Max bench pressing caused a pop in my neck?

Question:
My 17 year son was benching his max, and heard/felt a pop in the back of his neck. This happened approximately 4 weeks ago. Since then he says he still hears this “pop” every so often. He has not complained about blurred vision, nauseousness, or dizziness, so I’m not sure what this could be. Do you have any suggestions, or possibilities?

Answer:
Sometimes we can get a “pop” in the tendons and ligaments throughout the neck, etc. similar to how some people can “crack” the knuckles of their fingers. It is usually no big deal. But if this persists you should get your son checked by a doctor just to make sure everything is ok.

When your son is working out make sure that he warms up properly before attempting heavy weights. A good warm up will improve blood flow and cause the body to release a natural joint lubrication called “synovial fluid” this reduces friction between the cartilage and other tissues in joints to lubricate and cushion them during movement.

This is how personally warm up prior to lifting weight and how I’d recommend your son warm up as well.

5 minutes of cardiovascular exercise to get the body warmed up. This can include jogging, jumping jacks, jump rope, or using a cardio machines such as the exercise bike, treadmill, etc.

Do some easy bodyweight exercises such as arm circles forwards and backwards, push ups, and bodyweight squats.

Then before each exercise I’ll do several warm up sets before each exercise. So for the bench press I’ll do a set of 10-15 reps with the empty bar first and then go up by small increments until I get to my top working weight.

So for example, let’s say your son will work up to bench pressing 150 lbs.

1st set – empty bar for 10-15 reps (this is approx. 45 lbs. for an Olympic Barbell)
2nd set – 75 lbs for 5-10 reps
3rd set – 105 lbs. for 5 reps
4th set – 135 lbs. for 5 reps
5th set – 150 lbs. for the desired number of sets and reps.

(Note: his workout weights may be more or less then these numbers, I’m just using this as an example of how to start off light and gradually work up to lifting heavier weights).

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Question:
I’m curious if doing some light running or any aerobics will help bring up my energy levels for when I get to the gym? I just feel sluggish and no energy to work out. I don’t want to burn too many calories though because I have a high metabolism as it is. Any ideas?

Answer:
I always start each weight training workout with at least 5 minutes of cardio. This warms up the body, gets the blood flowing, and helps renew your energy levels, espeically if you have been sitting at a desk at work or at school during the day. Cardio like this will not burn up too many calories or hinder your muscle growth. An extra scoop of protein powder per day would more then make up for the calories you’ll burn from this small amount of cardio.

Question:
My exams are approaching and I may have to stop my workouts for 1 or 2 months. What should I do to keep myself in good shape? Should continue to take the suplements or should I stop them?

Answer:
The quick and simple answer is you will NOT stay in good shape if you stop working out for 2 months. You’ll gain bodyfat, lose lean muscle, and just feel disappointed with yourself.

Avoid taking the “all or nothing” approach (i.e. if I can’t workout at 100%, then I’m not going to workout at all). Just cut back on your training frequency. You can get a decent workout done in less then an hour. If you did just 2 workouts per week this would only take you a few hours per week (this is factoring in travel time to the gym). This is a much better approach and will help you maintain the majority of your muscle size and strength. Even if you can only manage time for 1 total body workout per week, you’ll be far better off then stopping your workouts entirely.

Once your exams are over you can go back to a more serious training routine.

ATTENTION! FOR “SKINNY GUYS WHO CAN’T GAIN WEIGHT”
Check out my BIO-GENETIC WEIGHT GAIN website!

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