Pressing behind the neck in a deep squat position could possibly be one of the most critical postural exercises your program is missing. Often we will observe with clients an anterior dominance in development, frequently overdeveloped pectorals, anterior deltoids and rectus abdominus, compared to the posterior chain.
This often occurs through a desire from individuals to train exercises such as bench press, lateral raises, where focus is placed upon the lateral deltoid and abdominal work. Furthermore, anterior musculature development is often enhanced by twenty first century living – long hours in a seated position sitting over a computer, desk or car compounds the problem.
With this in mind, the inclusion of exercises that develop strength in the posterior chain are critical. In my personal experience trying to develop the posterior chain through “corrective” exercises, that are frequently isolation exercises, often proves unfavourable and often sees poor compliance from clients. Could this be where an exercise such as the behind neck press in the deep squat takes centre stage?
Now it is probably a good time to note that this exercise isn’t for everyone – if you have clients with a history of knee pain, particularly a patella femoral injury, it’s not a great idea, due to the stress upon the joint whilst holding a low squat position. Likewise, if your client lacks good shoulder mobility, time spent developing the overhead squat with great posture should take precedence.
I’d also like to note that the behind neck press is not an exercise I throw into the first month of training with a client; the need to learn basic mechanics and get effective at them should be the primary focus initially – this includes the squat pattern, hinge, unilateral squat patterns and pressing.
Benefits Of the Exercise
Once this has been achieved and the client is ready, it’s time for the behind neck press in a deep squat. The benefits of this exercise are extensive, and include:
- Strong isometric contractions of the quadriceps, gluteus and hamstrings are required
- Engagement of the Latisimus Dorsi, Posterior Deltoid and pressing musculature of the arm
- Enhanced awareness and proprioception of the position of the body
- Enhanced flexibility and mobility of the hip and shoulder
- Increased strength in thoracic extension and postural strength in the lumbar spine
How To Perform The Exercise
To begin with, the client should squat down into position with the bar in the high squat position. As seen below, the exercise can be regressed by placing the arms wider towards the collars. Likewise, moving the arms closer together increases the difficulty of the exercise.
Once the client achieves the deep squat position, ensuring that a neutral spine is maintained, the prescribed number of presses should be completed, as below. During the press, the trainer must be vigilant in ensuring the chest remains upright and the spine remains neutral. There is a great demand placed on the trunk during the press and significant demand placed to maintain posture.
As the movement is complete, there are several errors that are likely to occur.
- The knees buckling into the inside – to remedy this, regress from the exercise and develop overhead squat posture. It is likely flute strength is the limiting factor, coupled with tight adductors
- The bar is pressed in front of the head, caused by an inability to maintain an upright trunk – this is likely due to poor mobility in the hips. Ensure there is significant flexibility in the hamstrings and mobility in the hips
- Excessive thoracis extension – this likely occurs to overcompensate for a too greater load. Reduce the load until the client completes the reps with a neutral spine, then progress gradually from there
In summary, the behind neck press is potentially an excellent exercise for developing posterior chain strength and helping develop and reinforce good posture.