How do you hold your neck during back exercises?

[Ownzo]

I always though that when doing lifts of the back, when you stand and lean forward, pulling some weight towards your chest, you should look down keeping the neck straight. But on one video of Dorian Yates, where he was showing techniques, he was looking forward, as if his neck is bent to look upwards. Is it ok to do so?

 

[Lev Butlerov]

I would say that as a general rule it is best to keep your neck straight during those exercises, and don't bend it, as you could easily stretch one of the muscles or something like that. He is Dorian Yates, so he can do many things – he is super-experienced, but those without his level of experience should stick to the basics.

 

[Ownzo]

I see - us newbies should hold it straight. I really think they should not show improper techniques like that as people see them, and take for example.

 

[SteveMobsterG]

Thinking about this: he may have pulled his head back because he was trying to get a slight arch / chest forward position which, all things being equal, should give him a slightly better contraction of the muscle being worked

 

[stevesmi]

watching guru's and pro's on youtube videos doing exercises isn't always the best way to learn proper form. remember they are trying to impress you and usually are doing a lot of heavy weight or trying to get a nice pump.. form is sacrificied

 

[karthik7]

Incorrect forward head posture can lead to chronic pain, numbness in the arms and hands, improper breathing and even pinched nerves. This is because for every inch your head extends forward, your neck has to support an additional 10 lbs. (4.5 kg) of weight. Many people do not realize that they have poor neck posture, so you will want to test your posture to see if prolonged computer use, television viewing or incorrect sleeping positions have affected how you hold your head. Stretch and strengthen your muscles with specific exercises to reduce tension and other symptoms of poor neck posture.

 

[SteveMobsterG]

Karthik - that's true but more for normal activities than, as the OP asked, in the gym and in that exercise he mentioned. In the gym there's a saying 'where the head goes the body follows'. So looking up is useful for squats for example.

There are two instances I pull people up on in the gym neck wise. One is being careful not to push back too hard on the bench press with the head. The other is anytime you press or pull with your arms overhead and then letting your head turn. Both will lead to neck via the lower part of the traps strain and nerve impingement. I've done both and it's 3 days of pain, pain, pain.