Full body / Intermediate / Compound (multi-joint)

Push Press - Behind the Neck

A barbell explosive exercise for the front delts and side delts, with the calves, quads and triceps assisting.

At a glance

Primary

Front delts, Side delts

Secondary

Calves, Quads, Triceps

Equipment

Barbell

Movement pattern

Overhead push

Level

Intermediate

Type

Full body, Compound (multi-joint), Explosive

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

How to do it

1. Standing with the weight racked on the back of the shoulders, begin with the dip. With your feet directly under your hips, flex the knees without moving the hips backward. Go down only slightly, and reverse direction as powerfully as possible. Drive through the heels create as much speed and force as possible, moving the bar in a vertical path.
2. Using the momentum generated, finish pressing the weight overhead be extending through the arms.
3. Return to the starting position, using your legs to absorb the impact.

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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