Thread: Strained neck doing deadlifts

Hi,

Last night at the gym i was doing deadlifts and strained my neck... it didnt seem that bad at the gym but when i got home i ended up with a migraine and could feel the tightness in the right side of my neck... its feeling a bit better now though...

i only have about 20kg plus bar... i could lift more but take things easy because my neck has given me probs in the past due to poor posture and working alot with computers... physioc etc. say i just need to work on posture and stop looking down...

i do deadlifts form the ground with bent legs... i push up through my heels, maybe i jerk too much? but on the way down i tend to go to the floor fairly quick... i read one guide saying you should drop the bar???

what could i have done to strain my neck?

See a health professional mate - your Doc or your physio. Anyone on here would just be guessing.

IRT deadlifts, pack down tight and pull the bar, don't jerk it. Look at the floor a few metres away. Drive through the heels. Don't drop the bar, there is no need to.

Let us know how you go with the doc.

Tim

do you look up from the bottom?

either way it's not the deads, it's your posture

work on it

Originally Posted by slayer

but on the way down i tend to go to the floor fairly quick... i read one guide saying you should drop the bar???

what could i have done to strain my neck?

Dont let go of the bar unless you are at home or on a proper lifting platform, dont think your gym would like it to much. I go back to the floor pretty quickly too but it shouldnt cause any strain on your neck.

Originally Posted by Big Tim

See a health professional mate - your Doc or your physio. Anyone on here would just be guessing.

its just a strain... so i dont see any point in going doc or physio... i tend to think in most cases strains just need time to heal... physio feels nice... just my opinion... i have been to a lot of physios in the past...

Originally Posted by Big Tim

IRT deadlifts, pack down tight and pull the bar, don't jerk it. Look at the floor a few metres away. Drive through the heels. Don't drop the bar, there is no need to.

what is IRT deadlifts and packing down tight?

should you go down to the ground controlled or relaxed?

Originally Posted by slayer

what is IRT deadlifts and packing down tight?

should you go down to the ground controlled or relaxed?

Sorry mate - IRT = "In Regards To"

Packing down tight - the following advice was given to me, and I think it covers it so I will copy it directly

If using straps get them on nice and tight while maintaining your slow and deep breathing. Pull your feet into position, shins on the bar, pull your chest up high and focus your eyes up and locked into one spot and one spot only. From here your eyes should never move. This can help limit your butt coming up too fast etc.
With your chest up you can now get really tight in your middle/upper back and take the slack out of the bar. In this position you should be super tight all over, almost in a position to squat out of the hole.
This position will give you maximum leg drive and the bar should come off the floor cleanly.

Put the bar down controlled, like Theeos said, your gym probably wont like it if you are dropping it!

I would suggest controlling the weight all the time, if you drop the weight you stand a chance of hurting yourself quite badly - A guy I know had a lifting strap break on him with 280kg on the bar and ended up having a knee reconstruction. As for where to look, NEVER look down, the weight will be there so no need check, if anything look slightly up during the lift and forward/up at the top. As for IRT (in regards to), and by packing in I am assuming Tim is talking about setting yourself at the beginning of the excercise, for you this would include adjusting your posture prior to the lift, shoulders back and sit back into your glutes/hams before driving out of your legs.

Where are you based Slayer? There is an awesome guy in Brisbane that helps me and a lot of others I know with our posture specifically related to lifting.

Sorry Tim, wrote my response as you posted yours...

cheers for the advice!

im in lil SA...

Sounds like you have advice on your form covered, i'd just like to state the obvious, make sure you are doing a few sets of warm up.

After warm up, stretch your neck by applying your palm to the side of your head and gently pushing against it. Do that both sides. Then interlock your fingers behind your head and push back. Lastly, place your palm on your forehead, support that hand with your other hand, and push forward.