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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.
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.
Muscles worked
- Primary
- Front Delts
Good to know
- What muscles does the Behind-the-Neck Press work?
- Mainly the front delts. It also works the abs, traps and triceps.
- What equipment do you need for the Behind-the-Neck Press?
- It uses a barbell. Without it, the Pike Push-Up/Handstand Push-Up and the Anti-Gravity Press train the same muscles the same way.
- Is the Behind-the-Neck Press good for beginners?
- GymVim rates it advanced. For a beginner-rated exercise on the same muscle and movement, see the Band Overhead Press.