Have you ever felt your chin stick out when pressing a barbell overhead? Or maybe you feel your upper back taking over as you side raise a pair of dumbbells? Unfortunately, the causes of neck pain will likely follow these technique errors.
Soreness during upper body workouts is all too common and is likely to hinder your progress in the gym. To minimize neck pain and get back on track, lower the weight you're lifting and focus on upper body mobility.
Causes of pain
There are a few key factors that can lead to neck discomfort when doing workouts. Next, we analyze the main causes of pain in the cervicals.
poor spinal mobility
The back plays a supporting role in most upper body exercises and needs to move, especially when pressing weights overhead.
When you raise your arms above your head, your upper back should be able to arch in order for your chest to rise. This extension helps the shoulder to complete its full range of motion.
However, if the back cannot bend properly, the neck muscles may attempt to compensate for the lack of mobility in the spine. Since your neck isn't meant to play as big a role in most upper body exercises, it can cause pain in these weaker muscles.
Working in the mobility in the thoracic spine (upper and mid back) will help improve your posture over time, taking the pressure off your neck during upper body exercises.
Chest extensions and chest rotations are some spinal mobility moves to add to your workouts. In addition, it is also important to lower the weight that you are lifting overhead.
The neck lacks mobility
Like the back, the neck can become stiff in certain positions or ranges of motion and loose in others. Your lack of mobility can also cause certain joints to move more than others, which can be too much for a single joint.
Your daily activities can also affect the mobility of your neck. Sitting all day at a desk, for example, can worsen your posture over time, leading to a less mobile and potentially painful neck.
Recommended chin tuck exercises (pulling the chin back to stack the joints) to help move the neck into a less strained position. If you're typing at a desk all day, take breaks from time to time to check alignment, tucking your chin in as needed.
Shoulder and upper back imbalance
The muscles at the base of your neck (trapezius) are responsible for controlling both your shoulders and neck. These muscles often support the shoulders during lifts. But if you allow your trapezius to compensate for weak deltoids (shoulders), the neck can also take on some weight.
In an overhead press, for example, the shoulders should be the primary muscle being worked. But if your upper back takes over, you may develop a muscle imbalance over time, which can cause pain.
What you should do first is lighten the load that you're using for your shoulder exercises, especially the ones that you're pressing overhead. Focus on making your shoulders do the work. The upper trapezius will still contribute, but the main movers should be the shoulders.
The neck lacks stability
While you don't want the neck to be the primary mover in most exercises, you shouldn't completely neglect these muscles either. And unfortunately, your daily posture or movement patterns can leave these muscles too weak to keep up with the exercise.
When the muscles are too weak to stabilize the neck joints, the larger, more superficial muscles often take over to try to compensate for the stability.
A good starting point is a simple chin tuck with head stretch while lying on your back. He begins by nodding his head forward as you retract your chin. Then, raise your head a few inches off the ground, while maintaining this retraction. Regular neck exercises can improve the stability of these small muscles.
Main errors
Certain strength training habits can cause neck stiffness and pain. Below we discover the most common mistakes in physical exercises.
Effort during the bench press
Performing a bench press incorrectly is a common cause of post-workout neck pain.
When you're lifting a heavy load, such as with a bench press, proper technique is key. You want to keep your entire head on the bench at all times and your shoulder blades pulled back and tight.
But if you're trying to press a load that's too heavy, you may find that your neck is stretched toward the ceiling, which can make your neck feel sore after your workout.
To avoid this, keep your entire neck on the bench at all times. As you press the weight directly onto your chest, roll your shoulders back and down to engage your back muscles. Keep your core strong too. If you're still having a hard time maintaining proper form, you should lighten the weight you're lifting.
Squat bar too high
Another common mistake that can cause neck pain is incorrect bar placement when doing squats.
When performing a back squat, you may feel the need to bring the bar up to the back of your head to prevent the weight from falling backwards. But placing the bar on the bony bump at the back of your neck/top of your vertebrae can cause your neck to strain under the weight. As a result, you can feel pain and even develop a bruise on the bone.
Place the bar on your upper trapezius muscles, just below (not above) the bony vertebrae at the back of your neck. These muscles provide cushion for the bar without adding pressure to your neck.
deadlift neck bend
Maintaining a neutral spine when deadlifting is crucial to keeping your neck and back safe. But when you're exercising in front of a mirror, it can be tempting to lift your head to check your posture, which is a common mistake.
