Behind-the-Neck Press
An overhead barbell press with the bar racked behind the neck, demanding full shoulder and thoracic mobility.
How to do it
- Set a barbell in a rack just below shoulder height and load a conservative weight.
- Step under the bar and rest it across your upper traps with a grip wider than shoulder width.
- Stand tall, brace your abdominals and glutes, then take two steps back from the rack.
- Press the bar straight overhead, keeping the torso upright and the chin tucked.
- Lock out with the bar over the middle of your head and your ears close to your arms.
- Lower the bar under control back onto the upper traps and repeat only while form holds.
Key technique cue
Chin tucked, lower the bar slowly — and only if your shoulders allow it.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Attempting the lift without full overhead mobility, which forces the head forward and strains the shoulder.
- ✕ Dropping the bar quickly onto the traps, which risks contact with the neck and head.
- ✕ Using leg drive, which turns a strict press into a push press and hides a load that is too heavy.
- ✕ Leaning back to finish the rep, which shifts the load onto the lower back.
Benefits
- ✓ Keeps the bar path vertical, which places steady demand on the lateral deltoid.
- ✓ Exposes shoulder and thoracic mobility limits that front pressing can mask.
- ✓ Builds overhead stability for lifters who already press comfortably from the front.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 -
Step 2 You are here - Behind-the-Neck Press
About the exercise
The behind-the-neck press starts with the barbell resting across the upper traps rather than the front of the shoulders. Pressing from there keeps the bar path vertical and biases the lateral deltoid, but it also puts the shoulder into full external rotation and abduction for the entire lift. That position is only safe for lifters who already own the overhead mobility, so the movement is treated as an advanced progression rather than a default shoulder builder. Triceps finish the lockout and the traps and trunk stabilize the load throughout.
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