Pull downs behind the neck bad for you?

[Clean]

My swim coach from back in high school told me that pull-downs behind the neck were bad for your shoulders or neck or something, so I never did them. Are they really bad, or is it just if you use bad form or extremely heavy weight?

 

[Clean]

I don't know if it messed with my rotator since I was swimming or something at the time and he did not want us doing them.

 

[anthrax]

I do Pull downs behind the neck all the time

As long as you don't cheat too much (using your body weight) and keep your back flat, or slightly arched I guess it is OK

 

[Atomic Punk]

I do Pull downs behind the neck all the time

As long as you don't cheat too much (using your body weight) and keep your back flat, or slightly arched I guess it is OK

I do them too bro. I also do Military Presses Behind the Neck as well. Both are supposedly horrible on the rotator cuff, yet I feel that 1. the millies are the best overall delt mass builder, and 2. the lat pulls widen my back like no other. I use reasonable weights with 45-60 second rest intervals in order to increase the weights without going heavy, if that makes sence.

 

[Bonkme2]

I never liked behind the neck pulldowns, but now that Atomic brings it up, I can't do shoulder presses behind the neck because it puts too much strain on my upper back and neck. Anything above 135 amd I can't move my neck for a week. So I do all my overhead presses to the front. My guess is alot of people will have the same problem with keeping your arms back during the pulldowns.

There was just a thread about people telling us not to do squats and deadlifts because they're bad on your knees and back. Do any of us really care what someone else says? If you like the exercise, if it works to make you bigger, stronger, faster, and it doesn't give you trouble anywhere else, then hit it.

 

[onerepmaximum]

I don't feel like lat pulldowns behind the neck are a very good excersize to begin with. If I do any for of lat pull downs, I will reverse the grip (palms facing me), lean back about 20 degrees and pull to the bottom of my chest. I think that motion is more along the lines of a good back/lat movement. Just my opinion of course.

 

[theoak01]

im not big on behind the neck either,hurts my shoulders

 

[needsize]

the rotator cuff was not designed to bear weight in the behind the neck position. You may get away with doing it without getting hurt, but the risk just doesnt seem worth it to me, especially since anything to the front is just as effective and way more safe

 

[Clean]

thanks everyone, I never messed with them because I also took my coaches advice, and I did not feel like the exercise was helping me any more than to the front, just as needsize said. My rotator cuffs had enough shit from swimming anyway.

 

[mrjrock19]

i heard it tears your rotator cup up....my baseball coach never let us do it behind the neck