Behind the neck, is one of the exercises which is listed under injury-prone exercises. But if we will consider the training for old school strongmen it is one of the most powerful shoulder exercises. This movement is seen to be a staple movement in most bodybuilder & strength Athletes.
What does the research say?
In Sept 2015 in the journal of sport & health science, two researchers M.Mckean & B.Burkett compared two techniques of shoulder press ( Front of head & back of the neck) over 33 subjects in a seated position. It is seen that both front & behind the neck presses were found to be safe exercise ( for the shoulder & spine) when performed with normal trunk stability & ideal shoulder range of motion.[1]
Then, Why it is considered risky?
Inadequate information & poor Posture are responsible for the downfall of exercise. If someone who has rounded shoulders or lack of mobility in shoulder flexion then overhead press behind the neck may cause injury.
Stiffness in pecs leads to rounding of the shoulder. This tightness will limit the ability to retract shoulder blades. Those limits can produce shoulder pain from an excessive strain on the rotator cuff tendons.
Muscles working :
Front, Rear & outer Deltoids
Trapezius Muscles
Triceps Brachii
Serratus Anterior
Olympic lifts mainly the snatch put you in the same position. But Olympic lifters never complain of shoulder pain as they have very good mobility around their shoulders.
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