# Dumbell lifting- what am I doing wrong? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbell-lifting-what-am-i-doing-wrong/412484 "2007-07-20T02:39:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbell-lifting-what-am-i-doing-wrong/412484/1 "2007-07-20T02:39:16Z")
So a couple of weeks ago I started lifting the 5 and 10-pound weights I have. And, boy, does a little definition come quickly! I’m very happy with the results so far. Every other day I lift them- curls, out to the front, out to the sides, and straight up with the 5 pounds and with the 10 pounds I lift those behind my head to work my upper back and triceps. A few days ago I began to get soreness in the back of my neck, and can only attribute it to the weights. It seems a silly question to call my doctor for- of course I’m taking Ibuprophen and trying to watch my form. Is it normal to have this in the beginning, and what exactly would a proper form be, anyway? I assume looking straight ahead and trying not to tense the neck. Anybody? ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbell-lifting-what-am-i-doing-wrong/412484/2 "2007-07-20T03:05:41Z")
[QUOTE=Alice The Goon] So a couple of weeks ago I started lifting the 5 and 10-pound weights I have. And, boy, does a little definition come quickly! I’m very happy with the results so far. Every other day I lift them- curls, out to the front, out to the sides, and straight up with the 5 pounds and with the 10 pounds I lift those behind my head to work my upper back and triceps. A few days ago I began to get soreness in the back of my neck, and can only attribute it to the weights. It seems a silly question to call my doctor for- of course I’m taking Ibuprophen and trying to watch my form. Is it normal to have this in the beginning, and what exactly would a proper form be, anyway? I assume looking straight ahead and trying not to tense the neck. Anybody? [/QUOTE] Are you doing them like [this](http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Triceps/DBTriExt.html)? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbell-lifting-what-am-i-doing-wrong/412484/3 "2007-07-20T03:08:49Z")
Actually I’ve been doing them standing. I’ll switch to sitting. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbell-lifting-what-am-i-doing-wrong/412484/4 "2007-07-20T03:13:48Z")
My only advice from a very limited level of experience is to do your best to isolate the muscles you’re using to lift. When I was a gym rat a few years back my trainer would point out people who, when doing arm exercises of various types, would jerk their whole upper bodies into the motion, which put stress on the upper body and cheated the actual lift. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbell-lifting-what-am-i-doing-wrong/412484/5 "2007-07-20T03:30:31Z")
I try very hard not to do that, and to keep my breathing slow and steady. Maybe I’m concentrating _too_ hard on everything, and unknowingly tightening my neck in my efforts. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbell-lifting-what-am-i-doing-wrong/412484/6 "2007-07-20T03:37:50Z")
I think you’re failing to realize that the muscles in your neck are part of the muscle group you’re targeting. They help lift the shoulders. If you’re doing lifts out to the sides (you know, the shoulder ones), that’s going to use your neck muscles too. It’s not bad form, it’s just regular soreness. Of course, IANAD, and I don’t have your muscles, so I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbell-lifting-what-am-i-doing-wrong/412484/7 "2007-07-20T03:41:27Z")
[QUOTE=IntelSoldier] I think you’re failing to realize that the muscles in your neck are part of the muscle group you’re targeting. They help lift the shoulders. If you’re doing lifts out to the sides (you know, the shoulder ones), that’s going to use your neck muscles too. It’s not bad form, it’s just regular soreness. Of course, IANAD, and I don’t have your muscles, so I could be wrong. [/QUOTE] I thought of that, of course everything else is moderately sore so it makes sense. I didn’t think my neck was that out of shape- after all it does hold up my head all day long- but maybe that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumbell-lifting-what-am-i-doing-wrong/412484/8 "2007-07-20T03:47:53Z")
Another thing I just thought of is that I also stopped drinking 3 or 4 two-liters of Coke a week and have cut back to just one 12-ounce can a day. Naturally I’m getting the withdrawal headaches, and sometimes my headaches can go down into my neck. Maybe that’s it? And also I’ve lost 4 pounds! Only 20 more and I’ll be thin, with muscles! Fear me!