Old school shoulder builder for serious overhead mobility.
Only go as low as your shoulder mobility allows, never force the bottom range.
Pressing from behind the neck keeps the upper arms out to the sides in line with your torso, which loads the delts more evenly than a standard press where the bar drifts in front. The triceps assist through the lockout as always, but the wide grip and behind-the-head path put the shoulders squarely in charge. It is an old school builder that pays off big for lifters who have the overhead mobility to own it.
It demands more mobility than a front press, not that it is inherently dangerous. If you can hold the bar behind your head with an upright torso and no pinching, and you only lower as far as your range allows, it is a legitimate exercise. If you cannot get into position, fix mobility first or press from the front.
The front press lets the elbows travel forward and shares more work with the upper chest, while the behind neck version keeps the arms out wide and concentrates the load on the delts. Most people run the front press as their heavy lift and use behind neck as an accessory.
Only to the depth your shoulders reach without strain, which for many people is around ear or base-of-skull level, not all the way to the traps. Forcing extra depth is where this lift gets its bad reputation.
