Snatch Grip Behind the Neck Press
BarbellStrength
No video available
The Snatch Grip Behind the Neck Press is a barbell overhead press performed with a wide, snatch-style grip and the bar starting from a rack position behind the neck, pressing it overhead to lockout. It primarily targets the shoulders, including the deltoids and upper trapezius, while enhancing shoulder mobility and thoracic extension. Ideal for advanced lifters seeking to build overhead pressing power and improve overhead positioning for the snatch, it requires a barbell and a squat rack, and demands solid shoulder mobility before loading heavily.
How to Perform Snatch Grip Behind the Neck Press
- 1Set a barbell on a rack at upper-back height. Duck under the bar and grip it with a wide snatch-style grip, hands well outside shoulder-width.
- 2Position the bar across your upper traps/rear delts behind your neck, then step back out of the rack with feet shoulder-width apart, core engaged.
- 3Inhale deeply to brace your core and stabilize your spine, keeping your ribs down.
- 4Press the bar straight upward by extending your elbows, driving it overhead while keeping your head neutral and shifting it slightly forward as the bar clears it.
- 5Exhale steadily as you lock the bar out directly overhead, holding for a brief moment at the top.
- 6Inhale as you lower the bar back down with control to the starting rack position behind your neck.
- 7Repeat for desired reps, then re-rack the bar carefully at the end of your set.
- 8Key form tips: Keep your head neutral rather than jutting your chin forward to clear the bar; keep ribs down to prevent arching your lower back, and move smoothly without using leg drive to cheat the press. Common mistakes: Flaring elbows too wide instead of pressing them forward under the bar, shrugging shoulders excessively, or using a grip so wide that shoulder mobility is compromised — widen gradually and only as mobility allows.
