Stop Doing the Behind the Neck Press. Try These Shoulder-Building Moves Instead.
IF BUILDING A set of broad shoulders is your goal, it’s standard procedure to add some sort of heavy pressing movement into your workouts. And while most variations will provide plenty of gains, there are some choices that will be more beneficial than others. Case in point: one the most common picks for behemoth bodybuilders, the behind the neck press, provides more risk of pain and injury than its worth for everyday guys looking get build muscle.
Why? Behind the neck presses are just not a safe exercise, especially when you break down the shoulder risk-to-reward ratio the move provides, according to Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., and Mathew Forzaglia, N.F.P.T., C.P.T., founder of Forzag Fitness. Even though this move has long been a traditional shoulder day staple, the behind the neck press is not the most joint friendly shoulder exercise—unless you happen to be extremely mobile in the shoulder region, and most of us aren't so fortunate.
“Just because you see an influencer do it doesn't mean it's worth it,” Samuel says. “It's all about keeping yourself healthy.
3 Reasons You Should Avoid the Behind the Neck Press
The Behind the Neck Press Is Bad for Shoulder Health
When it comes to pressing in the gym or even lifting objects overhead in your everyday life, it’s most optimal to keep your movements within the scapular plane—a position in which your shoulders and arms are at 45 degrees relative your torso—in order to keep your rotator cuff muscles in a safer position. And at virtually no point of performing behind the neck presses will you find your shoulders in this safe spot. Instead of working at an approximate 45-degree angle, more joint stress is placed on your rotators. “We want to keep those healthy for as long as we can and so it's just not worth it,” Samuel says.
The Behind the Neck Press Invites Poor Neck Positioning
Besides rotator cuff issues, behind the neck presses will force you to place your neck in flexion, a poor position for safe and comfortable lifts. Yes, the behind the neck placement may give us a slightly greater range of motion, but it’s just not enough to sacrifice being taken out of working from a neutral spine.
“Not only is this window of injury opening but it's forcing us into compensation in other parts of the body,” Forzaglia says.
The Behind the Neck Press Can't Be Loaded Heavy
Unless you’re one of the few who have exceptional shoulder mobility, most people aren't fully capable of handling heavy loads while still being able to lift comfortably from this position. Therefore, most of people aren’t able to go as heavy as other shoulder press variations.
3 Alternatives to Behind the Neck Presses
Dumbbell External Rotation
3 sets of 15 reps
This lightweight exercise gives you an opportunity to dial in on your rotator cuffs. Grab a pair of dumbbells, raise them up to a pressing position above your shoulders with your elbows at 90 degrees—but then rather than lifting up, rotate your shoulders to move the weight down, then back.
"It's not gonna be a heavy exercise," Samuel says, "but if you really want to live in this position, it’s the safest exercise and something that's really going to enhance your shoulders." You can use these as a warmup, or as a supplementary movement to the other exercises.
Dumbbell Overhead Press
3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps
Samuel doesn't think that it's enough to shift your position to the front of your body for your heavy pressing—he'd rather you ditch the barbell entirely for dumbbells instead. You’ll be able to lift heavier while staying within the more joint-safe scapular plane position, giving you the best of both worlds. You can also press from a wider variety of stances, from classic standing to seated or kneeling to reinforce better spinal posture.
Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Overhead Press
3 to 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps
You'll be able to load up each shoulder a whole lot heavier with this underrated unilateral exercise. More load with less stress on not only your rotator cuffs but also possibly your lower back as well, can lead to greater gains.
Learn which exercises you're better off avoiding by checking out our entire Overrated series here.
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