Intermediate

Bradford Press

The Bradford press keeps the deltoids loaded through the entire arc by pressing the bar just over the head and lowering it behind, then reversing. Because you never fully lock out, tension stays on the shoulders rep after rep, making it a great hypertrophy finisher. Use light weight and pristine control; the behind-the-neck portion asks for good shoulder mobility.

Equipment
Barbell
Body part
Shoulder
Type
Strength
Browse by movement
Vertical Press
Muscles worked
Target
Deltoid Anterior, Deltoid Middle
Secondary
Triceps Brachii Long Head, Triceps Brachii Lateral Head, Triceps Brachii Medial Head
Tertiary
Trapezius Upper

How to do it

  1. 1

    Set up as for a standing or seated press with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width.

  2. 2

    Start with the bar racked on the front of your shoulders and brace your trunk.

  3. 3

    Press just high enough to clear the top of your head, moving the bar back until it is behind your neck.

  4. 4

    Lower the bar behind your head to the base of your neck without crashing it down.

  5. 5

    Press back up and over, returning the bar to the front of your shoulders to finish one rep.

  6. 6

    Keep the bar close and the elbows moving smoothly, never slamming into the neck.

Tips

  • Only lower behind the neck as far as your mobility allows with a neutral spine.
  • Keep the reps slow and controlled; this is a tension exercise, not a strength test.
  • Tuck your chin slightly as the bar passes overhead so it clears cleanly.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • Locking the elbows out completely at the top turns the Bradford press back into a standard press and gives the shoulders the rest points this movement is built to remove.
  • The bar drifts forward away from the skull on the way overhead, turning the short arc into a wide loop that stresses the shoulder joint at end range.
  • Craning the neck forward to help the bar clear the head shifts strain onto the cervical spine instead of the shoulders.
  • Once the weight feels easy, reps speed up and the bar taps down hard at the base of the neck instead of settling there softly.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the Bradford press should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Start with 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps using an empty bar or very light plates, since the point is continuous tension, not a heavy load. Rest 60 to 90 seconds and stop a rep or two before your shoulders lose the smooth, controlled arc. Add small jumps in weight only once you can complete every rep without rushing or losing a neutral neck position, and treat it as a finisher after your main pressing work rather than the first overhead move of the day.
What can you do instead of the Bradford press without a barbell?
Use a pair of light dumbbells for a continuous-tension overhead press, stopping just short of lockout at the top and just short of the shoulders at the bottom so the delts never get a break. A cable or band overhead press from a low pulley works too, since the resistance keeps the shoulder loaded the whole way, similar to the barbell version.
What is the Bradford press good for, and who should skip it?
It's a deltoid hypertrophy finisher for lifters chasing shoulder size who already press well. It's a poor choice for someone building raw overhead strength or with limited shoulder mobility, since the behind-the-neck path asks for range many people do not have safely.

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