Although you should be mindful of your posture, you should avoid raising your head when deadlifting. This can cause your neck to strain when lifting the weight.
Try to look down at the ground, about a meter ahead. This will put your neck in a neutral position. Once you lift the weight, look directly into the mirror. Think about keeping a straight line from the top of your head to your tailbone at all times.
Curved neck at hip rise
The hip thrust, also called a hip lift, can overstress the neck. By having the upper part of the back resting on a box, the head is left without support. Many people seek to rest their head on the drawer, but it is a serious mistake for the cervicals.
As in the deadlift, it is recommended to follow the movement of the exercise with the neck and head. In this way, the spine will be relaxed and aligned, without forcing the neck when going up or down. Also, when carrying a lot of weight, the tension in the neck can cause severe pain and cramps.
Head forward on the shoulder press
Do you feel your head push forward as you press overhead? This can definitely be the cause of unwanted neck pain.
A little movement of the neck during the shoulder press is fine, but too much can be problematic. To protect your neck, you need to focus on good posture, which means keeping your head in line with your spine and stacked on your ribcage.
Doing reps with poor posture, especially when you're fatigued or using weights that are too heavy leads to a loss of form.
When you press overhead, keep your upper body as stable as possible, starting from your shoulders and arms. You should also keep your neck in line with your spine, just like when you deadlift. Avoid pressing your chin to the wall in front of you. If this is too challenging, you should lower the weight you are trying to lift.
Bad bike setup
Weightlifting mistakes aren't the only reason you may experience neck pain after your workout; your bike could also be to blame.
When you sit on your bike, keep your shoulders down and away from your ears, not hunched over. You also want your arms to be relaxed in front of your body to absorb shock as you ride.
Whether you're indoor cycling at home or preparing for a ride outside, make sure your bike is properly adjusted. If you're not sure how to do this, ask a professional at a bike shop or indoor cycling instructor for help.
If you are using an indoor cycling bike, adjust the seat height of your bike so that you can keep your shoulders down and away from your ears, and your arms relaxed to absorb the shock of the bike.
Neck pain in swimming
If you experience neck tension or pain after swimming, it may be due to something in your stroke technique. There are some classic stroke failures that place a large load on the neck muscles, commonly leading to pain and discomfort in the neck or trapezius muscles.
look up while breathing
Having to twist your neck that far creates a lot of stress, which can easily lead to soreness after swimming. This is a very common stroke failure. When we swim we must use the bow wave created by the head as it passes through the water, the bow wave shape creates a channel in the side of the head into which we must breathe directly through the pool.
If you're new to freestyle, keeping your head down can take a bit of getting used to, but it's an essential skill to master for comfortable, relaxed breathing. We will try to develop it while swimming with a pair of fins on.
Breathing too far forward
The bow wave channel only deepens into the area directly along the mouth, so we should be breathing straight to the side in the position. If we try to breathe past this point in position B, the surface of the water is much higher and we will have to stretch our mouth and head up to find air.
This stretched position puts a lot of pressure on the neck, which quickly leads to a feeling of fatigue. We will practice breathing in the position and immediately feel relief.
raise your head to breathe
The head weighs about 5 kilos. It's a huge weight to lift out of the water with each breath, and the effort of doing so puts a lot of strain on the neck and trapezius muscles.
Raising the head out of the water in this way stops the formation of the bow wave, so the channel next to the head disappears. This makes us feel like we have to lift it so much to not swallow water. When we keep the top of our heads in the water, the channel will be there for you and we can keep our heads much lower.
How to avoid a stiff neck?
Taking certain basic precautions can reduce the risk of developing neck pain and stiffness from training.
- Be smart when lifting and carrying. Using good posture when lifting involves bending your knees (not your waist) and keeping your head above your shoulders instead of leaning too far forward. If a bar is very heavy, it may make more sense to have two people lift it.
- take breaks. Taking regular breaks gives your muscles and joints some time to relax and recover, which can allow more work to get done in the long run. Taking breaks is especially important when doing a new or unfamiliar task, such as learning to work with new machinery or a different type of job.
Even when these tips are followed, pain in the neck is still possible. If the stiff neck returns or is accompanied by more worrisome symptoms, such as a headache or pain that spreads down the arm, it will be necessary to consult a specialist doctor.
