Why Am I Experiencing Neck Pain After Pull-Ups?

Pull-ups are one of the most effective upper-body strengthening exercises you can do, but they aren’t without risk. Improper form, muscle overuse, or muscle weakness can all lead to discomfort, pain, or injury. If you experience pain in the back of your neck following a set of pull-ups, examine your technique. If the pain is severe or lingers for longer than a week, consult your healthcare provider.

The Proper Pull-Up

You may have been doing pull-ups since grade school, but that doesn’t mean you’re doing them correctly. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, to do a pull-up properly, step up to a well-secured bar and grasp it with a full overhand grip, palms facing away. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart. Pull your shoulder blades down and back to engage them. Initiate the movement by pulling your elbows down and lifting your body. Aim to get your chin over the bar without arching your back. Lower yourself down in a smooth, controlled motion.

You can also try variations on the classic pull-up, such as neutral grip pull-ups, in which you use a different type of pull-up bar that allows your palms to face each other. This exercise allows the biceps to help the lats pull you up, and the grip places less stress on the wrists and shoulders.

Potential Causes of Neck Pain

According to research conducted by the Hughston Clinic in Columbus, Georgia, there are a variety of ways you can end up with neck pain after doing pull-ups. They found that improper technique, muscle overuse, and not being physically able to safely perform the exercise were the main reasons. A sprain (a stretch or tear in a ligament) is one possible outcome. A strain (a stretch or tear in a muscle or tendon) is another. They found that twisting the neck or back can cause injury as well.

Your Goals Physical Therapy in Cypress, Texas, says that another possible reason for neck pain after doing pull-ups is engaging the upper trapezius muscles when your back muscles — the lats, rhomboids, and lower trapezius — get tired. When stronger muscles compensate for weaker ones, tension occurs in areas that weren’t meant to be engaged, leading to pain.

If your upper traps are painful or even seize up, ice them for about 10 minutes while supporting your elbow, to allow your shoulder to relax. Gently move your head up and down and from side to side, using small controlled movements. If the spasm won’t release, do a gentle side bend stretch of the neck, allowing the weight of your head to help release the tension.

Building Strength With Assisted Pull-Ups

If you strain your neck to reach up and over the bar, evaluate your readiness for pull-ups. You may need to build proper strength before trying to execute a full dead-hang, body-weight pull-up. Consider using an assisted pull-up machine, which supports some of your weight, to build proper form, according to Asphalt Green, a community sports center in New York City. Try starting with a neutral grip, also called the hammer grip, which can be easier to master.

Exercises to Work Your Way Up to Pull-Ups

Doing other exercises to build up the muscles used in pull-ups can also help you build the necessary strength to do them with proper form. Pull-ups use the lats, rhomboids, traps, posterior deltoids, and brachialis muscles, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Lat pull-downs, the reverse fly, and single-arm dumbbell rows will strengthen your lats, posterior deltoids, rhomboids, and traps. Building strong lats using pull-downs can help support your neck, says the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). The posterior deltoids, used in the reverse fly, help stabilize your shoulder joints, reducing the risk of injury, ISSA notes. And most of the muscles used in pull-ups, including the lats, the posterior deltoids, the rhomboids, and the trapezius are also used in the single-arm dumbbell row, says ISSA. This will give you a solid foundation for building pull-up-level strength.

When to Worry

If you feel a sudden pop during pull-ups that causes neck pain, stop and consult your doctor immediately, as this could be a muscle, ligament, tendon, or neck joint injury, according to the Virginia Spine Specialists. For mild pain or strain, rest and ice are the typical treatments, the Merck Manual says. Common sense also dictates that you should avoid pull-ups until your pain dissipates, or you risk making things worse.