Shoulders / Advanced / Compound (multi-joint)

Seated Behind-the-Neck Barbell Press

A seated overhead press lowering the barbell behind the head, building the delts and triceps.

At a glance

Primary

Front delts, Side delts

Secondary

Triceps, Upper traps, Upper back (rhomboids, mid/lower traps)

Equipment

Barbell, Bench

Movement pattern

Overhead push

Level

Advanced

Type

Shoulders, Compound (multi-joint)

Loads the shoulder, neck. Use a load you can control and skip it if it causes pain.

How to do it

1. Sit on a bench with back support and hold a barbell behind your neck with a wide overhand grip.
2. Brace your core and keep your chest up.
3. Press the bar straight up overhead until your arms are extended.
4. Lower the bar slowly behind your head to the base of the neck.

Tips

• Only use if you have good shoulder mobility.
• Do not let the head jut forward.

Common mistakes

• ✗ Doing it without the shoulder mobility for it.

  Why it hurts: The shoulder is loaded in full external rotation and the head juts forward; this is a common cause of shoulder and neck pain.

  ✓ Instead: Only use it if you can comfortably hold the position with an empty bar. Otherwise press in front of the head.

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