Reduce Neck Pain From Biceps Curls With These Expert Tips

A common complaint after performing a set of biceps curls is a sore neck; this typically happens when you don’t follow proper form for the exercise. Understanding proper form can help you to avoid or prevent injury to your neck from biceps curls in the future.

Proper Form

To do biceps curls using proper form, the American Sports & Fitness Association (ASFA) recommends the following:

1. Stand up straight, core engaged, with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Grab the barbell, dumbbells, or straight bar with an underhand grip, palms facing forward, with your hands shoulder-width apart.
3. Straighten out your arms and allow them to hang toward the floor, fully extended. Keep your elbows close to your torso.
4. While keeping your upper arms still and close to your body, exhale and bend your elbows to bring the weight toward your shoulders in a smooth, controlled motion.
5. As you curl up, focus on engaging your biceps muscles.
6. Continue lifting the weight until your forearms touch your biceps. Your palms should be facing your shoulders at the top of the movement.
7. Hold the contracted position for a moment, maintaining tension in your biceps.
8. Inhale as you return the weight to the starting position, using a slow, controlled movement.
9. Keep your core engaged throughout to maintain proper posture and help stabilize your body during each movement.

Neck Injury Due to Improper Form

Neck injury when performing biceps curls typically occurs when you begin to fatigue. Your body tries to compensate by including muscles other than your biceps to complete the lift.

Tilting your head downward to look at the weight as you relax your shoulder blades will cause certain neck muscles — the upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, and splenius — to activate with the lift. These muscles are responsible for neck extension and rocking your neck backward.

By looking down, then pulling back with your head, your neck muscles assist the biceps in pulling the weight. This places a lot of stress on your cervical spine, as the Interventional Pain Center notes, causing the neck muscles to overexert, leading to neck strain.

Neck Injury Recovery

It’s common for pain to get worse in the day or two after a neck strain, Kaiser Permanente notes. But pain and stiffness should start to improve within several days, and it should heal completely within a few weeks. If you experience numbness or tingling, weakness, severe pain, or lose bladder or bowel control, contact your doctor or seek emergency care immediately. Treat the injury with heat or ice, whichever feels better (or switch between the two). Use heat or ice for 10 to 20 minutes at a time, several times a day, and place a thin cloth between the ice and your skin.

If you feel the injury occur when performing the exercise, stop immediately. Apply a bag of ice to the injured neck muscles to minimize swelling and pain rather than using heat, advises the Cleveland Clinic. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can also combat swelling and reduce pain. Consult your doctor to ensure that anti-inflammatory medication is safe for you if you aren’t sure.