Behind the neck press

[MartinB]

Hey Rip, I read in SSBBT3 that BTN presses put the shoulders in an awkward position at the end of their range of motion. Do they also cause impingement though?
Is it possible to safely use them as a light day press exercise at higher reps? (10's)
Is RC damage cumulative or acute? Am I safe if I don't feel pain while doing them?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Why would you use an exercise that has to be done with light weights for 10s to keep from hurting your shoulders, and that cannot be done with as much weight as the primary exercise? Why not just get your press up to bodyweight? Cuff damage can be both chronic and acute.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Ask yourself this.

Why do you want to do them behind the neck? Because a gym-bro, trainer, or Men's Fitness said so? Weider and Company pimped those behind the neck presses since before I was even born and I'm 66. According to Weider and his sock puppets, you do them to better develop the medial deltoids for those "coconut delts!"

I did them for a few decades on the basis of that sterling advice. After about 15 or so years I began to get shoulder problems. Bad shoulder problems that would immobilize my right arm for several days to a week from the pain. Even with the magic anti-inflammatory of the time, Celebrex. I finally quit reading that Silly Bullshit and listened to my chiropractor who advised me to quit doing them and pulldowns behind the neck. Even though he would lose money as a result.

Guess what? My shoulder problems largely resolved themselves. Maybe you should do them just until you need glasses.

[David Mitchell]

Ask yourself this.

I did them for a few decades on the basis of that sterling advice. After about 15 or so years I began to get shoulder problems.

I did them, too. I'd guess that the inflammation caused by these and "deep" flyes might be partially to blame for the weakening of the eventual tears of both cuffs I have recently had repaired.

Yeah, this is my 2nd ever post here. So what?

[Giri Kotte]

I'm quite injury prone, shoulders in particular. And performing heavy press (heavy by my standards) relieved me of shoulder pain/niggle that hounded me for a long time on and off. My "yoke" is in the best shape it has ever been and if you want more of it, deadlift should do the job for you.