Behind the Neck Press vs. Dumbbell Press

Fundamentals

• The deltoid consists of three prominent sections: the anterior (front), the posterior (rear) and the lateral (middle). Each section of the muscle controls the rotation and orientation of your arms for any upper-body activity. The strength and flexibility of your shoulders requires the correct mix of exercises to maximize performance. The behind-the-neck press and the dumbbell shoulder press both provide effective gains for your deltoids, but each exercise needs sufficient weight-training experience to successfully complete.

Behind-the-Neck Press

• The behind-the-neck press works the anterior and lateral deltoids, along with the middle portion of the trapezius and the stabilizer muscles in your shoulder blades. While it’s an effective workout, the motion is tricky. It requires you to lift a weighted barbell up and down over your shoulders and behind your head. It may leave your head and neck in a vulnerable position if you lose control of the bar, and for that reason you should only attempt this exercise if you’re familiar with advanced weight-training techniques. The behind-the-neck press is particularly effective because it concentrates the stress of the lift on your shoulders and neck, but it works in numerous stabilizers throughout your back. You can do the exercise seated or while standing. The seated position further concentrates the lift on your shoulders, while standing distributes the stress through your lower back and legs. Also, the barbell provides a more stable motion, moving both shoulders in unison.

Dumbbell Press

• The dumbbell press also primarily targets the anterior and lateral deltoids, but when done correctly, it also works the upper pectorals and triceps. Using dumbbells gives you a more difficult workout, which means it will be a more effective workout, because dumbbells lack the stability of a barbell. Each arm must move independently, and this activates a host of small stabilizers throughout the arms, shoulders, neck and back. You can do dumbbell presses seated or while standing, but given the already difficult nature of using the dumbbells, the seated position works best for most situations. The dumbbell shoulder press does not place the dumbbells in a precarious position over vital body parts, which decreases the injury risk of the exercise. Also, using dumbbells gives you the option to use alternating lift patterns, where you do one rep with your left arm, then one rep with your right. The one-arm focus better engages your core for increased support. Dumbbell presses are ideal for weight lifters of all skill levels.

Considerations

• Both exercises are effective for working the shoulders and other areas of the upper body. One exercise is significantly more advanced than the other. Lifters of any skill level can see effective gains using dumbbell shoulder presses, but you should only attempt behind-the-neck presses once you’ve gained enough skill with using a barbell. There are a number of weight machines that mimic the motion of a behind-the-neck press without the risk, but those machines do not adequately work secondary and stabilizer muscles. If you’re an experienced lifter, both exercises should be a part of your routine. If you’re a novice and you want to try the behind-the-neck press, practice extensively with an empty or lightly weighted barbell to minimize the risk and develop sufficient muscle memory for the correct form. Use a spotter for all presses, both to minimize injury and to help guide your form.