Military press, Behinde the neck or not?

[TimeToGetBig27]

For military pressing with a barbell, behinde the neck or infront?

[symatech]

I always do it in front. if you go behind you can really hurt your shoulder.

[BlueAndromeda73]

I always do it in front. if you go behind you can really hurt your shoulder.

Agreed plus IMO it works the shoulder better since it is a more natural movement.

[Aboot]

Behind the neck is torture on my rotator cuffs. No thanks.

[31uniform]

anything behind the neck and your shoulders are at the point of dislocation.

[bluethunder]

The simple truth is in front period.

[diezell]

i use the front i feel you get a better range of motion

[Doc.Sust]

i am a doctor and specialize in rehabilative exercises and bio-mechanics. anything behind the neck is just an incorrect movement, it is just not bio-mechanically correct, it puts to much pressure in the cervical spine muscles as well as the rotator cuff's. scrap behind the neck.

[powerbodybuilder]

I think best is dumbbells for shoulders. Behind the neck ****ed up my rotator cuff. And thats for life if the damadge is severe.

[cb11mass]

In front seems to be the consensus but i go behind the neck and do not bend my elbows to far beyond 90 degrees. As long as i dont let the bar down to far i feel no discomfort in my shoulders and i feel it isolate the shoulders better. As for the discomfort im only 19 so who knows in 3yrs i might be kicking myself

[Neo22]

In front seems to be the consensus but i go behind the neck and do not bend my elbows to far beyond 90 degrees. As long as i dont let the bar down to far i feel no discomfort in my shoulders and i feel it isolate the shoulders better. As for the discomfort im only 19 so who knows in 3yrs i might be kicking myself

You are putting your shoulders at a inopportune range of motion. Have fun having surgery. I've already been down that road.

[devil1]

oh $hit, ive always gone behind the head. i never go all the way down to my neck though, just right behind the top of my head. maybe thats wy my shoulder is so f-ed up!!!

[birsling]

oh $hit, ive always gone behind the head. i never go all the way down to my neck though, just right behind the top of my head. maybe thats wy my shoulder is so f-ed up!!!

There's your answer bro. Definitely in front. You will see many people doing lat pulldowns behind the head also, and that is just as incorrect!

Use dumbbells bro!

[badger]

Good to know, I will be changing my ways.

[Benches505]

I've been doing them behind the neck for years, I also do them in the front. I take a wide grip on the bar and lower it 3/4 of the way down my neck. Some people try to take it all the way down and this is where I think the damage is caused.

[Crazylegs]

I believe in db's or front press. The only thing I put behind my head is my hand to scratch my back! Every person I watch do it is like listening to someone miss a gear shifting a car. All I can think is grind crunch and grind some more

[SHAOKAHN]

bar to the front.

[Billyspt4]

I used to do behind, but found that the fronts were easier anyway

[love 2 lift]

I've been doing them behind the neck for years, I also do them in the front. I take a wide grip on the bar and lower it 3/4 of the way down my neck. Some people try to take it all the way down and this is where I think the damage is caused.

Been doing them for 6 years No prob's. I do both also.

[2packabs]

Im never doing behind again

[2packabs]

i like this stuff

[S.P.G]

Behind the neck is torture on my rotator cuffs. No thanks.

AGREED....

[SwoleCat]

Use dumbbells bro!

Ditto! Best for all around development anyhow!

~SC~

[chest6]

man behind the head is just akward and it hurts too...

[Darkness]

DB's on this side of town! I tend to do a lot of Arnolds too.

[Papi93]

Personally, I can't go behind-the-neck because it puts too much stress on my rotator cuff muscles. I wish I could because you can really put up some serious weight with the behind-the-neck press. I spoke to a physical therapist with two master degrees and she said that as long as you can do the movement pain-free, go ahead. Do bad I'm not one of those.

[likewize]

I always do them behind, but if you guys say NO, i'm going with that. I never had any problems, and I go down to my neck...I gotta break that habit...Thanks....

