Hi Rip
Ill start by admitting I didnt read your book's Neck section of 'Common Problems Everyone should know how to solve' until AFTER i did this:
Last night I benched 3 sets of 5 at 100kg (my best so far) but after the 3rd set I noticed a pain in my upper back area (see attached photo). It wasnt bad at first, but after an hour or 2 and throughout the night it got worse, like a sharp pain when i turn my neck or move into certain positions.
I was trying to figure out what might have caused this so I can hopefully avoid doing it again. Im thinking that I might have lost tightness in my upper back whilst also driving the back of my head down into the bench. Would this be a likely explanation for the location and type of pain? I never even realised that my head was meant to be a quarter of an inch off the bench until I read the relevant section of the book. Ive been benching the same way since i started and never had this problem.
Also, can you give me an idea of how long until I should get back into the gym? I want to get back asap but should I wait until its no longer sore? If i go back to the gym when its still hurting, do these injuries tend to linger and not go away?
Thanks a lot and happy new year.