Using a pillow during bench press

[riqal]

Recently I have been having neck pain whenever I do bench pressing exercises. I was wondering if putting a small pillow under my head for support would help? Does putting a pillow under one's head during a bench press increase the chance of injury?

Also, I believe the pain in the neck is due to pressing my head back against the bench as I am lifting the weights. Is it ok to lift my head slightly off of the bench as I am pushing the weight up in order to avoid hurting my neck? I don't want to do this if it will increase the chance of injury.

[Speedbag]

Recently I have been having neck pain whenever I do bench pressing exercises. I was wondering if putting a small pillow under my head for support would help? Does putting a pillow under one's head during a bench press increase the chance of injury?

Yes, it will help. I have had extensive cervical spine surgery, and my neck is fused. I cannot comfortably lay my head flat on the bench, so I always use a folded towel or pillow to support my head. This was approved by both my neurosurgeon and athletic trainer in rehab.

Also, I believe the pain in the neck is due to pressing my head back against the bench as I am lifting the weights. Is it ok to lift my head slightly off of the bench as I am pushing the weight up in order to avoid hurting my neck? I don't want to do this if it will increase the chance of injury.

Yes again, lift the head as this will stop you from bridging and puting undue stress on the cervical spine. But you may not lift as much this way.

The towel or pillow will help support the head, but You must learn to consciously flex your neck slightly during your press to keep from bridging on the towel or support underneath. This takes concentration on your benching technique, and performing it like this might see a drop in your overall max if you tend to do 1-2 rep sets and bridge during the effort. Practice this with a few sets of light weight for 8-10 reps and get use to movement. You can also do this with about 45 degree incline Bench also.

[riqal]

Thanks Speedbag for the advice. I'll get myself a pillow for my bench presses.