[chest6]

I always do them behind, but if you guys say NO, i'm going with that. I never had any problems, and I go down to my neck...I gotta break that habit...Thanks....

behind the neck=eventually wrecked shoulders/rotator cuffs

[ThePhoenix]

i ****ed up my rotator doing behind the neck.. forced me to take four months off and lose 20 lbs. it sucked... I will NEVER do them again

[Benches505]

Should we avoid squats and deadlifts due to the high rate of injury from those? I'm not going to tell anyone to do behind the neck since I've seen many Bro's get taken out of the game doing them, on the flip side I've seen many more go out to deadlifting and squating.

Like a guy a few posts up stated:

If it doesn't hurt go for it. I've been doing them for over 20 years with no injuries but I seem to be the exception and not the rule.

[dwaynewade]

i'm 23 and have already been out of the gym because of rotator problems several times and my last- lasted a devastating 3months to recover

[rake922]

[powerliftmike]

i am a doctor and specialize in rehabilative exercises and bio-mechanics. anything behind the neck is just an incorrect movement, it is just not bio-mechanically correct, it puts to much pressure in the cervical spine muscles as well as the rotator cuff's. scrap behind the neck.

Exactly. I cant even do them its so far back to reach. I only do in front of head presses. There was an article in MILO a few years back written by a doc saying to never do them.

[Mobligator]

I'll probably catch a load of flak for being such a strictler on semantics but there is a difference between a Military Press and a Behind the Neck Press. In fact I doubt if anyone actually does a Military Press anymore. It would be more accurate to call it an Overhead Press. A strict Military Press is performed while standing with your feet together as tho you were "standing at attention", thus the origin of the name "Military" and it is always raised in front of you, no jerking or bending at the knees and very little back bend. Theres no such thing as a seated Military Press, thats simply a "seated overhead press". But everyone does call it a seated Military Press these days.

This particular lift was one of the three Olympic Lifts up until 1972, called the "Olympic Clean and Press", the "Snatch", and the "Clean and Jerk". In the clean & press you had to bring it up to your shoulders from the floor and then press it overhead. After the 1972 Olympics the lift was discontinued but the Russian lifter, Vassily Alexeyev, set the world record with a clean & press of 520 lbs which now cannot be broken unless it is put back as one of the lifts. No, thats not a typo, it was 520 lbs. He also cleaned and jerked 560 lbs.(They now only do the Snatch and Clean and Jerk.) The Olympic Press was done like the Military press except the feet are spread apart, usually about shoulder width. Over the years this type of press was simply called and accepted as the Military Press since no one ever did it with their feet together anymore. Just a little history for you younger guys.

I started out as an Olympic lifter in 1953 (ancient history huh) back when they considered the bench press as an odd lift. A Canadian heavyweight by the name of Doug Hepburn held the world record then doing 500 lbs. He later raised his record to 600lbs. Paul Anderson came along around 1955 and did 650lbs. He was also the last American Heavyweight to win the Olympics in 1956. Paul Anderson once did 11 reps in a one arm press with 300 lbs and one rep with 380 lbs. Check him out in Google, you'll be surprised at what he has done. Cheers,

[Mizfit]

i am a doctor and specialize in rehabilative exercises and bio-mechanics. anything behind the neck is just an incorrect movement, it is just not bio-mechanically correct, it puts to much pressure in the cervical spine muscles as well as the rotator cuff's. scrap behind the neck.

Yup and its funny how many ppl do it to add variation to their exercise and i wonder.. what in the hell r u doing

[Doc.Sust]

Yup and its funny how many ppl do it to add variation to their exercise and i wonder.. what in the hell r u doing

i wonder the same thing

[Doc.Sust]

people. please stop starting up old posts

[Superhuman]

think about it, if u are going behind the neck and u drop it on the last rep because u have no spotter - even at a low weight - you could permanently f*ck up your shoulders.

[IronFreakX]

Behind the neck feels good, there's no pain and it really pumps my shoulders up.

Plus what Im training for there could be weight placed in that position so I might as well be ready for i t.

[UberSteroids]

behind the neck=eventually wrecked shoulders/rotator cuffs

Yup, thats what happened to me.