Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck

An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.

Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck — Starting position Starting position
Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck — End position End position
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Strength
Equipment Barbell
Primary Muscle Shoulders
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck

  1. This exercise is best performed inside a squat rack for easier pick up of the bar. To begin, first set the bar on a rack that best matches your height. Once the correct height is chosen and the bar is loaded, step under the bar and place the back of your shoulders (slightly below the neck) across it.
  2. Hold on to the bar using both arms at each side and lift it off the rack by first pushing with your legs and at the same time straightening your torso.
  3. Step away from the rack and position your legs using a shoulder width medium stance with the toes slightly pointed out. Your back should be kept straight while performing this exercise. This will be your starting position.
  4. Elevate the barbell overhead by fully extending your arms while breathing out.
  5. Hold the contraction for a second and lower the barbell back down to the starting position by inhaling.
  6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Muscles Worked

Front
Back

Primary

Where Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck

10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.

  1. 1 Standing Palms-In Dumbbell Press

    Standing Palms-In Dumbbell Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    intermediate Dumbbells
  2. 2 Barbell Shoulder Press

    Barbell Shoulder Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  3. 3 Seated Barbell Military Press

    Seated Barbell Military Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  4. 4 Standing Alternating Dumbbell Press

    Standing Alternating Dumbbell Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells
  5. 5 Standing Dumbbell Press

    Standing Dumbbell Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells
  6. 6 Standing Front Barbell Raise Over Head

    Standing Front Barbell Raise Over Head

    An intermediate isolation strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  7. 7 Standing Palm-In One-Arm Dumbbell Press

    Standing Palm-In One-Arm Dumbbell Press

    A beginner compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    beginner Dumbbells
  8. 8 Alternating Kettlebell Press

    Alternating Kettlebell Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.

    intermediate Kettlebell
  9. 9 Arnold Dumbbell Press

    Arnold Dumbbell Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using dumbbells.

    intermediate Dumbbells
  10. 10 Double Kettlebell Push Press

    Double Kettlebell Push Press

    An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the shoulders, using a kettlebell.

    intermediate Kettlebell

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do standing barbell press behind neck work?

Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck primarily works the shoulders. The triceps assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for standing barbell press behind neck?

Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck uses barbell.

Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck: is it suitable for beginners?

Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck is rated intermediate. Movements that assume you already own the basic pattern and are ready to load it.

What can I do instead of standing barbell press behind neck?

Standing Palms-In Dumbbell Press, Barbell Shoulder Press, Seated Barbell Military Press train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my standing barbell press behind neck reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; standing barbell press behind neck can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.

Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.

Track Your Standing Barbell Press Behind Neck with AI

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