Behind the neck overhead press
- Stand holding a barbell with a wide grip, resting it on your upper traps behind your neck.
- Keeping your chest up, press the bar straight overhead until your arms are fully extended.
- Slowly lower the bar with control back to the starting position behind your neck.
Tips
- Use a grip wide enough that your elbows point directly out to the sides at the starting position, forming roughly a 90-degree angle at the elbow before you press.
- Keep your torso upright and your chest lifted throughout the press so the bar travels in a straight vertical path overhead.
- Lower the bar with deliberate control, matching the speed of the descent to the speed of the press rather than letting the bar drop.
Common mistakes
- Tilting the head sharply forward as the bar descends behind the neck, which disrupts the bar path and changes the position of the upper spine.
- Using a grip that is too narrow, which causes the elbows to angle forward rather than out to the sides and changes the intended pressing direction.
- Allowing the elbows to drift forward during the press rather than keeping them tracking out to the sides in line with the bar.
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