Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

I have recently tried doing press ups again after about seven years of no upper body exercise. I used to be able to them no problem, but each time I recently try to do them I get pain in my neck especially on the left side and pain along the left trapezius from the neck to shoulder. Is it something I am doing wrong? I start by doing ten, is this to much to soon. I am 47 and run or cycle most days but want to strengthen my upper body now that I am not far from fifty.

BryterLayter wrote:I have recently tried doing press ups again after about seven years of no upper body exercise. I used to be able to them no problem, but each time I recently try to do them I get pain in my neck especially on the left side and pain along the left trapezius from the neck to shoulder. Is it something I am doing wrong? I start by doing ten, is this to much to soon. I am 47 and run or cycle most days but want to strengthen my upper body now that I am not far from fifty.

Hi Bryter,
Sorry about the pain in the neck! By press ups, do you mean push ups? I'm assuming so.

I have a short instructional video from the Fit Quickies collection that may be of assistance:

http://youtu.be/w4Ia2t6E1Pw

It is very important to be mindful of keeping the shoulders pulled down and away from the ears while doing these exercises so that the trapezius muscles of the back and reaching up to the neck don't get carried away and lock up the whole operation. Also, core muscles must be actively engaged and a long line from hip through shoulder and down as well maintained.

You can also do these against the wall, and on bent knee - more important than reps is controlled form.

Congrats to you for considering upper body strength - very important and often neglected.

Let me know if this helps.

Lani

Hi Lani

Thank you so much for your advice and the link to the video. I watched it a couple of times and followed the instructions and guess what no pain after doing push ups. You are absolutely correct about form and paid careful attention with regards too the positioning of my shoulders which I had not done before. I also noticed I had my hands far wider than you recommended, when I altered this to how you advised, I found the exercise harder to complete, but with less stress on my shoulders.

When I was younger I could get away with exercising with bad form, but I now realise I need to be far more gentle and mindful. The results speak for themselves, I am injury free. Your book arrived today and look forward to reading it, I will certainly be looking at the other videos on your YouTube channel, as well.

BryterLayter wrote:Hi Lani

Thank you so much for your advice and the link to the video. I watched it a couple of times and followed the instructions and guess what no pain after doing push ups. You are absolutely correct about form and paid careful attention with regards too the positioning of my shoulders which I had not done before. I also noticed I had my hands far wider than you recommended, when I altered this to how you advised, I found the exercise harder to complete, but with less stress on my shoulders.

When I was younger I could get away with exercising with bad form, but I now realise I need to be far more gentle and mindful. The results speak for themselves, I am injury free. Your book arrived today and look forward to reading it, I will certainly be looking at the other videos on your YouTube channel, as well.

BryterLayter,

Thanks for reporting in! The shoulder is a fragile joint of which we demand a lot - I'm happy to see your positive results from a small adjustment!

When it comes to pushups, with form as first stop, even though it's harder, you're playing safe and you can simply not go down as far, and work your way up. The idea is to build strength and funtionality, which you are doing even without going all the way down, should you need to back off at this point.

Hope you enjoy your Fit Quickies book!

Lani

Lani Muelrath wrote:
I have a short instructional video from the Fit Quickies collection that may be of assistance:

http://youtu.be/w4Ia2t6E1Pw

I watched your video.

I am curious about your instruction to only go down to 4 to 6 inches from the floor.

As I read about official push ups, those counted for all entry exams to the military and various agencies, they all seem to insist on either 3 inches or the height of a closed fist, which for most of us would be closer to 3 inches than 4 or 6 inches.

Or they use the upper arms being parallel to the floor, or for the elbows to have a 90 degree angle.
The 4" and especially the 6" form wouldn't seem to fit any of those requirements for a officially accepted push up.

I realize you are trying to get people into shape, not pass tests, but why do use the 4 to 6 inch standard?
Of course I do realize that going all the way to the floor stresses many things and is not wise.

waingapu wrote:

Lani Muelrath wrote:
I have a short instructional video from the Fit Quickies collection that may be of assistance:

http://youtu.be/w4Ia2t6E1Pw

I watched your video.

I am curious about your instruction to only go down to 4 to 6 inches from the floor.

As I read about official push ups, those counted for all entry exams to the military and various agencies, they all seem to insist on either 3 inches or the height of a closed fist, which for most of us would be closer to 3 inches than 4 or 6 inches.

Or they use the upper arms being parallel to the floor, or for the elbows to have a 90 degree angle.
The 4" and especially the 6" form wouldn't seem to fit any of those requirements for a officially accepted push up.

I realize you are trying to get people into shape, not pass tests, but why do use the 4 to 6 inch standard?
Of course I do realize that going all the way to the floor stresses many things and is not wise.

Hi Waingapu,

Notice I say "four to six inches", not "only four to six inches". You are welcome to go down lower as desired, taking care not to stress the fragile shoulder joint. The 4 - 6 is a safe standard for minimizing shoulder stress while building upper body strength.

And there is not that much difference between four inches and three inches!

Lani