Athletes Anonymous: Press Behind the Neck

Yesterday I did presses from behind the neck as I warmed up to my standard 5x5 shoulder press set. Pressing from behind the neck is beneficial just like the shoulder press from the front rack position, in that it develops arm and shoulder strength. That may be obvious, but what it also benefits is the development of balance and awareness of holding a load overhead. The behind the neck press moves vertically from the shoulders straight to the overhead lockout position. What was avoided by pressing from behind the neck is the negotiation of moving the bar from the front rack around the head and face. For this reason behind the neck is a great place for novices to start when learning the press, with very light weight of course, maybe just a pvc pipe. Less skill is required when not having to avoid the head and it also helps with finding the overhead position where the barbell is slightly behind the ears, therefore putting the center of gravity (COG) over the heels. Your head should be neutral and eyes focused straight ahead. That is a solid finish position anytime weight is overhead. Push presses and jerks can also be done from behind the neck. All of which can also be done with a snatch grip(wide), as opposed to a clean grip(just outside shoulders).
I find when I press from behind the neck, I can't do as much weight as from the front. This is because from behind the neck, the chest has little to no involvement when initiating the press. Clearly three groups of muscles; shoulders, arms and chest can get more weight up than just two; shoulders and arms. Behind the neck presses will help in building the posterior chain strength of shoulders and arms for the press.
Of course with all these movements the core(mid line) is as important as any other area of the body. The extremities can't move nearly as much weight or as efficient without a solid mid line, but that goes without saying. The core is always being worked when engaging in full body movements. Stabilization of the mid line is key.

NSC Member News

Tom and Arlene Dacey have been coming to the gym since March. They, like every other person who sticks with the program for more than a couple weeks, have been making outsanding progress. Tom is 68 years old, when he started he coudn't do five pushups without feeling like throwing up. Now we can't keep the guy off the monkey bars or from flipping him self upside down to a handstand on the wall. Now lets talk about Arlene. Just a few weeks ago she took a nasty spill down some stairs. That same week, all bumped and bruised, sure enough she was back in the gym and ready to do whatever she could, working around her injuries. She's almost at a full recovery and never gave up a day of training. The Dacey's are just an example of all the awesome members at North Shore CrossFit. It's a pleasure working with every one of you.