people really much them up. To work the middle and lower traps you really have to think of your arms as a straight line and unable to bend.

For the middle traps/rhomboids, you could do a seated cable row with the arms extended and just working on retracting your shoulder blades WITHOUT elevating them. It shouldn't take much initially to get some good work in.

For lower, a great move is to hook yourself in to a lat pull down machine and, again leaving arms fully extended and your chest up with good posture, just work on pulling the shoulders down as far from the ears as possible.

Can't you just do deadlifts and work the entire back with one pull? Perhaps this is what the TS is missing?

 

[BreezerD**]

DoubleAA once again demonstrating incredible depth of knowledge!

 

[Ascendant]

Can't you just do deadlifts and work the entire back with one pull? Perhaps this is what the TS is missing?

If that were the case I would have said as much. To clarify and take your question seriously - deadlifts will build strength and work the whole back, but when there are postural conditions causing consistent pain then there needs to be some specific structural work done in order to build a more efficient and aligned musculoskeletal system.

 

[krellik]

Facepulls are good if done correctly, though most people really much them up. To work the middle and lower traps you really have to think of your arms as a straight line and unable to bend.

For the middle traps/rhomboids, you could do a seated cable row with the arms extended and just working on retracting your shoulder blades WITHOUT elevating them. It shouldn't take much initially to get some good work in.

For lower, a great move is to hook yourself in to a lat pull down machine and, again leaving arms fully extended and your chest up with good posture, just work on pulling the shoulders down as far from the ears as possible.

Thanks for the answer, im thinking off adding some off this stuf in for prehab in the name off keeping the shoulders healthy.

 

[Ascendant]

Fantastic idea, just make sure you add pec, lat, and ant. delt stretches as well.