Neck Position During Exercise

When I walk into the local weight room one of the most common mistakes I see are people performing exercises without a neutral spine.

This could lead to lower neck/upper back pain

It's all too common that strength coaches and trainers are recommending looking up while performing activities like squats and deadlifts.  They do this in order to keep you from bending forward while lifting, which is bad.  But complete neck extension isn't the answer.

To minimize stress on the spine, you always want to be in neutral.  This is why during most movements you want to bend at the hips, not the low back.  This protects your lower back from injury.  However when one extends the neck tremendously during a movement, they are no longer protecting the neck.

I recommend having a neutral neck during lifting.  This will protect the commonly injured lower neck/upper back from undue stress.

this is the best pic I could find, I'd prefer his eyes looked a little lower

A great coaching tip for this is to have your gym goer keep their eyes fixed at either the floor about 8 feet in front of them, or fixed on the bottom trim of whatever wall is directly in front of them.

Save those necks!

For any questions/concerns or if you'd like to schedule an appointment please contact me at drscotthoar@gmail.com or phone me at 561.997.8898.  To check out more visit www.Mobility-4Life.com