The seated shoulder press is a great way to build strong and stable shoulders. While many lifters complete this exercise with the bar in the front rack position, in this article we will take a look at the behind the neck seated barbell shoulder press.
The key benefit of the behind the neck seated barbell shoulder press is that it allows you to train the shoulders while externally rotated. This is great for helping to improve mobility and reduce the effects of heavy chest pushing movements which tend to cause internal rotation of the shoulder joint (Coratella, 2022). This can contribute to shoulder injury.
At the same time, the behind the neck seated barbell shoulder press can pose a risk of injury to some people. If you don’t have the shoulder and neck mobility to perform this exercise with a barbell, consider using a Smith machine. And if you don’t yet have one in your home gym, be sure to check out the Spirit B52 Smith machine which also combines an awesome double pulley stack.
In terms of the medical research, we should be confident when performing behind the neck presses, and not in fear of injury. For lifters with normal trunk stability and ideal shoulder range of movement, overhead pressing is a safe exercise (for the shoulder and spine) when performed either in front of or behind the head (McKean, Burkett, 2015).
Check out the attached table for guidance on exercises you can perform to improve your overall shoulder mobility.
Exercise Breakdown
If you are not using a Smith machine for this exercise, my advice is to have a friend with you to act as a spotter. However, if you are keeping the weight low and you know you can manage it, a spotter is probably not necessary.
When you’re satisfied you’ve done a shoulder good warm-up and mobilization you can get started. Your warm-up should include a few sets of PVC pipe presses along with neck mobilization.
If you can fix safety bars to your rack, calculate the height at which they could catch the barbell if you were to fail a rep.
Start Position
- Place an adjustable bench directly below the bar in an upright position. The barbell should be set up on the rack and should rest about 6-8 inches below the top of your head. Plant your feet securely to the floor in a medium to wide stance. You will need a solid foot position to increase stability.
- Press your back against the seat. Using a pronated grip, grab the bar with a medium to wide grip. Inhale deeply and raise the bar over your head to the start position. This is a risky part of the movement as you’ll need to lift the bar at an angle. If you can’t manage it safely, ask a spotter to assist.
Execution
- Tuck your chin and push your head slightly forward. Exhale as you slowly lower the bar to the back of your neck. Aim to achieve a greater than 90 degree bend at the elbow. Unless you have superb shoulder mobility you should not expect to go much past 90 degrees.
- Pause as you touch your neck at the top of your upper trapezius muscle, inhale, and press the bar back upwards, remembering to keep your head slightly forward so the bar doesn’t come into contact with it.
End Position
- Aim to lock out the elbows as the bar reaches the end position. Keep your head and neck in a fixed position throughout.
- Many trainers advise against the behind the neck seated barbell shoulder press for novice lifters. Many lifters lack the necessary thoracic spine and shoulder mobility to allow for the correct range of motion. Similarly, a lot of people have weak rotator cuff muscles which will be stressed during this movement. However, by keeping the weight low and gradually building competence in the seated barbell shoulder press, you will strengthen the rotator cuff muscles over time.
Common Mistakes
- Continuing with poor mobility
The greatest risk with the behind the neck seated barbell shoulder press is in forcing your stiff shoulder to accept a movement that it is just not ready or able for. Many people are just unable to develop perfect mobility in their shoulders for purely genetic reasons. If you are one of those people, skip this movement. There are many other shoulder pressing exercises that you can consider such as the landmine press.
- Not taking safety precautions
Aside from questions of shoulder mobility, do not overlook the safety issues involved with this exercise. If you fail a rep and have no spotter, where is the bar going to go? There is a real potential of injury in that case. You should either keep the weight low, use a spotter, set up safety bars on the rack, or perform the exercise on a Smith machine.
- Bouncing the bar
Even if you have excellent mobility and competence with the behind the neck seated barbell shoulder press do not be tempted to use momentum or to bounce the bar to help complete a heavy rep. By this I mean to lower the weight and then bounce the bar off your lower neck. Not only could you damage a vertebrae you could also strain a shoulder muscle.
Muscle Engagement
Primary target: Anterior Deltoid, Lateral Deltoid, Posterior Deltoid, Rotator Cuff
Secondary target: Upper Trapezius, Middle Trapezius, Lower Trapezius, Triceps Brachii, Serratus anterior
The behind the neck seated shoulder press works an impressive array of muscles. When performed in a standing position variation you can also engage your core and leg muscles.
To some degree, your barbell hand grip is going to affect the muscles worked. The wider the grip position, the more you’ll target the deltoids. A narrower grip will result in more triceps activation.
The rotator cuff is a group of 4 muscles and tendons that work to facilitate the extensive range of motion of the shoulder and also provide stability. When other parts of the shoulder joint lack strength and stability, the rotator cuff muscles work harder to stabilize the joint. (Durall, Manske, Davies, 2001)
The nature of a rotator cuff injury is that there can be a potential problem building in the background for most lifters before they even experience any indication of it. So it is highly important to strengthen and develop this group of muscles.
Summary
Should you fear the behind the neck seated barbell shoulder press? No. With a reasonable approach you can perform this exercise safely and effectively, building strong and stable shoulders.
Should the behind the neck seated shoulder press form the majority of your shoulder program? No. In my opinion, however, there should still be space for this movement in most people’s training plans.
As part of a balanced program, it can help you train your deltoid and rotator cuff muscles. It can provide a break from the standard shoulder press, face pulls and lateral raises. And in that sense it should be part of every lifter’s training repertoire, assuming they have the mobility and genetics to comfortably perform it.
You May Also Like
- How To Do The Kneeling Overhead Press?
- How To Do The Overhead Press?
- How To Do Upright Barbell Rows?
References
Coratella, G., Tornatore, G., Longo, S., Espositio, F., Ce, E., Front vs back and barbell vs machine overhead press: An electromyographic analysis and implications for resistance training. Frontiers in Physiology, July https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9354811/
Durall, C. J., Manske, R. C., Davies, G. J., (2001) Avoiding Shoulder Injury From Resistance Training. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 23(5):10 https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/citation/2001/10000/Avoiding_Shoulder_Injury_From_Resistance_Training_.2.aspxStudy
McKean M., Burkett B.J., (2015) Overhead shoulder press – In-front of the head or behind the head?, Journal of Sport and Health Science, 4(3): 250-257.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2013.11.007.
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