Exercise Library
Press Behind The Neck In Split
The press behind the neck in split is an exercise that improves comfort in the split position, improves and preserves shoulder mobility, trains and reinforces the proper split jerk receiving position, and strengthens the upper body with an emphasis on the upper back.
Hold the bar behind your neck like a back squat in your jerk-width grip unless you jerk with an unusually wide grip—in that case, hold the bar about half a fist to a fist-width outside the shoulders. Squeeze the upper inside edges of the shoulders blades together tightly and keep the elbows down.
Step into your full split position and brace your trunk. Push the bar aggressively with the arms straight up into the overhead position—the trunk will already be leaning forward very slightly and the bar in line with the proper overhead position, so no further movement of either is necessary. Lock in the overhead position forcefully.
There should be no movement of the body other than the arms and no shifting of balance throughout the motion.
Reverse the motion to return the bar to the back under control. Subsequent reps can be performed without resetting the bar completely on the back, but ensure full contact for full range of motion and minimize bouncing.
Notes
The tendency will be to reduce the length and depth of the split for more comfort, but this defeats the purpose—get into your full split position. Pressing (or jerking) from behind the neck allows the trunk to begin and stay in the same slight forward inclination we want for an optimal overhead position, and the bar begins in the same vertical plane it will need to be in overhead. This means the trunk position shouldn’t change and the bar should move straight up rather than the trunk leaning forward more and the bar moving backward slightly as would be necessary from the front rack. This makes the exercise valuable for teaching and reinforcing the correct overhead position. It also means that nothing about the split position should change during the pressing motion.
Purpose
The press behind the neck in split is a simple overhead pressing strength exercise that is good for teaching and reinforcing the correct overhead position, improving and preserving mobility and well as emphasizing scapular and upper back strength for the overhead position. The extra time in the split position improves familiarity and comfort, making it easier for the lifter to achieve it in the jerk.
Programming
Sets of 3-10 reps can be used depending on the timing and the specific need. 6-10 reps will help more with hypertrophy, mobility and some strength; 3-5 reps will be generally the most effective for strength work and some hypertrophy and the most common.
Hold the bar behind your neck like a back squat in your jerk-width grip unless you jerk with an unusually wide grip—in that case, hold the bar about half a fist to a fist-width outside the shoulders. Squeeze the upper inside edges of the shoulders blades together tightly and keep the elbows down.
Step into your full split position and brace your trunk. Push the bar aggressively with the arms straight up into the overhead position—the trunk will already be leaning forward very slightly and the bar in line with the proper overhead position, so no further movement of either is necessary. Lock in the overhead position forcefully.
There should be no movement of the body other than the arms and no shifting of balance throughout the motion.
Reverse the motion to return the bar to the back under control. Subsequent reps can be performed without resetting the bar completely on the back, but ensure full contact for full range of motion and minimize bouncing.
Notes
The tendency will be to reduce the length and depth of the split for more comfort, but this defeats the purpose—get into your full split position. Pressing (or jerking) from behind the neck allows the trunk to begin and stay in the same slight forward inclination we want for an optimal overhead position, and the bar begins in the same vertical plane it will need to be in overhead. This means the trunk position shouldn’t change and the bar should move straight up rather than the trunk leaning forward more and the bar moving backward slightly as would be necessary from the front rack. This makes the exercise valuable for teaching and reinforcing the correct overhead position. It also means that nothing about the split position should change during the pressing motion.
Purpose
The press behind the neck in split is a simple overhead pressing strength exercise that is good for teaching and reinforcing the correct overhead position, improving and preserving mobility and well as emphasizing scapular and upper back strength for the overhead position. The extra time in the split position improves familiarity and comfort, making it easier for the lifter to achieve it in the jerk.
Programming
Sets of 3-10 reps can be used depending on the timing and the specific need. 6-10 reps will help more with hypertrophy, mobility and some strength; 3-5 reps will be generally the most effective for strength work and some hypertrophy and the most common.
