Behind-The-Neck Shoulder Press

Start

Finish

How to do it

Seated with a grip slightly wider than for a front press, lower the bar behind your head only as far as your shoulder mobility allows — usually ear level — then press back to lockout.

Muscles worked

Primary: shoulders · Also works: triceps, traps

Equipment

Barbell

Common mistakes

• Lowering the bar to the base of the neck when your external rotation cannot reach that far
• Ducking the head forward instead of keeping the neck neutral and letting the bar pass behind it
• Loading it like a front press — this variation needs a meaningfully lighter bar

Variations

• Behind-the-neck press in a Smith machine
• Snatch-grip behind-the-neck press

Can't do this one? Swap it for

• Seated Barbell Shoulder Press
• Standing Overhead Press
• Machine Shoulder Press

Take care: ABROFIT automatically removes this movement for anyone who has flagged a shoulder or neck problem. If that's you, use one of the swaps above and speak to a physio before loading it.

Related exercises

• Standing Overhead Pressshoulders
• Pike Push-Upshoulders
• Dumbbell Lateral Raiseshoulders
• Shoulder Controlled Rotationsshoulders
• Face Pullshoulders
• Cable Lateral Raiseshoulders