I am a newbie to weight lifting and my friend who I have partnered with had me lifting heavy because he thinks everyone can start heavy.

Obviously that was wrong of him to do and I now know that I should definitely not be going heavy to start.

On Monday I started squatting with just the bar.

On Wednesday I did several different exercises, flat bench, and incline bench presses.

I noticed on Wed/Thurs that at the base of my neck on the right hand side also along the top of my shoulder, there was what I would like to describe as tightness.

Could I have pinched a nerve?

It isn't constant and isn't always there. It seems to crop up in the late afternoon towards the early part of the evening.

I tried squatting this AM and noticed afterwards that it felt strange over there -- not sore or any pain but sort of tight again.

I am wondering if my squat form is totally off and I may be putting myself in harms way.

I am a newbie who is overweight and to me, weightlifting is a vital part of my weight loss regimine.

I hope that you can help me out today. Thank you.

Obviously, I know that if there is pain, I should seek a doctor's attention right away. I definitely plan on doing that but in the mean time, can anyone help me with this tightness that I am experiencing?

It isn't a total tightness where it cramps or it feels like a knot, it's just a weird sensation and the best thing I can describe it is tightness -- and it isn't the same tightness that you get after lifting weights when your muscle rips and repairs.

Have you seen an MD yet? Sounds to me like a muscle spasm. If you aren't having pain, numbness, tingling radiating down your arm it's probably not serious.

Could be your squat form -- Any chance you could post a video of you squatting?

The bar should sit on your traps (not against your neck), and, that combined with leaning too far forward when squatting could put pressure on your neck/vertebrae.