Tips to improve
Some physical exercises require much more of the neck muscles and joints, so if a stiff neck develops, training can become much more challenging or even impossible. Here are some steps to reduce pain and have a good recovery:
- Don't ignore pain and stiffness. Taking a break from physical labor is the best option when a stiff neck interferes with normal movement. Particularly when lifting heavy objects or working with dangerous machinery, ignoring painful neck flare-ups or reduced range of motion could lead to an even more serious injury due to overexertion or reduced coordination and concentration.
- Apply cold or heat. The remedies applied for torticollis can vary, as well as personal preferences. Putting an ice pack on your neck can help reduce swelling, while a heat pack or warm, wet towel can help loosen and relax your muscles. Some people may experience some relief from stiff neck symptoms by taking an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as ibuprofen or naproxen.
- Try and work on the range of motion. If the pain in the neck is particularly tight and painful, it may not be worth trying to stretch. However, if gentle neck movements can be done without making the pain worse, it can help improve range of motion and reduce pain. You can gently stretch your neck by slowly tilting your head forward/back, leaning from side to side, and turning from side to side. If the pain begins to increase due to a specific movement, that movement should be stopped and the next movement can be tried.
Exercises to strengthen the neck
There are some exercises that we can do to tone, strengthen and thicken the neck. It is recommended to do it progressively so as not to overload it.
We will always start lighter than we think we should. With exercises based on concentric plates, we recommend starting with 3 kilos maximum. If we do not have experience in strength training, we can start without weight while we perform the exercises.
As we get more comfortable and muscle soreness is not as prominent the next day, we can start adding more load. Isometric exercises can be done with a very light band or light hand pressure. These can be longer at first and become shorter and more difficult as you adjust.
neck flexion
We can do this exercise without equipment or use a four-way neck machine.
- We will stand up with our backs straight.
- We will slowly tilt our head down.
- We will try to bring the chin to touch the chest.
- We'll keep our mouths shut.
- We will start again.
Side flexion of the neck
We can do this exercise without material. We'll increase the difficulty by using a resistance band, partner, or four-way neck machine.
- We will sit with the correct posture and look ahead.
- We will tilt our head to one side and bring our ears towards our shoulders.
- We will make sure to keep the shoulders flat throughout the exercise. Let's not lift them.
- We will return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side.
neck extension
We'll either use a four-way neck machine or do this exercise with no equipment.
- We will press the back of the head back while moving the chin away from the chest.
- We will return to the starting position.
- From a standing position, we will turn our heads to the side and look over our shoulders.
- We'll keep the rest of the body stable.
- We will return to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side.
- We can use the hand to give resistance.
- We will stand up with our back straight and our chin tucked into our chest.
- We will drop the shoulders down and back.
- We will squeeze the shoulder blades as much together as possible.
- We will maintain this position for a few seconds.
- We will return to the starting position.
- We will stand up and grab a dumbbell in each hand with the palms facing the body.
- On an exhale, we will lift our shoulders as high as possible.
- We will maintain this position for at least 1 second.
- We will lower the back to the starting position.
neck rotation
Rotations are difficult to perform without the proper equipment. But this movement is vitally important to build resistance against blows to the head and cranks to the neck.
From left to right they can be performed facing towards or away from the resistance band. One will point at the back of the neck and the other at the front.
neck isometrics
This is the easiest neck exercise to perform and is suitable even if you are new to neck training. We will hook a resistance band to a pole or something fixed. We will put the other part of the band on the forehead and hold the tension.
We will try to hold 2-4 series of 10-30 seconds in each of the 4 directions. Front, back and each side. We can perform up to 5 series of this exercise.
cobra pose
A more sophisticated exercise that strengthens the muscles of the shoulder girdle, as well as the neck and upper back is the cobra. This exercise is performed lying face down on the floor and uses gravity as resistance in the bracing process. To do it correctly we have to:
- Lying face down, we will place the forehead on a rolled hand towel for greater comfort.
- We will place the arms at the sides, with the palms facing down on the floor.
- We will put the tongue on the roof of the mouth (this helps stabilize the muscles in the front of the neck to help strengthen them).
- We will activate the shoulder blades and raise our hands off the ground.
- We will turn the elbows in, palms out and thumbs up.
- We will gently lift our forehead from the towel keeping our eyes looking directly at the floor (we will not tilt our head back and look forward).
- We will maintain the position for 10 seconds.