strong lifts pain neck and back???

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myaminals
myaminals Posts: 197 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
hi. i also posted this in the weight loss discussion. hoping for help from whoever can. I posted a couple of days ago for weight lifting maybe yesterday I don't remember. people recommended strong lifts. I tried the squat one with an empty bar and weights and it makes my back and neck hurt. I watched the videos and tried my best to copy their stance and where the bar was placed. can anyone help me correct my form? I can't keep it up if it hurts my neck especially. any form tips are appreciated!

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  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
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    If it hurts, you're probably using the wrong form.

    If you're setting the bar on the back of your neck, try wrapping a towel around the middle part where it touches you to cushion it. Or try holding it a little lower down on your upper back/shoulders, where there's more muscle to cushion it.

    If your back hurts, make sure that you are using a sitting motion with your butt sticking out, your knees not going past your toes, and go down to where your thighs are parallel with the floor. You'll be tempted to lean forward - don't. One thing that might help you get into the right motion is to put some flat weight plates under your heels to elevate them. This will keep you from leaning forward and cause you to sit back on your heels the way you need to. Think of this is temporary training wheels, though. Don't continue using it beyond the point where you feel the motion without pain.

    If you're still not able to get it, set up a video camera on a tripod or have someone help you, and film from the side view. You can post the video here for assistance.
  • myaminals
    myaminals Posts: 197 Member
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    thank you I am going to try these tips tomorrow!
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Take video and post it up for critique. Otherwise it's just a guessing game.
  • tpr20
    tpr20 Posts: 1 Member
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    DopeItUp wrote: »
    Take video and post it up for critique. Otherwise it's just a guessing game.

    I agree, but squeeze those shoulders together to try to make a "shelf" for the bar to sit on. I personally squat "high bar" and I find this to help a ton...if the back of your neck is hurting it's definitely not in the right spot! Let us know how your experiment goes.
  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
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    You may want to try a low bar squat rather than a high bar squat.

    With your neck I assume it's just because your traps aren't developed to withstand weight on them.
  • TheBigFb
    TheBigFb Posts: 649 Member
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    Id stop and get a PT even once to show you form etc
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
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    DopeItUp wrote: »
    Take video and post it up for critique. Otherwise it's just a guessing game.

    Pretty much. I was having issues, so I took video of my squats, shared them and got fantastic feedback.
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    myaminals wrote: »
    hi. i also posted this in the weight loss discussion. hoping for help from whoever can. I posted a couple of days ago for weight lifting maybe yesterday I don't remember. people recommended strong lifts. I tried the squat one with an empty bar and weights and it makes my back and neck hurt. I watched the videos and tried my best to copy their stance and where the bar was placed. can anyone help me correct my form? I can't keep it up if it hurts my neck especially. any form tips are appreciated!

    Start with air squats (no weight). Video your set from the side, front and back. Watch that video and compare it to the guides you’re using. Once your form is perfect, then start adding weight. You may have to go to dumbbell squats at first to get accustomed to maintaining form when under tension (weight). Form is everything!
  • HirnKhan
    HirnKhan Posts: 8 Member
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    Good form is the key to 'painless' squats. You mention neck and back pain which based on my own experience usually are signs for incorrect bar placement and bad form.
    Pull your shoulders back and make sure the bar rests on your shoulders without touching your vertebraes (not sure whether that's the correct plural ...). I would not recommend a towel or foam bar around the bar since it will not fix your issues with wrong bar placement. Personally I know the bar is positioned right when I feel it pulling me back slightly.
    As far as your back pain is concerned my guess is that you lean forward too much. Many beginners I have seen do squats as if they were knee bends while in fact they are 'hip bends'. During a knee bend you will put a lot of stress on your knees moving them forward past your toes on the way down. In the bottom position the majority of the weight will be on the forward half of your feet. As a consequence of this you will lean forward too much since in order to keep your balance you will have to have the bar close to front of your feet. When getting back up there is a danger that the weight will pull you forward putting even more stress on your knees and your lower back which will do most of the lifting instead of your legs.
    Doing 'hip bends' (like sitting down) you will make sure the weight stays on the back half of your feet. When getting back up you should press through your heels. When you are at the bottom position try to imagine standing on a piece of paper which you want to rip into two pieces just using your legs and keep your core tight on the way up.
    Always do your squats in a squat rack. If you are afraid to fall back over ask someone to assist you.
    As for learning your exercises from watching videos - don't. Spend some money on a good PT instead of hurting yourself without getting anywhere. I have tried learning exercises from videos myself and it was not a success. There are way too many things you can do wrong and only an experienced lifter will be able to spot them before they hurt you.

    /Michael
  • myaminals
    myaminals Posts: 197 Member
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    thank you everyone for your tips and support. I will try them. I do not have anything to video myself with.
  • myaminals
    myaminals Posts: 197 Member
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    hi everyone. thank you for your tips I have started the 5x 5 program. I am still perfecting the squat . without the bar. I don't know if its just me or they are that hard? can anyone give me any help to not lean forward during the squat. when I bend I asked my husband to look at my form and my knees are going out some. in opposite directions??? instead of straight over my toes.
  • myaminals
    myaminals Posts: 197 Member
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    also I will not be able to reply until tomorrow after work but I look forward to trying your tips tomorrow.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    myaminals wrote: »
    can anyone give me any help to not lean forward during the squat. when I bend I asked my husband to look at my form and my knees are going out some. in opposite directions??? instead of straight over my toes.

    Hard to tell without seeing you. Try to post a video of you squatting, taken from the side, and another one from the front, at waist level. You can block out your face if you want.
  • mrsdcsmithiv
    mrsdcsmithiv Posts: 16 Member
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    I had good form.... Went to the doctor and had a pinched nerve in my neck. The lifting was making the pain flare

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