Behind-the-Neck Smith Machine Press

Starting position

1. Place an upright-back bench under the Smith bar so the bar travels just behind your head.
2. Set the safety stops at the top of your ears and the bar hooks slightly below your overhead reach.
3. Sit with your hips and back against the pad and your feet on the floor wider than your shoulders.
4. Take a grip wider than your shoulders so your forearms are vertical at the bottom, then unhook the bar by rotating your wrists.

Execution

1. Inhale and slowly lower the bar behind your head to the top of your ears — not to the base of your neck.
2. Elbows point out and down, head neutral, torso still.
3. Exhale and press the bar up without snapping your elbows into lockout.
4. After the set, rotate your wrists to hook the bar back on.

Common mistakes

• Lowering too deep — the shoulder sits at its end range and injury risk rises.
• Bench in the wrong spot — the bar grazes your head or drifts forward, forcing an awkward path.
• Head tilted forward — the neck gets strained.
• Arching the lower back — the load moves to the lower back.

Beginner tips

• The Smith machine fixes the path but doesn't make the lift shoulder-friendly — you still need good shoulder mobility.
• Start with the empty bar and make sure the movement feels comfortable.
• If your shoulders hurt, switch to a front press.

Alternatives

• Smith Machine Front Press — same equipment, safer for shoulders
• Dumbbell Press with Alternating Grip — free, natural movement path
• Standing Dumbbell Lateral Raise (Side Delts) — isolates the side delts