Neck/Shoulder lifting questions from an inexperienced person??

faburizu
faburizu Posts: 32 Member
edited November 13 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone.

I'm pretty chubby so I have problems doing certain things like "keeping my elbows in" because of the fat on my arms and also "pulling in shoulder blades" because... well it's hard to tell when my shoulders are pulled in. And I'm sure they can't be as pulled in as they should be because again, of the fat on my back.

So my point is, during my exercise I do a lot of lifting exercises with a dumbbell, like lifting two dumbells above my head and dropping them behind me by bending my elbows (no idea what that's actually called). When I do that, and also some other in-the-air dumbbell exercises, I feel excessive strain on my neck. Now, I know this is supposed to work out the shoulders, so it's possible that my shoulders are the thing that's hurting but it's hard to tell... does that make any sense?

This morning my neck hurts, but it's not really my neck. It's the base of my neck in back but it doesn't hurt when I turn left or right. Only when I move my chin tucked against my chest. Then SUPER OW. But I definitely feel it in the back of my neck.

I assume it's from lifting because then is when I really feel the strain on my neck but it may also be from taking my first ever yoga class and constantly straining my neck toward the mirror to see what everyone else is doing so I could follow. But I really do feel the strain when I lift up there and I just wanna know, am I doing something wrong or is this normal for those types of exercises. Is this part of your neck included in "shoulder" workouts?

Thanks!

Replies

  • FitFitzy331
    FitFitzy331 Posts: 308 Member
    Since you don't know the lift you performed I would have to guess the issue is with your form. You should check out bodybuilding.com or youtube videos for the proper form for any lift before executing it yourself, unless you have a trainer.
    Also from your description it sounded like you were trying to do triceps extensions, maybe? That's an isolation lift and since you're inexperienced you would probably benefit more from full body lifting rather than the specific isolation one you tried. Check out New Rules for weight lifting, StrongLifts, Strong Curves or any of the other main beginner lifting programs. They would benefit you more in the long run. Good luck!
  • faburizu
    faburizu Posts: 32 Member
    FitFitzy331 wrote: »
    Since you don't know the lift you performed I would have to guess the issue is with your form. You should check out bodybuilding.com or youtube videos for the proper form for any lift before executing it yourself, unless you have a trainer.
    Also from your description it sounded like you were trying to do triceps extensions, maybe? That's an isolation lift and since you're inexperienced you would probably benefit more from full body lifting rather than the specific isolation one you tried. Check out New Rules for weight lifting, StrongLifts, Strong Curves or any of the other main beginner lifting programs. They would benefit you more in the long run. Good luck!

    Tricep extensions does sound like it! Except instead of using one weight, I used one in each hand. It was part of a Jillian Michael's workout.

    Thanks for your suggestions! I will check out those programs you recommended.

    You mentioned form, which I know is important, but I also think part of what I was trying to ask was if being overweight and being unable to maintain certain poses might get in the way of form, or is there always a way to "do it right" regardless of weight?
  • DjinnMarie
    DjinnMarie Posts: 1,297 Member
    Back fat should not limit your shoulder's range of motion.
    It sounds like you have rounded shoulders, causing strain in your traps. Do you have poor posture?
  • faburizu
    faburizu Posts: 32 Member
    edited February 2015
    DjinnMarie wrote: »
    Back fat should not limit your shoulder's range of motion.
    It sounds like you have rounded shoulders, causing strain in your traps. Do you have poor posture?

    I do have very rounded shoulders and extremely poor posture. I am very interested in correcting my posture but I have no idea where to start.

    You know that stretch where you clasp your hands behind your back and stretch out your arms behind you? Like this: isomeexe1.jpg
    I can't do that because my arms do not GO anywhere once they are behind me. I can't move them more than like an inch off of my back. I'm not even -that- heavy but I read that those kinds of problems are related primarily to posture. It actually scares me that I can't do such a simple stretch. Not sure if it's related to my posture or my weight or what!

  • DjinnMarie
    DjinnMarie Posts: 1,297 Member
    First you need to stretch and release chest muscles. Google some. Also try some "chest openers" yoga sequences. You can't strengthen your postural chain with tightened chest muscles. It will be difficult and may require 10 minutes or more of stretching.

    Once you get your chest released do some upper back and lat strengthening exercises. Deadlifts are great for this. Google some more exercises for lats and upper back. Make sure to keep your shoulders packed. Round your shoulders back and down,pulling your shoulder blades in. If you feel the exercise in your shoulders more, it means you aren't shoulder packing. Most people with poor posture have to stop and repack their shoulders every other rep or more. Never stop thinking about where your shoulders are.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    faburizu wrote: »
    You mentioned form, which I know is important, but I also think part of what I was trying to ask was if being overweight and being unable to maintain certain poses might get in the way of form, or is there always a way to "do it right" regardless of weight?

    Being very, very overweight (75-100lbs+ overweight) can make it hard to do some exercises but it looks like you have less than 30lbs to lose? I doubt it's going to affect you in any meaningful way, especially with the exercises that you describe. Being that small amount overweight isn't going to affect your ability to tuck your elbows or retract your shoulder blades at all for example.

    As far as straining your neck, could have been bad form or you might have just been overly tensing your neck during the exercise which could lead to a bit of soreness. You didn't post a video so it's impossible to say. I had that problem when I started bench pressing, I was pushing my head into the pad a little too much and it was killing my neck. My body got used to it after a few weeks.
  • Lofteren
    Lofteren Posts: 960 Member
    You're not fat to the point that you can't do exercises properly. There are some powerlifters that look like gigantic balls of chewed gum that can still squat, bench and deadlift with absolutely perfect form. It all comes down to mobility and strength. If you are mobile and you are strong then doing exercises will not be a problem.

    My advice would be to quit doing the "girly" exercises you are doing and start training with a barbell. Focus on squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, power clean and barbell rows. You will build proportional muscle and burn more calories.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    DjinnMarie wrote: »
    First you need to stretch and release chest muscles. Google some. Also try some "chest openers" yoga sequences. You can't strengthen your postural chain with tightened chest muscles. It will be difficult and may require 10 minutes or more of stretching.

    Once you get your chest released do some upper back and lat strengthening exercises. Deadlifts are great for this. Google some more exercises for lats and upper back. Make sure to keep your shoulders packed. Round your shoulders back and down,pulling your shoulder blades in. If you feel the exercise in your shoulders more, it means you aren't shoulder packing. Most people with poor posture have to stop and repack their shoulders every other rep or more. Never stop thinking about where your shoulders are.

    All of this. After I started doing various versions of deadlifts, my posture improved tremendously, and I didn't even start off with that big of an issue - just some slumping in my desk chair.

    Another exercise that helps me with getting the feel of packing my shoulders without having to concentrate on the rest of my form is the seated row when you use a machine with chest support. Use a medium-heavy weight and pull it back to your chest. Pack your shoulders, and start your reps. Concentrate on keeping your shoulders square and not letting them come forward at all when your arms are extended in the middle of a rep. That feeling of stability and compactness is what you want for your other exercises.
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