Behind the Neck Press

Muscles worked by the Behind the Neck Press

Primary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidSide DeltsLateral Deltoid

Secondary

TrapsTrapeziusTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: front deltoid, anterior delt, front delt, anterior deltoid, side deltoid, lateral delt.

Equipment

Barbell

Also called: bar, olympic barbell, straight bar, olympic bar, power bar.

How to do the Behind the Neck Press

1. Sit or stand with a barbell resting on your upper traps behind your neck.
2. Grip the bar wider than shoulder width.
3. Press the bar straight up overhead until your arms are extended.
4. Lower the bar back to the starting position under control.
5. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Form tips

• Lower the bar only as far as your shoulders allow comfortably.
• Keep your forearms vertical under the bar throughout the press.
• Brace your core to avoid arching the lower back overhead.

At a glance

Behind the Neck Press in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Arnold Press
• Barbell Overhead Press
• Bodyweight Overhead Press
• Double Kettlebell Overhead Press
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press
• Machine Shoulder Press
• Push Press
• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "behind-the-neck-press",
  "name_en": "Behind the Neck Press",
  "name_de": "Nackendrücken",
  "name_es": "Press Detrás del Cuello",
  "description_en": "An overhead press performed with the barbell starting behind the neck, emphasizing the front and side deltoids.",
  "description_de": "Eine Schulterdrückvariante mit der Langhantel, die hinter dem Kopf vom Nacken aus nach oben gedrückt wird.",
  "description_es": "Un press vertical con barra realizado por detrás de la nuca, dirigido al deltoides anterior y lateral.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "barbell",
  "body_part": "shoulders",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "lateral_deltoid"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "trapezius",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy",
    "strength"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "knee_safe"
  ],
  "variation_group": "overhead-press",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Sit or stand with a barbell resting on your upper traps behind your neck.",
    "Grip the bar wider than shoulder width.",
    "Press the bar straight up overhead until your arms are extended.",
    "Lower the bar back to the starting position under control.",
    "Repeat for the desired number of reps."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Sitze oder stehe mit einer Langhantel auf dem oberen Trapezmuskel hinter dem Nacken.",
    "Greife die Stange breiter als schulterbreit.",
    "Drücke die Stange senkrecht nach oben, bis die Arme gestreckt sind.",
    "Senke die Stange kontrolliert zurück in die Ausgangsposition.",
    "Wiederhole die gewünschte Anzahl von Wiederholungen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Siéntate o párate con una barra descansando en la parte alta de los trapecios detrás del cuello.",
    "Agarra la barra más ancho que la anchura de los hombros.",
    "Empuja la barra directamente sobre la cabeza hasta que los brazos estén extendidos.",
    "Baja la barra de vuelta a la posición inicial de forma controlada.",
    "Repite el número de repeticiones deseado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Lower the bar only as far as your shoulders allow comfortably.",
    "Keep your forearms vertical under the bar throughout the press.",
    "Brace your core to avoid arching the lower back overhead."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Teste die Bewegung zuerst mit leichter Last, denn sie verlangt viel Schultermobilität.",
    "Schiebe den Kopf leicht nach vorn, damit die Stange frei laufen kann.",
    "Brich den Satz ab, sobald es in Schulter oder Nacken zwickt."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Trabaja primero la movilidad de hombros si la posición resulta incómoda.",
    "Baja la barra solo hasta donde tu rango lo permita.",
    "Mantén el core firme para no arquear la zona lumbar."
  ],
  "met": 6.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/behind-the-neck-press-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/behind-the-neck-press-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "behind-the-neck-press");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.